Inverter/Antenna Cables Same as Bluetooth antenna cable?

If as you describe you can see a faint image, then the display cable is not the problem, and it's either the inverter cable, or the screen itself. When you move the screen back and forth on the hinge, does it sometimes light up, especially when it's almost closed? If so, that's a giveaway that it's the inverter cable. If not, it could be either. Usually it's the screen, honestly, but it's worth trying the inverter cable first because it's cheaper.

Yes, you can test the cable without putting the hinge back together. It's not a pretty sight, and you'll wish you had five hands in order to hold all the pieces that are falling all over you, but it can fairly easily be done. As far as protecting the cable from the topcase, don't fasten down the topcase, i.e. leave it unscrewed and loose. There is enough give in the topcase connector that it can easily be plugged in and hovering an inch or two above the machine without it being fastened down.