Multi-Touch trackpad gone bad, how difficult to fix?

[GeoFan49]

It seems the Multi-Touch trackpad on my Mid-2009 15" Unibody MBP has gone bad, how difficult to fix?

The pointer moves, but has no click. Therefore, I must use an external mouse (Bluetooth or USB) —— so my MacBook Pro Laptop is now a desktop, for all practical purposes.

How easy is it to fix this problem? I have replaced the battery and the hard drive a year ago, with no problems. Is the trackpad easy to replace?


MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" with 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo .. Mid-2009 15" ID MacBookPro5,4.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

It seems the Multi-Touch trackpad on my Mid-2009 15" Unibody MBP has gone bad, how difficult to fix?

The pointer moves, but has no click. Therefore, I must use an external mouse (Bluetooth or USB) —— so my MacBook Pro Laptop is now a desktop, for all practical purposes.

How easy is it to fix this problem? I have replaced the battery and the hard drive a year ago, with no problems. Is the trackpad easy to replace?


MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" with 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo .. Mid-2009 15" ID MacBookPro5,4.

Well firstly go into settings and click tap to click and then it will be usable (I always use this setting and almost never click my trackpad down anyway).

Then go to ifixit.com and look it up there will be a guide for it and parts for many macs. Below are links to parts and replacement guides.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBoo...008+and+Early+2009+Trackpad+Replacement/12363

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Parts/...ibody-Mid-2009--Mid-2012-Trackpad/IF161-101-1

 

[T5BRICK]

How easy is it to fix this problem? I have replaced the battery and the hard drive a year ago, with no problems. Is the trackpad easy to replace?

I just replaced the trackpad and battery on my old 2009 13" MBP. It was a pretty easy job, I just used the guide at iFixit. I don't imagine it's much different for the 15" MBP.

 

[JohnDS]

That symptoms you describe are not necessarily caused by the trackpad. More often they are caused by an old battery that has started to swell. The battery is directly under the track pad and when it swell, it prevents you from clicking on the trackpad.

If your model has a removable battery, the easy way to check is to shut down, remove the battery, plug into power and reboot. If the trackpad works with the battery not installed, then the problem is the battery and replacing it should solve your problem.

 

[DeltaMac]

OP said that the battery was replaced about a year ago.
But, batteries do fail, and swelling is one of the issues.
Worth testing the trackpad button with no battery installed.

 

[Atreyu25]

Trackpad is a breeze to replace, but check your battery... That is the #1 culprit of a faulty trackpad on the unibody MBP's

 

[GeoFan49]

Thanks for all the interesting suggestions. Very good stuff!

Immediately after I upgraded to OSX 10.11.3 El Capitan, all is well now.

When I was running Yosemite or Snow Leopard (USB BOOT DRIVES) there was no response from the touchpad click attempts. Now A+Okay! ‼️