Bix49

Speaking of hinges I've got something going on with the drivers door hinge on my SC300. It's not the door popping I've read about but the door does not open smoothly. I watched the hinge closely while opening and closing the door and it looks like the car side mounting hole in the upper- most pivot arm. The one that's smaller and slightly above and forward of the 2 larger double decker arms, is out of round.. This is causing some glitches when opening the door. It's also causing the door to vibrate a bit on opening and a slight misalignment on closing. Has this happened to anyone and what did you do about it?
Thanks
Bix

SC400slide

iTrader: (11)

I'd just replace if it it bothers you enough. But that's just me... Is the door sagging at all?

Bix49

Yea, the door does sag a bit. If you don't pull it closed fairly firmly it doesn't close all the way.
And you're talking about replacing the hinge?
Bix

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

step 1. get a jack under the door with a microfiber (to avoid scratching the door)
step 2. unbolt the hinge bolts
step 3. jack it up to correct height
step 4. tighten bolts

also grease it in the process to see if it helps

1JZPWRD

iTrader: (59)

Bingo, we have a winner. Try this and report back your final results.

Kris9884

iTrader: (7)

Cool, my Honda buddy said to do this and I thought it sounded too good to be true, guess I'll give it a shot tonight.

Bix49

I will give this a try later this afternoon and let you know how it' works.
Bix

Bix49

Well, I tried the jack under the door trick and it did help the alignment of the door. It now closes tight with a lot less force than before but still seems to be a problem with that hinge arm. I'm getting some improper side to side movement from that hole in the hinge arm which I think is out of round. This is causing some glitches in the doors movement and even though I thoroughly greased it I can hear som scraping as the door door rotates open. does any bddy know of a fix or am I going to half to by a new hinge?
Thanks,
Bix

SC400slide

iTrader: (11)

Buy a used hinge you mean... I had a hinge for 40 bucks but it sold a month ago...Instead of messing around with an old hinge, I'd just spend the 70 or so to replace it...JMO of course

Kris9884

iTrader: (7)

I tried the jack idea too and as it did help, its not perfect. Cant be picky I guess.

Bix49

I think that's sound advice SC400slide. Where's the best place to look . ebay, amazon, one of those nation wide salvage yard searches?
Bix

dwebb99

iTrader: (17)

Bix49, I am having the EXACT issue with my driver side hinge on my 98 SC300 with 160,000 miles. Not a serious problem right now..... but certainly annoying nonetheless. You're not alone. I do have a good replacement hinge so I will eventually get around to changing that hinge. Good used hinges can be found via the forum or thru local junkyards. If sourcing thru a local yard you MUST first check the condition of the hinge by opening and closing the door and then, most importantly ,grabbing the open door at its far bottom edge and GENTLY lifting the door up and down to check for slop in the hinge itself. Good hinges are nice and tight in ALL area's! Also the door is VERY very heavy so you must use caution and supports when removing! Many of these used hinges have reached there lifespan and you could be replacing your worn one with another worn one that may be in worse shape. Mileage/use may effect these hinges but lack of proper lubrication effects them just as well.There are DIY's on changing out the hinge and you can use rattle can paint to closely match your oem color. Also, if need be, you can disconnect your doors wire connections at the kick panel junction box in the divers side kick panel and feed the door wires thru and out of the side of the car. There is NO reason to remove your door panel to replace the hinge!! It is also possible to rebuild your original hinge as well but it does take skill and the right parts. I believe there is a DIY on this as well. Good luck and welcome to the fun of maintaining older cars!

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

there is some more stuff one the old school soarer forums about the hinge and some fixes, but I don't remember this particular issue I think it was more directed towards the sagging. I would try another hinge or carbon fiber doors.

Bix49

Thanks dweb99, you have some good suggestions. I'll start looking for those DIYs, especially the one on rebuilding a hinge. I'm convinced that the problem with my hinge can be solved by replacing the uppermost arm.
Bix

SC400slide

iTrader: (11)

If it does, let CL know so we have it for future reference. Always good to find a better way to fix the SC hinge.

Best places to look for hinges would be here on CL, they're just scarce in a limited community of 130k members.