Repair guide · iPod Classic 6th/7th Gen
iPod Classic 6th/7th Gen headphone jack and Hold switch replacement
Also searched as: ipod classic jack replacement · ipod classic audio jack replacement
All about this iPod: The iPod Classic 6th/7th Gen guide
This guide covers the headphone jack of the iPod Classic 6th and 7th Gen, the 2007 to 2009 models (80GB, 120GB and 160GB). The jack shares one part and one ribbon with the Hold switch. That part is screwed into the top of the steel back, and a stuck or broken Hold switch is fixed by replacing it. That ribbon runs under the battery, which is taped in, so the battery has to be lifted to get the old part out. No soldering. Order the jack that matches your case depth, thin or thick, and allow 45 minutes to 2 hours. Have an iPod Video 5th Gen? It has its own guide.
Which headphone jack fits: thin or thick?
All of these say A1238, so that won't separate them. Go by case depth: thin cases are 10.5 mm, the 2007 160GB is 13.5 mm. Thin and thick jacks don't swap, and fitting the wrong depth is a common mistake. A 160GB with a thin case is the 2009 model, and it takes the thin jack. If the back was ever replaced, trust the depth of the case and the part actually inside it over the engraving. Not sure which you have? Identify your iPod
Before you start
- Look for a swollen battery firstThe battery sits right behind the screen. Dark blotches near the top of the display, a screen that bows or lifts, or a back that bulges mean it is probably swelling. If you see that, unplug the iPod and stop charging it; it needs a new battery before any other repair (see our battery guide), and a swollen cell must never be pressed, bent or pierced. If the iPod is very hot or gives off a smell, don't open it at all: unplug it, set it on something that can't burn, away from anything that can, with a container of dry sand close by; let it cool, and contact us.
- Make sure it's the jackTry headphones you know are good, pushed all the way in. Play a song and move the plug gently: sound that cuts out or crackles points to a worn jack. Then try a speaker dock: if the dock is silent too, the logic board is the likely fault, not the jack. Stuck on Hold? Slide the switch off so no orange shows and reset the iPod before you open it.
- Run the battery downIf there's no sign of swelling, play the iPod until the battery icon is nearly empty before you start. A cell with little charge left is less likely to flare up if a tool slips into it.
- Keep dry sand within reachThis job lifts the battery out of the back. Work on a hard surface that can't burn and keep a container of dry sand within arm's reach. If the battery smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly puffs up, tip all the sand over it in one go, then get out of the room for half an hour and air it out. If it's still burning or you can't smother it, call the fire service. Don't touch the iPod until the half hour is up.
- Ground yourselfA static spark can kill the logic board. Wear an anti-static wrist strap or work on an anti-static mat; at the very least, touch bare metal before you begin. Keep any replacement part in its bag until you fit it.
Tools
- Plastic opening picks (two or three)To hold the seam open; spares help, since the metal wears them down.
- Thin metal opening toolFrees the case clips.
- Phillips #00 screwdriverFor the four tiny screws that hold the part in.
- Plastic spudgerLifts the taped battery. Never use metal under a battery.
- TweezersFor the connector tabs and the battery latch.
- Isopropyl alcohol (optional)A few drops soften the tape under the battery.
- Anti-static wrist strap or matThe logic board is exposed during the job.
- Soft cloth and a container of dry sandThe cloth protects the back; the sand is there in case the battery is damaged.
- Headphones you know workFor the test before you close it.
Step by step
New to opening this iPod? How to open an iPod Classic 6th/7th Gen (12 steps)
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Step 1: Open the case
Unplug any cable. Switch the iPod off (hold Play/Pause until the screen goes dark) and slide Hold to locked. Open it as our opening guide shows: plastic picks keep the seam open along one long side while the tip of a thin metal tool pushes each clip in toward the front panel, rocking on the steel back's rim. Free both long sides, then the one clip in the middle of the top edge, between the Hold switch and the headphone jack. Leave the bottom edge clipped: it is the hinge.
Don't pry the steel back outward: it dents, and a bent clip keeps the case from closing flat.
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Step 2: Unplug the battery first
Part the top ends a little, no further: the battery ribbon and the headphone ribbon still join the two halves. Now and then the drive comes away stuck to the back half, or the battery plug pops out as the case opens, so check for both, and ease a stuck drive back down into the front half.
Follow the battery's ribbon to its connector on the logic board. Raise the connector's small latch about 1 mm, straight up and level, then slide the ribbon straight out. Note which way up it was. If you use metal tweezers, grip the ribbon by its edges, well back from its contacts.
Never push that latch sideways or pry on the connector. If the connector comes off the board, our fix for that is a replacement logic board.
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Step 3: Free the back half
Lift the back half off the bottom edge and lay it next to the front half, on the side its headphone ribbon runs, tops level, so the ribbon stays slack. Lift the hard drive by the edge away from its ribbon and turn it over like a page, its ribbon end staying put, until it rests beside the front half with its connector facing up. Don't let it hang on its ribbon.
Under where the drive sat, the headphone ribbon plugs into the logic board. Flip that connector's small black tab up (it turns about 90 degrees), note which way up the ribbon sits, and slide it out. The back half is now free.
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Step 4: Straighten the clips while you can
With the back half on its own, check its inside edges. Press any bent clip or bowed lip back into line with a fingertip or the flat of a plastic tool. It is easier now than at the end, and you'll check them again before closing.
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Step 5: Lift the battery
The jack's orange ribbon runs underneath the battery, which is taped to the inside of the back, so the battery has to come up. Its ribbon is already unplugged. If it is stubborn, run a few drops of isopropyl alcohol along its edge and wait a minute. Then work a plastic spudger under it from the side away from the orange ribbon and lift slowly, keeping the battery flat. No heat: it is bad for the cell.
A swollen battery is lifted by its edge only, never pressed. Lay the battery on the cloth. If it turns out to be swollen or damaged, don't refit it: use a new battery for your case depth, thin or thick (see our battery guide).
Only plastic goes under the battery, and it must not bend: a punctured or folded cell can catch fire. If the battery smokes, sparks, hisses, pops or suddenly puffs up, tip all the sand over it in one go, then get out of the room for half an hour and air it out. If it's still burning or you can't smother it, call the fire service. Don't touch the iPod until the half hour is up.
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Step 6: Take out the old jack and Hold switch
Peel back the black tape that holds the ribbons to the back. Two small black Phillips screws hold the jack; the Hold switch has two of its own: a black one near the corner and a silver one. Remove them with the #00 driver and keep them sorted.
Lift the Hold switch free of its spot; it stays attached to the jack's ribbon. Then slide the jack out of its opening in the top edge and lift the whole part away.
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Step 7: Check the Hold slider
Some replacement parts arrive with the small white plastic Hold slider already in place, and some don't. If yours doesn't have it, move the slider over from the old part: a tiny Phillips screw may hold it, and on the replacement, line its notch up with the switch's own small slider before you fit it. Keep the old part until the replacement has passed the test.
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Step 8: Fit the replacement jack and Hold switch
Slide the replacement jack into the opening. Seat the Hold switch with its locating pin by the silver screw's hole first, so the two small posts on its back drop into their holes. Before you tighten anything, slide the switch to and fro: it must move freely. Then refit the screws, snug but not tight.
If the jack won't sit firmly because its mounting was damaged during opening, don't force the case shut over it. Send it to us for a free diagnostic.
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Step 9: Stick down the contact pad and the ribbon
Close to the jack, the ribbon has a small contact pad. If it still has a backing film, peel it off, then press the pad onto the metal of the back. Lay the ribbon along the same path the old one took and press the black tape back over it.
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Step 10: Put the battery back
If you used alcohol, let it dry first. Then set the battery back in its place, the same way round as before, with its ribbon pointing where it did, and press it down by its edges only, never in the middle. If you are fitting a new battery instead, it must match your case depth, thin or thick.
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Step 11: Connect it all back up
Lay the back half beside the front half again, tops level, as in step 3. Slide the jack's ribbon fully into its connector on the board, under where the drive sits, contacts facing the same way as the old ribbon's, and close its tab. Then turn the drive back over into its place, letting its ribbon fold the way it did before.
The battery ribbon goes in last: with the latch still raised, slide the ribbon fully in, the same way up, then press the latch down. It should close with almost no pressure; if it resists, the ribbon isn't straight.
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Step 12: Test before you close
Slide Hold to unlocked and plug in a charger, halves still apart. Keep a finger on the drive and turn the front half over slowly, so neither ribbon pulls. Play music through headphones you know work, pushed fully in: you should hear both sides cleanly, with no crackle when you move the plug. Slide Hold on and off and check the lock icon comes and goes. Check the screen and the click wheel too.
Then unplug the charger: it must keep running on its battery. If it shuts off, the battery ribbon is most likely not fully in or its latch is open; if it already did this before you opened it, the battery itself is worn. Before you reseat anything, unplug the charger and release the battery ribbon (latch up, ribbon out). Reseat the ribbon involved, plug the battery ribbon back in last, then test again.
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Step 13: Straighten the clips and close
Check the inside edges of the steel back once more and press any bent clip or bowed lip back into line with a fingertip or the flat of a plastic tool. Make sure the drive lies flat and no ribbon crosses the seam. Hook the bottom edge in first, swing the top shut, and press around the edge until every clip clicks in.
If it closes only when you squeeze, stop: something is pinched or out of place, and a pinched ribbon can make a working iPod fail once it is shut.
Close it up and test
- Sound in both earsClean, with no crackle when the plug moves.
- Hold worksLocks and unlocks, and the slider moves freely.
- It runs on its batteryNo shutting off when you unplug the charger.
- The seam is even all roundNo gap at the corners and no bulge in the back.
- Fitted a new battery? Recycle the old oneTape over its contacts or bag it and take it to a battery drop-off. It doesn't belong in household trash or a recycling bin.
If it doesn't work afterwards
- No sound and the Hold switch does nothing
- Both run through the jack's ribbon. It is most likely not fully in its connector on the board, or the tab is open: open it again, release the battery ribbon first, reseat the jack's ribbon, and plug the battery ribbon back in last. Headphone jack not working
- Still no sound with the replacement jack
- If a replacement jack doesn't bring the sound back, or a speaker dock is silent too, the logic board is the likely fault. iPod no sound
- Sound in one ear only
- Try a second pair of headphones, plugged all the way in. If the replacement jack still plays in one ear, the replacement is likely faulty. Only plays in one ear
- It stays on Hold with the switch off
- Reseat the jack's ribbon first: open it, release the battery ribbon, reseat the jack's ribbon, and plug the battery ribbon back in last. If the switch and ribbon are fine, the board may be damaged where that ribbon plugs in; our fix for that is a replacement logic board. Hold switch not working
- It shuts off when unplugged
- The battery ribbon is probably not fully in or its latch isn't closed. Unplug any charger, open it, raise the latch, slide the ribbon fully in and close the latch. Not working after a repair
- It gets very hot or smells after the repair
- Leave it shut. Unplug it, put it on something that can't burn, away from anything that can, and contact us before you do anything else.
- The jack sits loose
- Its mounting may have been damaged while the case was opened. Don't force the case closed; a free repair quote tells you what it involves. Free repair quote
Questions
How do I fix an iPod Classic headphone jack without opening it?
Only the checks can be done from outside: headphones you know work, pushed all the way in, another pair to compare, and a reset. If the sound still cuts out or crackles when the plug moves, the jack is worn and has to be replaced, which means opening the case.
Does the Hold switch come with the headphone jack?
Yes. On every 6th and 7th Gen the Hold switch sits on the same part and ribbon as the jack, so replacing one replaces both.
Which jack does the 2009 160GB take?
The thin one, the same as the 80GB and 120GB. Only the thick 160GB from 2007 takes the thick jack.
Why do my songs pause by themselves?
This iPod pauses when the headphone plug loses contact, so a worn jack or a loose plug can stop songs on its own. A replacement jack fixes a worn one.
Can you do it for me?
Yes. Choose We Fix It on the headphone jack page and mail your iPod in; we fit the jack and send it back. Turnaround is typically 3 to 5 business days.