Chosen Solution
So I’ve replaced a few different parts so far on my iPhone 5c. The first being a simple screen replacement. Then later the wifi antenna went out along with the vibrate motor (or so I thought the vibrate motor). I replace both the wifi antenna (which now works perfectly) and the vibrate motor…however it still won’t vibrate. The old motor or new one…both don’t work. What else can be preventing it from vibrating? Update (09/07/2018) If it is the Audio Cable, would there be something else wrong that I could test it against? I took the phone apart again and the Audio Cable looks perfectly fine, the copper connectors under the Vibrate motor are clean and fine…
The problem with replacement small parts, such as motors and cameras etc. is that they tend to have a higher defect rate than screens. There is a real possibility that the replacement part is also defective. Ideally, you want to work with or have access to known-good parts. In the absence of that, trying another replacement vibrator should do. If it still doesn’t work, then the issue could be with the Audio Control Flex so you should insure it isn’t damaged or the gold contacts aren’t dirty. Finally, the issue could be with the logic board as it contains the circuitry that drives the vibrator.
I’ve never heard of a vibrator motor going bad—it’s just a coil of wire, seems pretty unlikely. However, the vibrator driver chip can get water damage—-i’d check for water damage
