TCL 55" TV LED Strip Replacement Tutorial for TCL Models 55S401 & 55S405

Tcl should just make better TVs that doesn’t break after a year! This is definitely not an easy fix.

Do you have a source for that particular double sided tape? Thanks!

This video was missing some key steps and was not very informative on how to do some things. A typical person with no diy skills will not be able to follow easily.

GREAT tutorial. even with the missed step ( I figured it out on my own without damaging anything) Unfortunately I cracked the screen trying to "unseal" it. 100% on me. I have 2 TCL's, now 1. apparently they suck, this one 4 years old. going with Samsung as my 65" Vizio also died in less than 3 years. Miss my Panasonic plasma's that lasted 8 years before I sold them still working.

what size "dent pullers" do you use to remove the screen? sellers on Amazon are bundling the LED's with 2.5"

Hi thanks so much for the video. Can you tell me how do i know which LED strips are bad, or do i just replace all the strip? my TV has no picture and no sound

Is there much of a picture difference if you just remove the entire reflective sheet?

yeah... no. Just gonna buy another TV. This is a silly amount a delicate work

Could this be the issue if when I turn on the TV the ROKU screen flashes on for a moment before going black? Everything still works in the background

My tv has a entirely black screen. You can see the screen if you hold a flash light to it. If I need to replace the strips how many strips will I need to replace? When searching for strips I’ve noticed some come in 4pc and 8pc how do I know how many I need. I have a 55in tcl model 55S421

I'm scared

I think I'll just buy a new TV. I would 100% mess something up.

Is it ok to replace the display led even different models but the same tcl brand 55"?

very informative. However there's not much said about pulling the glass out. I did this and the magnetic film that is sealed to the glass popped a bubble and a crack looking bubble across it. It is not a broken glass. It is air between the screen and glass shield. Is there a way to fix air bubbles?

I can't just take my Bezzle off because their is strip connected to it? I have the exact TV model you are working on what gives? What do I do with that little peice of tape that is connected to the scan board and bezzle?

Thank you. I only cut one side of the reflector sheet for each strip and then taped it back down after the new strip was installed.

This video is stupid. When you take off the screen, DO NOT USE THE ADHESIVE. There are little tabs around the edges that you can pop off to remove the screen, attempting to remove the adhesive will CRACK YOUR SCREEN BEYOND REPAIR!

Please note if you’re a newbie like me to practice taking the side frame off the panels before the dark screens I didn’t and tried to take the screens out in the order that you said and it cracked the screen so now I’m
Out a tv and the replacement LED lights I bought. Pretty big part you should’ve went into more detail about. Would not recommended this video

Well how would i know which strips are bad?

Great walk through. You do miss out a few key parts as stated in some of the comments. The boards at the bottom connected to the ribbons would easily tear if not aware. Also for a glue separator, i used an old plastic spiral notebook cover. Worked like a charm. Glass came off super easy and was set aside until re-assembly. Overall took me about 4.5 hours to complete. Worth it for me. Thanks for the tutorial.

Left out crucial parts. Screen cracked while delicately trying to remove glue. Screen won't separate. So now I just blew money on replacement parts and it's broken worse. Thanks

How many strips this the 55S401 have?

To time consuming It's just better to buy a new tv.

Very instructive video. Great shop for parts. Worked great for me. Nice work!!

Thanks. Fixed my tv. Also listened to another comment to flip board around and tape it to TV. I didn't have suction cups like instructions did but I made two loops using gorilla tape and taping the legs down. Worked perfectly.

This worked perfect to fix the initial problem but I ended up having to junk the tv anyway because the adhesive is quite strong and the screen broke while disassembling. Can’t stress enough how delicate the screen is and even if you follow the steps exactly there’s a risk of breaking it. Oh well, I got the tv for free and only paid 40 for the backlights so I’m not out on too much money.

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!! THIS CRAP TUTORIAL LEAVES OUT KEY STEPS THAT WILL CAUSE YOU TO BREAK IT EVEN MORE. IT ALMOST SEEMS INTENTIONAL. DON'T TRY IT.

What am I looking for if the backlight LEDs won't light up?

SUPER STEP BY STEP OPENING COVER TRICK THANK YOU

This video is trash.

Don't do this. They now put an incredibly strong piece of tape along the top of the lid. Makes it impossible to remove without braking the lcd. It's on purpose so you have to buy a new tv!

How about replacing the LED strips next time after adding that pink double sided tape. That pink stuff is nearly impossible to remove. Has anyone found a substitute material (black adhesive) that TCL uses to bond most of them in? I would assume it is some type of thermal adhesive

Followed directions and replaced leds but somehow cracked my screen basically ruining my set so be extra careful with the screen especially if it has glue on the top edge.

I just finished replacing all the leds in my TCL tv and the main power board from your kit, these video instructions were on the money every thing works perfect just like new! Thanks

Thanks for the video. I have this TV and it went completely black but if I shine a flashlight on it I can see the picture. So it looks like my backlight went out. But why would all LEDs go out at once? Wouldn't that indicate some sort of power supply issue to the light instead?

Hey Jimmy if you're still answering questions can you answer this question I have a 55 inch TCL Roku Smart TV. The screen is black and I have sound turns on and off. I've tried the goof ways with the controller five times with the top right button two times left two times right two times up and two times down did it 9 10 times. Then change the batteries try it again nothing, I unplugged it and that didn't work either so if you could tell me what I need to do Roku TCL model number 55 S4 21 if there's any other information please let me know.

How's he going to make this video and not say a single word about the ribbon cables attached to the bezel and the screen. Like thats the most important and crucial part of taking it off. I highly recommend watching another video on how to do this before you jump right in like I did lol. On a side note the adhesive underneath my screen was bonded so well it cracked my screen in one spot as I was running the plastic underneath it. The rest up it came right up no issues. If you want to attempt to fix your tv yourself before you buy a new one to try and save money then I say go for it. But its not as easy as this video leads you to believe.

Before you pop out the black border going around the TV also run a flat shimmy around it. They added a small amt of glue around this part of my folks TV same TV too. This is upsetting the manufacturer didn't want me fixing it..the screen is cracked.

This why you never buy a TV from tcl

I followed all of the steps and cracked the glass running a thin plastic debit card along the edges to try to remove the adhesive. I’m pissed

Thanks. ruined my tv without proper steps

This video skips many important steps and repairing your tv is 1000 times harder than they make it appear. I had to just throw my tv away after trying to follow this video.

I finally took apart my 55S405. One thing I did notice is that all 8 of the LED strips are NOT securely attached to the back panel. All the screws are tight, but there's a little wiggle room by design. The screw threads are raised just a little bit higher than the LED strip, so there's not enough heat exchange from the LED to the case back plate. I would guess that's the reason these are failing so soon. After testing my LED strips, I found 1 out of 36 LEDs is dead. And wouldn't you know it, it was an LED at the top row where there's the most heat.

Before replacing all these strips, I'll be adding some thermal paste/glue to all 8. Each screw could use a washer to fit around the raised thread too to hold the strip more securely. But you'll need 28 washers.

I just need to replace the screen. Luckily, I found another exact model 55 TCL for free online (backlight was out). I'm guessing the new screen will fit into my tv no problem? Any advice is well appreciated!

Almost worked. He didn't say anything about that green tape attached to the screen. I assumed it was just tape to hold it on, but apparently it was important. Got all the way through and the screen was busted because I cut that tape. I'm a novice, so I was hoping for a more thorough video. I'd suggest anyone who has no idea what they're doing, find a better video.

Step 3 (I can see the direction this is going)
Me: step 4 call a tv repair person. lol

After watching this video,.it convinced me to just buy a new (NON-TCL) tv. I only paid $280 for it. $50 for the strips, at least an hour of time, tools like double sided tape, permanently cutting the reflector, and a high chance of screwing something up. And even if you fix it, chances are extremely likely another strip will go out again unless you replace them all.
Learned a lesson though, you get what you pay for. They clearly designed this TV to fail right out of warranty.

Saddly I saw it too late..... My screen is broken in the upside

I doubt anyone will reply to this, but why not just melt the adhesive with a blow dryer and remove the whole reflector sheet carefully? Cutting the whole sheet seems like it would affect the picture where the strips have been cut, and using a heat source to melt the glue would fix the issue with it being hard to remove. I'm going to attempt a full led replacement tomorrow and have been puzzling over this. Everyone else I've watched has simply removed the reflector sheet, some tearing it but the picture still seemed ok? This is the one part I'm stuck on how to proceed