Repair guide · iPod 3rd Gen
iPod 3rd Gen headphone jack and Hold switch replacement
This guide covers the iPod 3rd Gen sold in 2003 and 2004 (model A1040, 10GB to 40GB), with the touch wheel and four touch buttons. The headphone jack, the remote port next to it and the Hold slider are a single assembly. It is screwed inside the steel back with three small silver screws and plugs into the logic board through an orange ribbon, while the little switch that the slider moves stays on the board. Thin and thick iPods take different assemblies, so match your case depth. The logic board stays put, and there's no soldering.
Which assembly fits: thin or thick?
Don't choose by the part number. Measure the case depth instead of going by the capacity on the back: an earlier owner may have swapped the back. The thin ribbon is pre-folded for the thin case and doesn't clear the thick one, and a thick assembly squeezed into a thin case can damage the screen. Not sure which you have? Identify your iPod
Before you start
- Rule out the headphonesPush the plug all the way in and try a different pair. If it still plays in one ear, crackles, or cuts out when you move the plug, the jack is the likely fault.
- A lock that won't go awayA lock icon that stays on with Hold off, and controls that don't respond, usually mean this assembly's ribbon is torn or not fully in. This guide fixes that too.
- 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, and keep the replacement assembly in its bag until you fit it.
Tools
- Plastic opening tools (two)The assembly comes with one plastic pry tool; a second keeps the seam open.
- Plastic spudgerLifts the ribbon off the back and the connector off the board.
- Phillips #00 screwdriverFor the three silver screws. No Torx driver is needed for this job.
- Anti-static wrist strap or matThe logic board is exposed while the case is open.
- Soft clothThe polished steel back marks easily.
- FireWire charger and headphonesTo power it up and listen before you close. 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, and keep them away from the battery once the case is open.
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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 ribbon from the board
Follow the orange ribbon from the jack to its connector on the logic board. That connector is tall and delicate: work a plastic tool in under its base, where it meets the socket on the board, and lift it straight up off its socket. Never pry between its layers and never pull the ribbon.
Pried in the wrong place, or unplugged again and again, this connector can come away from its ribbon. Handle the replacement the same way.
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Step 5: Take out the three silver screws
With the back half lying open, remove the three silver Phillips screws that fix the jack assembly to the steel back. Keep them together; the replacement assembly needs all three.
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Step 6: Ease the ribbon off the back
Before you lift it, note or photograph where the ribbon runs and folds. It is stuck down along the inside of the back: slide the spudger under it and work along slowly so it lifts without creasing.
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Step 7: Lift the old assembly out
Lift the jack board up and out of the back half. Keep the old assembly until the replacement has passed every test, and hold on to its small white Hold slider: it is the piece most likely to snap during reassembly, so it makes a handy spare.
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Step 8: Fit the replacement assembly
Lay the replacement beside the old one first: the ribbon's length and folds should match. Set the replacement jack board where the old one sat, with the jack and the Hold slider in their openings in the top of the case. Refit the three silver screws until they're just snug: a stripped thread won't hold even a replacement screw. Then press the ribbon down along the path and folds you noted.
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Step 9: Plug the ribbon into the board
Hold the connector square over its socket on the logic board and press straight down on its body until it is fully home. A connector that is only part of the way in can leave the jack silent, Hold dead or the iPod stuck on Hold.
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Step 10: 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 11: 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 try the touch wheel and buttons, play a song and listen in both earbuds, and move the plug gently: the sound should stay steady. 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 9. You don't need to touch the drive or the battery.
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Step 12: Close it up
Look along the rim of the steel back and ease any spot that prying bent back into line with your fingers. Check that no ribbon lies across the seam and the slider still sits over the nub. Press the halves together and work around the edges until every clip catches.
Close it up and test
- Hold follows the switchLock icon on when you slide it to Hold, off when you slide it back.
- Sound in both earsNo crackle or dropouts when you move the plug.
- The controls respondTouch wheel and buttons work with Hold off.
- The seam is evenNo gaps at the corners, and the back sits flat.
- Keep the old sliderOnce the replacement assembly passes, the old one can go, but its Hold slider is worth keeping as a spare.
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 9. You don't need to touch the drive or the battery.
- It's stuck on Hold
- Power it down as above, press the ribbon fully onto its socket, then line the slider up with the nub again. If the ribbon and slider are both fine, the board may be damaged where the ribbon plugs in. Hold switch not working
- Still only one ear
- With a replacement assembly fitted and the plug fully in, sound in one ear only points to a faulty replacement jack. Only plays in one ear
- No sound at all
- Reseat the ribbon first (power down as above). If a replacement jack still gives no sound, from headphones or a speaker dock, the logic board is the likely fault. iPod no sound
- Sound changes when you squeeze the case
- That can be the ribbon's connector rather than the jack. Power it down as above and reseat the connector squarely. If the sound still changes when you squeeze the case, the connector is likely damaged and a replacement assembly is the usual fix; if a replacement does the same, the board may be damaged where the ribbon plugs in. Headphone jack not working
- The Hold slider snapped
- Fit the white slider from your old assembly in its place. If it won't seat or slide freely, contact us before you close the case.
Questions
Is the Hold switch part of the headphone jack?
The slider is. The headphone jack, the remote port and the Hold slider are one assembly; the small switch the slider pushes sits on the logic board.
How do I tell thin from thick?
Measure the closed iPod. The thin case is 0.62 in (about 16 mm) deep, the thick one 0.73 in (about 18.5 mm). The 10GB, 15GB and 20GB models are thin; the 30GB and 40GB are thick.
Why did the jack fail after someone opened it?
The ribbon's board connector is fragile. Pried in the wrong place, or unplugged many times, it can tear away from the ribbon, and then the jack, one channel or Hold stops working. A replacement assembly is the fix.
Do I need to solder?
No. The assembly is held by three screws and plugs into the board.
Can you do it for me?
Yes. Choose We Fix It on the headphone jack 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.