Door Hinge
04-16-2017, 12:35 PM
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Eastern Long Island, NY
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Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: I6 Cyl / 4L
Door Hinge
Whoever designed the door hinges on the 96, F-you if you are reading this!!!
This would have been much easier if the body side of the hinge wasn't welded to the body!!!
Anyway, driver's door was drooping about 1/4 when closing. Figured out the bottom hinge pin was broken in the middle sleeve of the hinge. You can see the pin dropping at the bottom.
Supported the door on the jack.
Went about undoing the torx 40 bolts holding the door to the hinge. Really tough to undue after 20 years and not being able to get much leverage on the torx bolts without stripping them. Had to heat them up from behind thru the speaker hole, with a torch.
Once the door was off (heavy ****), I could feel the play in the hinge. Unfortunately the hinge did not separate from the broken pin - it was still stuck at the top. So I used my roto zip tool with a 1.5 inch dremel metal cutoff wheel to cut it out.
On the door side of the hinge I could not take out the leftover pins in the holes. My limited machining abilities were no match for those stubborn pins. I tried drilling them and punching them and nothing. So I got a used one. Much easier than fighting with it. I put mine and the new/used one side by side.
I then got a 1/4 bolt long enough for the two parts of the hinge and put it together with plenty of anti-seize and a few washers.
I did away with the torx bolts and used instead hex cap M8 1.25 30mm bolts - much easier to get back on and tighten with a regular 1/4 socket wrench.
Luckily I learned from reading here that undoing the hinge door bolts would mess with the door alignment, so I made sharpie marks on the door hinge shims and door so I could line them up correctly when reinstalling the door.
I also tried installing a new door check from Crown, but the damn thing made as much noise as my original. So I left it out for now - I can't stand the loud clicking anymore - and the door sounds so smooth without it. I'll try to recondition the old or use a nylon strap.
Anyway, I am happy with the fix. But it shouldn't have been this much work if they had designed the whole hinge to be bolted on and replaced on both sides of the hinge.
This would have been much easier if the body side of the hinge wasn't welded to the body!!!
Anyway, driver's door was drooping about 1/4 when closing. Figured out the bottom hinge pin was broken in the middle sleeve of the hinge. You can see the pin dropping at the bottom.
Supported the door on the jack.
Went about undoing the torx 40 bolts holding the door to the hinge. Really tough to undue after 20 years and not being able to get much leverage on the torx bolts without stripping them. Had to heat them up from behind thru the speaker hole, with a torch.
Once the door was off (heavy ****), I could feel the play in the hinge. Unfortunately the hinge did not separate from the broken pin - it was still stuck at the top. So I used my roto zip tool with a 1.5 inch dremel metal cutoff wheel to cut it out.
On the door side of the hinge I could not take out the leftover pins in the holes. My limited machining abilities were no match for those stubborn pins. I tried drilling them and punching them and nothing. So I got a used one. Much easier than fighting with it. I put mine and the new/used one side by side.
I then got a 1/4 bolt long enough for the two parts of the hinge and put it together with plenty of anti-seize and a few washers.
I did away with the torx bolts and used instead hex cap M8 1.25 30mm bolts - much easier to get back on and tighten with a regular 1/4 socket wrench.
Luckily I learned from reading here that undoing the hinge door bolts would mess with the door alignment, so I made sharpie marks on the door hinge shims and door so I could line them up correctly when reinstalling the door.
I also tried installing a new door check from Crown, but the damn thing made as much noise as my original. So I left it out for now - I can't stand the loud clicking anymore - and the door sounds so smooth without it. I'll try to recondition the old or use a nylon strap.
Anyway, I am happy with the fix. But it shouldn't have been this much work if they had designed the whole hinge to be bolted on and replaced on both sides of the hinge.
04-16-2017, 02:15 PM
#2
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Tarpon Springs, FL / Denver, CO
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Year: '98
Engine: 4.0 I6
Just be thankful it's not electrical issues. Whoever designed that system needs a kick in the nuts for how needlessly complicated and janky it is. The doors in general were very poorly designed
I unhooked my drivers side door check because it also makes a bad knocking noise when closing. Mine is 100% the mechanism so I'm gonna pick one up from the JY and see if I can find a good one
I unhooked my drivers side door check because it also makes a bad knocking noise when closing. Mine is 100% the mechanism so I'm gonna pick one up from the JY and see if I can find a good one
