iMac LCD panel problems

[Turambar82]

I have a 20" aluminum late 2007 model iMac. A couple of weeks ago the screen went bright white. The computer is still functional. It was hooked up to an extended monitor at the time when it happened and it works fine with an external monitor. I took it to an Apple store and they tried to change out the optical flex cable and the video data cable but it didn't work. They told me the LCD panel is probably the problem.


I've been doing lots of research on replacing it on my own. Of course apple wants 700 some dollars plus labor to fix it. I'm looking for broken imacs with the same model LCD panel to just change it out. I do have experience opening up computers and fixing them and I have been in my imac a few times and it seems pretty simple to replace the LCD panel.

Has anyone here had some success in replacing their LCD in this particular model of imac?

I really don't have the money to put 700 into this and I don't have the money to buy a new one. Unfortunately I didn't have applecare and the computer is only a year and half old.

If anyone has any tips or suggestions I would appreciate them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[yliu]

Try to go to System Preferences/Displays/Color , then click Calibrate...
Hope it helped!

 

[Turambar82]

I wonder if your idea was sarcastic or are you serious?

I've had this computer at 3 mac stores. It's not as simple as just changing the settings through the calibration wizard.

 

[Hellhammer]

Have you tried external display? If it works OK you can exclude the possibility of failed GPU. Replacing LCH might be easy because when you change the HD, LCD has to be removed.

 

[Turambar82]

Oh yeah it works fine with an external monitor. I know this because I had two monitors going when it the LCD on the iMac just went bright white. The computer works fine with an external monitor.

Sure I could just use an external monitor but that defeats the purpose of owning an iMac. I doesn't look too hard to actually physically put another LCD panel in it. I have taken it apart myself and it's not too bad to get it open.

 

[Turambar82]

well I managed to find an LCD panel from the same model of imac I have. I'm going to be installing it this afternoon when I get home from work.

Since it's the same model everything should be easy.

If this doesn't work then it rules out it being the LCD panel even though I had two mac genius' tell me it was the LCD panel.

I really hope this works. lol

 

[farmermac]

post back with how it went. How much did you find the replacement for?

This thread makes me glad I sprung for applecare. I never go for warranties but something told me $120 was probably going to be a good investment.

 

[Turambar82]

well I just got back from lunch break and I switched out the panel.


Still I am having the same issue!!!! haha The panel is just white. It lights up white, it dims when it is supposed to dim and the monitor goes to sleep when it is supposed to.

The computer works fine with an external monitor.


So it's not the cables from the panel to the computer, it's not the panel.

Video card??? Even though it works fine with an external monitor.

I'm stumped.

The apple genius at all 3 stores in my area couldn't figure it out either. They all said it was the LCD panel.


Yeah I wish I had applecare. At the time I didn't have the money for it and I didn't think about buying it before the warranty was up in Feb.

I had an old G3 imac before this one and it lasted me 8 years without any problems.

I guess I just trusted apples product too much.

 

[geoffreak]

If an external monitor still works, it seems like the connection to the internal monitor is at fault. Hopefully this is a simple fix that involves changing a cable, but it may require a logic board replacement.

Buying a similar spec'ed used computer will be cheaper than replacing the logic board.

 

[Turambar82]

well the apple store in the area changed the cables out connecting the panel
but like you said, I was suspecting the logic board also but I'm wondering why the computer works completely fine so if there is something wrong with the logic board I would think I would see problems in other areas and apple would have seen these problems when they did the diagnostics on the computer while they had it.


I might just have to settle using an external monitor until I can get more money to buy another computer.

 

[Turambar82]

so does anyone want to buy a late 20" model imac panel? I have an extra one now since the LCD panel is not the problem.

I really have no idea how to fix this problem and really don't have the money for a new computer so I will probably get an external monitor for it since right now I'm using it through my LCD TV.


Lesson learned....always get apple care

 

[farmermac]

lol. You can get good $ for it on Ebay, as well as part out your old system. I suspect a Mac is worth more in parts then as a whole. Id buy a new one and sell everything else.

 

[Turambar82]

yeah unfortunately I don't know what part is the part causing the problem with the video not coming up. ha

You are right about it being worth more in parts.

When I was at the apple store they wanted to charge me $700 plus labor to replace the LCD which I told them no. (it never ended up being the problem) They said it might be the logic board and that would be around $700 plus labor to replace.

yeah $1400 for just two parts of the computer that I paid $1100 for brand new.

It's been getting my goat today. I'm really irritated about the whole situation. I had bad experiences with ipods a few years ago and had 3 go on me all within the warranty.

Thankfully the computer still works with an external monitor. It's either part it out and save the rest and buy a new one and make sure I buy applecare this time or just use an external monitor and try to use it that way. Of course since it is having this problem who knows what other problems it might have in the next year.

I love apple and love OS X. I've been using apple since OS 9 but I'm really disappointed in them now.