Repair guide · iPod 3rd Gen
iPod 3rd Gen back panel replacement
This guide covers the iPod 3rd Gen sold in 2003 and 2004 (model A1040, 10GB to 40GB). The back panel, or backplate, is the polished stainless-steel half of the case, with the capacity engraved on it. Ours arrives bare unless you choose the option with the headphone jack already fitted, so the headphone jack assembly, Hold slider included, moves over from your old back with its three silver screws, while the battery and hard drive stay in the front half. A replacement back is cosmetic: it fixes scratches, dents and bends, not electronic faults. Match the case depth first, then the capacity. The dock connector bezel is explained in the FAQ at the end.
Which back panel fits: thin or thick?
Measure the closed iPod first. A thin one is about 16 mm (0.62 in) front to back and weighs about 159 g (5.6 oz); a thick one about 18.5 mm (0.73 in) and 176 g (6.2 oz). Depth decides whether a back fits; capacity only decides what its engraving says. A back from another capacity of the same depth fits but shows that capacity. An earlier owner may already have swapped the back, so don't go by the old engraving. Backs from later iPods don't fit this one. Not sure which you have? Identify your iPod
Before you start
- Be sure a replacement back is what you needA back panel changes the looks and nothing else. It won't fix charging, sound, storage or screen trouble.
- Ordered it with the jack already fitted?Our back panel page offers the back with a headphone jack and cable already in place. In that case you skip moving the old assembly (steps 5 to 7 and 9); keep the old back, assembly and all, as a spare.
- Very hot or smelling? Leave it shutIf the iPod is very hot or smells, unplug it from any charger and leave the case shut. If you can move it safely, set it on a non-flammable surface, at least 2 feet (60 cm) from paper or anything else that burns, with a container of dry sand within reach, and let it cool completely. Then contact us.
- Keep dry sand at handWork on a non-flammable surface, at least 2 feet from paper and anything else that burns, with 8 to 10 cups of dry sand in a wide container within reach. If the battery ever smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly puffs up, pour all the sand over it at once. Get out of the room for at least half an hour and stay out until the smoke has gone; open a window or door to air it out. Call the fire service if it keeps burning. Give it half an hour before you touch the iPod, then lift it out with safety glasses on and heat-resistant gloves.
- Ground yourselfStatic can kill the logic board. Wear an anti-static wrist strap, or at least touch bare metal first.
- Keep the old back until the endEverything that moves across comes off the old back, so don't throw it out until the new one is closed up and working.
Tools
- Plastic opening tools (two)The back panel comes with one plastic pry tool; a second keeps the seam open.
- Plastic spudgerLifts the headphone ribbon off the old back and its connector off the board.
- Phillips #00 screwdriverFor the three silver screws on the headphone jack assembly. Not included.
- Anti-static wrist strap or matThe logic board is exposed while the case is open.
- Soft clothThe polished steel backs, old and replacement, scratch easily: keep them on it.
- FireWire charger and headphonesFor the test before you snap it shut. USB never charges this iPod.
Step by step
New to opening this iPod? How to open the iPod 3rd Gen (12 steps)
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Step 1: Unplug it, switch it off, lock it
Unplug any cable, then switch the iPod off: press and hold Play/Pause. Slide the Hold switch to locked, so the orange shows, and lay it face up on the cloth.
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Step 2: Free the clips
Angle a plastic opening tool toward the steel back and work it into the seam near the middle of a long side. Release the clips from the middle toward each end, then down the other long side, then the two on the bottom edge. Our opening guide covers every move.
Plastic tools only: keep them at the seam and away from the battery inside.
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Step 3: Open it like a book
Holding both halves together, turn the iPod over so the screen rests on the cloth, with the dock connector pointing away from you. Lift the back half a little to see which side the orange headphone ribbon runs on, then swing it up and over like a book cover, hinged on that side, and lay it flat beside the front half, close enough that the ribbon stays slack.
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Step 4: Unplug the headphone ribbon
The old back is coming away, so free its ribbon from the logic board. Work a plastic tool in under the connector's base, where it meets the socket on the board, and lift it straight up off its socket. Never pry between the layers of this tall connector, and never pull the ribbon. Unplug it as few times as you can: it wears a little each time.
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Step 5: Take out the three silver screws
Inside the old back, unscrew the three small silver Phillips screws holding the headphone jack assembly. Keep them together for the replacement back.
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Step 6: Ease the ribbon off the old back
The ribbon is stuck down inside the back. Slide the spudger under it and work along slowly so it comes up without creasing.
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Step 7: Lift the assembly out
Lift the jack board out of the old back. Handle its small white Hold slider gently: it is the piece most likely to snap during reassembly.
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Step 8: Check the replacement back's rim
Look along the edge of the replacement back. If any part of the rim is bent out of line, ease it gently back with your fingers, on the cloth, so the case can close evenly. The polished steel scratches and dents easily.
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Step 9: Fit the assembly to the replacement back
Set the jack board in the replacement back where it sat in the old one, with the jack and slider in their openings. Refit the three silver screws until they're just snug, then press the ribbon down along the same path as before.
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Step 10: Plug the ribbon into the board
Lay the replacement back beside the front half the way the old one lay. Hold the connector square over its socket and press straight down on its body until it is fully home. A connector that is only partly in can leave the iPod silent or stuck on Hold.
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Step 11: Line up the Hold slider
The Hold slider sits in the back half, but the switch it works is a small black nub on the logic board, and the nub has to drop into the slot in the slider. Move the slider until its slot sits in line with the nub, then rest the back half in place without snapping it shut. Holding both halves together, turn the iPod face up.
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Step 12: Test before you close
Slide Hold off, so no orange shows, and connect the FireWire charger. If it doesn't start, reset it: slide Hold on and back off, then keep Menu and Play/Pause held down together for 5 to 10 seconds, until the Apple logo comes up.
Move the Hold switch both ways: the lock icon should appear and disappear. Then play a song through both earbuds. Before you reseat anything: unplug the charger and switch it off (press and hold Play/Pause), open the case as in steps 2 and 3, and reseat the ribbon as in step 10. You don't need to touch the drive or the battery.
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Step 13: Close it without marking it
Check the rim once more and ease any bent spot back with your fingers. Check that no ribbon lies across the seam and the slider still meets the nub. With the iPod on the cloth, press the halves together using your hands, not tools, and work around the edges until every clip catches. It should close without force; if it won't, open it and look for a caught ribbon or a bent rim.
Close it up and test
- The seam is evenNo gaps at the corners, and the replacement back sits flat.
- The engraving is rightThe capacity on the back matches the drive inside, if you ordered by capacity.
- Hold and sound workThe lock icon follows the switch, and both earbuds play.
- Nothing left overAll three silver screws are in the replacement back.
If it doesn't work afterwards
- Before you reseat anything, power it down
- Unplug the charger and switch it off (press and hold Play/Pause), open the case as in steps 2 and 3, and reseat the ribbon as in step 10. You don't need to touch the drive or the battery.
- It's stuck on Hold
- The ribbon may not be fully in, or the slider missed the nub as the case closed. Power it down as above, press the ribbon straight down onto its socket and line the slider up again. Hold switch not working
- No sound, or only one ear
- Reseat the ribbon on the board (power down as above). If the jack itself is worn, our headphone jack guide covers the swap. Headphone jack not working
- The case won't close flat
- Check that the back is the right depth for your iPod, that no ribbon is caught in the seam, and that the rim isn't bent anywhere.
- The back picked up a scratch
- Polished steel marks easily, so prevention matters: work on a soft cloth, keep tools off the face of the back and close it by hand. Our backs are factory originals with normal light wear; a deep new scratch means another back. Scratches on an iPod
Questions
Thin or thick: how can I tell?
Use a ruler: about 16 mm means thin, about 18.5 mm means thick. A kitchen scale can confirm it (about 159 g against 176 g), but depth is what counts, since a new battery or a flash conversion can change the weight.
Is the back panel white?
No. Every 3rd Gen back is plain mirror-polished stainless steel; the white part is the plastic front panel.
Does it come with the headphone jack?
Not as standard: it arrives bare, without the jack and Hold assembly, the three silver screws, a battery, a drive or a screwdriver. Our back panel page also offers it with a headphone jack and cable already fitted.
Can I fit a thinner back from a later iPod?
No. Later iPods use a different shell that won't attach to a 3rd Gen front panel. And don't change depth with the back alone: a thick back on a thin iPod also needs the thick headphone jack assembly and a drive set up for the thick case (an 8 mm drive, or keep your 5 mm drive and give it the thick-drive bumper set), and a thin back can't take an 8 mm drive.
What about the dock connector bezel?
The bezel is the plastic trim around the 30-pin opening on the bottom edge. It changes the look only: charging or syncing trouble isn't fixed by it, because the 30-pin port itself is soldered to the logic board, and a broken port means a replacement board. For a fitted bezel, choose We Fix It on the bezel page.
Can you do it for me?
Yes. Choose We Fix It on the back panel page and mail your iPod in. We fit it and send it back, usually within 3 to 5 business days, with a 1-year limited warranty.