iPhone 13 Pro Max Rear Camera Motor Replacement: How to replace the Wide Camera's Motor

Symptoms: 

• A whirring noise can be heard when listening closely around the camera. (Can only be heard when the camera is in use, i.e., camera app)

• The camera cannot focus or the camera view shakes when in use

What is needed to attempt this repair:

• A Soldering Iron

• Hot Air Rework Station

• Flux

• Solder Wick 

• Low-Temp Solder Paste

• Underfill Glue Remover Blade

• 1x 13 Pro Max Rear Camera Motor

• PCB Holder/Specialized Camera Holder (optional)
  

Preface: Now, admittedly, this repair is neither economically reliable nor repair-friendly. It will save you around $50-66 on a replacement, but the time you might spend would make it worth it. That being said, this is all for the sake of experimenting. When recording, my suppliers did not have a 13 PM RCAM in stock, so this was the following available procedure. Instructions:  Get the camera outside the housing and stabilize it with a holder. In the video below, I use a PCB holder, which will help a lot and make this whole repair easier.Using the utility hook blade and our hot air rework station at 250-275C, the glue will be weakened, allowing us to scrape around the perimeter of the wide-angle camera. We want to get rid of all of it.This area is more solidified than the glue around it. You do not need to remove it.  Eventually, you will be able to stick a tool between the wide camera and the frame of the whole rear camera and pry its way out. From there you want to grab the camera on its backside any pry using a different tip under an entry where the connector sticks out from the camera. Using heat carefully remove the glue while lifting the knife periodically. You want to be mindful around this area because right under the backplate is the camera sensor.

Now you want to now position the camera vertically having the side with all the metal joints connect on top. This is where you are going to make any entry to split the motor from the camera senor board.

This is where the flux and low temp solder comes in to play, you are going to use it to lower the temp of the metal joints so that you can easily grab a knife and split the motor and camera sensor apart.

!MAKE SURE you remove the adhesive that's around the connector, otherwise you will pull the connector off the camera board when you go to pry the motor off.

To watch the video of me attempting this repair, click here