Ajay16 Motorola Z3 Disassembly Guide v1.0 Page: 1
MOTOROLA Z3 DISASSEMBLY GUIDE
This guide will help you replace housing parts and get to the inner parts of your phone. I am in no way responsible for any damage occurred to your phone. If you follow my instructions in this guide you should be ok. But you need a lot of time and patience when disassembling your phone. YOU MUST READ EVERYTHING CAREFULLY! !ONLY BUY HOUSINGS FROM CNN.CN, AS THEY ARE OEM! Use the steps below for specific parts replacing, use the whole guide for full housing replacement. Contents: Steps 1~5,61~63 Facia Replacement. Steps 1~14,19~32,43~49 Screen Replacement. Steps 1~14,16~18,50~52 Aerial /Lower Front Housing Replacement. Steps 1~11,57~60,65~67 Main Keypad Replacement. Steps 62 ~ 64 Lens Replacement.
Tools Needed: Screwdrivers ~ T4 Precision Tweezers Mobile Phone Opening Tool Brand new Glasses Cloth Double Sided Tape Screw Sizes: Rear Screws ~ T4 x 6 LCD Rear Screws ~ T4 x 2 LCD Internal Screw ~ T4 x2 BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF THE TOOLS NEEDED. You can buy these from eBay or any other mobile phone website. Take your time and dont rush! Move away any drinks or liquid, and have good light.
Compiled Exclusively for MotoModders.net
Ajay16 Motorola Z3 Disassembly Guide v1.0 Page: 2
1. Turn off your Z3, remove the back cover memory card and your SIM card. 2. Unscrew all 6 screws using the T4 screwdriver.
3. Once you have done this you will see the housing has lifted slightly at the top, push the sides in using the mobile phone opening tool, the clips should pop out easily.
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4. Work your way down the edges with the phone opening tool until you get to the bottom aerial housing. Push the phone opening tool between the small gap you have, push quite hard to release the clip, then work your way around the bottom aerial housing to release all 4 clips in the same way.
5. Now lift off the rear housing, your phone should now look like this.
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6. Remove the rubber loudspeaker housing, this simply lifts up.
7. Now place the opening tool under the corner of the SIM card PCB and lift gently until you hear it unclip.
8. Now unclip the 2 ribbons, the top camera ribbon and the LCD ribbon, and carefully lift the buttons from the housing, they dont completely come out so just leave them hanging over the edge.
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9. Your phone should now look like this.
10.Lift the PCB board up from next to the LCD ribbon cable, by inserting the opening tool between the PCB and the housing. Lift slowly until you can lift it with your fingers. Carefully pull it toward you slightly to unhook it from the other side.
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11.Slide the phone open and push the main keypad out from the opposite side.
12. Turn the phone back over and push up gently on the lower housing while holding the top LCD housing so it partly unclips.
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13. Now put one finger in the middle holding the silver plate and lift up the top right hand corner with your nail so it unclips. You have to use a bit of force to do this. Now unclip the other corner. Carefully
14.Slowly lift and unhook the ribbon from the middle housing.
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Your phone should now look like this.
15. Next is to remove the the camera unit, push the opening tool under the small resistor to the right of the camera, do this gently then lift the camera unit out.
16. Now lift out the orange antenna cover.
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17.Now lift the antenna out by placing the tweezers behind the middle clip and the gently hinge it up.
18. Unclip the 4 lower housing clips by pushing them with the tweezers to release them from their catches. It will then simply pull out of the lower housing.

19. Get the top LCD housing and unscrew the two T4 screw at the top.
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20. Gently lift the metal sliding plate at the top to create a gap at the top of the housing were you just unscrewed the T4 screws.
21. Now lightly pull on the rear of the LCD housing so it lifts clear of the bottom. But not fully clear as there is a ribbon that needs unclipping.
22. Turn the housing on its side so you can see the ribbon, place the tweezers in between the gap and lift the corner of the ribbon.
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23. Your phone should now look like this.
24. Unscrew the 2 T4 screws at the bottom of the LCD.
25. Lift the LCD out of the housing from the top left with the tweezers.
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26. Lift the LCD vertical so you can see the ribbon behind it, unclip this unit while holding the left hand corner of the ribbon so it doesnt lift up. Place your finger in the left hand corner and then place your nail under the ribbon clip and unclip it.
27. Rest the LCD horizontal and notice the small black round piece of plastic to the right of the housing. This is the part for the slide mechanism push this with the tweezers across so it unclips.
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28.Turn the housing over and place the tweezers between the black arm and lift it out of the cut through.
29.Now carefully pull the metal slider away from the back of the housing, not catching the ribbon as you do this.
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30. Unstick the ribbon by carefully lifting it away from the housing.
31. Turn the phone over and gently pull the LCD so the bottom ribbon that is attached lifts up.
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32.Keep lifting so that the slider ribbon comes through the cut out, keep lifting and the earpiece will come out too.
Your phone should now look like this
33. Get the outer LCD housing and turn it over, locate the small metal fold over parts of the outer keypad.
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34. Bend up the two arms that cover the top 2 keypad holders, then push the metal keypad holders down so the keypad falls out.
35.Place the opening tool under the glass LCD lens and lift slightly, do this both sides.

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36.Turn the phone over and push the opening tool under the glass and between the housing were it is stuck, now run the tool all the way along, do this all round the inside.
37. The top should pop out quite easily, once the top has come out push the bottom gently in one corner until it starts lifting free then lift gently all the way along.
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38. To lift the top keypad membrane out place the tweezers under the bottom right hand corner and lift it out, gently unhook the ribbon through the hole at the bottom. (I wouldnt recommend trying to salvage this part if you are changing housing as its very difficult to get out in one piece, I would just buy a new one).
39. Lift out the earpiece mesh and transfer it to the new housing, also lift out the Motorola logo that covers the earpiece, place the tweezers under and lift up, transfer this to the new housing too.
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40. Get the top keypad housing and push in the bottom of the keypad first then push through the 2 side lugs.
41. Turn the phone over and bend the lugs back down, and bend down the arms at the top.
42. Get the black rear LCD housing and place the slider ribbon through the gap.
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43.Lay the earpiece into the top cut out, and then locate the bottom of the LCD in the housing.
44. Now clip the ribbon back into place.
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45.Turn the phone over and locate the slider mechanism into place, push the ribbon through BUT DONT STICK IT BACK DOWN, slowly push the slider mechanism over the ribbon allowing the ribbon to feed itself backward and stick itself back down.
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46. Push the black slider arm back into the circle with your finger, making sure it locates back into the top left of the cut out, then push the slider mechanism up to the top to make sure it is working ok.
47. Turn the LCD housing over and screw in the two T4 screws at the bottom.
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48. Get the front LCD housing and place the Back LCD housing next to it, place your finger between the two and attach the ribbon from the front housing to the back.
49.Pull the rear housing back slightly to locate it into the front housing, then push it into the bottom. Make sure the LCD isnt getting trapped between the two parts. Then screw the 2 T4 screw back in.
50.Get the new middle housing and the lower bottom antenna cover, hook both left and right clips into place, then push down
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51.Install the antenna by putting it into place and pushing down so it clips in.
52.Replace the orange rubber aerial housing, and put the camera unit back into place.

53.Place the buttons back into place, the button pad goes one side and the buttons slide into the side of the housing.
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54.Put the ribbon back through the middle housing.
55.Locate the top two metal fixings on the sliding mechanism and push into place.
56.Locate and push the second two in.
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57.Hold the ribbon away and put the keypad into place.
58.Now get the main PCB, lift both ribbons up and put the bottom into place first, it should now just fall into position.
59.Push both the ribbons back into place.
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60.Locate the SIM card reader and push it into place until it clicks, put back the rubber loudspeaker housing.
61.Now get the old rear housing and remove the USB port cover, just pull this carefully away from the slip it sits in. Push this into the new housing.
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62.To remove the loudspeaker place your tweezers into the corner of were the contacts are and lift up slowly, transfer this to the new housing.
63.There are 2 small clips that keep the rear external antenna cover on, unclip these with tweezers. Transfer this as well to the new housing.
64.Put the camera button back into place.
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65.Locate the rear housing with the middle housing.
66.Press the bottom into place then work your way up the sides to the top.
67.Screw in the top 2 T4 screws first then screw in the rest.
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68.Turn the phone over and clean the screen with a screen cloth, make sure it is perfect no dust or smears.
69.Clean the glass LCD lens too, spend as much time on this as you dont want to have to take your phone apart to clean it again.
70.Place the lens over the LCD and press into place firmly around the edges.
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71.Turn your phone over, install your SIM card/memory card, and the battery. 72.Turn your phone on and voila!
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This guide is FREEWARE to MOTOMODDERS MEMBERS. Selling of this guide is prohibited. All images and text is to Ajay16, Adam Tudor-Lane. If you would like to send me any comments on the guide, or request for custom guides by companies please send them to: moto.v3.blk@gmail.com Version: This is Version 1.0.
Many thanks to MotoX for the software that allows us to Mod our phones. The guys that find out the seem edits, file developers and decompilers. Also thanks to everyone at Motomodders.net who make all the modding possible! Keep it up guys! And thanks to Motorola for releasing such cool and different phones!