Chosen Solution

Did someone manage to recover a good battery from a dead MacBook Pro late 2013 or similar? The battery on my MBP 13 2014 is swollen and I have this broken 2013 whose battery could be a replacement. Should I go for a “heat removal” or will using adhesive removal be a better solution? Update (09/18/2021) I decided to try and get my first experience with glued batteries. I used a great glue solvent I’ve been using for years when cleaning for repair or maintenance and lots of care and patience. (Also some plastic cards of different width and thickness, spudger, plastic tweezers, isopropyl alcohol). The battery looks good and I’ve been very careful not damaging it nor twisting its parts.

I did it to learn something new, otherwise the old battery would have gone right to the recycling centre. Update (08/02/2022) I replaced the swelling battery on my MacBook Pro 13 2014 with the one recovered from the dead MBP 2013. The battery’s been working perfectly for over 10 months and using frequency scaling limit (set via the Volta app) it even allowed me over 6 hours autonomy while taking notes at lectures. Loving it! I advise everyone against it but who’s already experience in delicate repairs, and I won’t do this kind of transplant for clients, due to the inability to ensure a stable result (I mean safety, not autonomy).

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS NOT A GUIDE, I just want to describe and share this experience with other members of the community. BATTERIES CAN EXPLODE OR CATCH FIRE. If the battery of your computer is swelling, run the computer to discharge the battery and then REFER TO PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE TO REMOVE AND DISPOSE THE OLD BATTERY.

  1. I checked and saved the battery properties, then I run the MacBook Pro on battery, until it died. I left it rest until it cannot even show the low charge screen.

  2. I disconnected the old battery and taped the “new” one over it.

  3. I connected the “new” battery to the mainboard, then verified it was charging and how much remaining capacity it had. The cycles number and the battery capacity looked promising.

  4. I removed the swelling battery from MBP. Using the experience from the first removal, I tried to do it without even removing the mainboard. This time I used a small amount of glue cleaner on the front edge of plastic cards, and gently inserted them between battery and case, from every side accessible. I passed the cards multiple times, adding every time a bit of glue cleaner on the front edge when the card was dry, and removed the battery without applying any force. The amount of liquid I used was so little that the case needed just the mechanical removal of the adhesive residues, then I passed a cloth dampened with glue cleaner and completed with a last pass with a cloth with isopropyl alcohol.

  5. I put some electrical tape to fix the battery in position during tests.

  6. I placed the “new” battery in position, connected it and started testing it with normal usage.

—Old battery I’m still surprised that I didn’t realize earlier how the battery was degenerating (in my defense charge was working normally).

I wouldn’t waste the time to transfer the battery. Most of the time you damage the battery in the process as Apple glue is quite tough! As far as removing the battery, follow this guide: MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Mid 2014 Battery Replacement using a solvent carefully so you don’t flood the keyboard which will ruin it. And here’s one source for the battery: MacBook Pro 13" Retina (Late 2013-Mid 2014) Battery