QuestionQUESTION: I have a 1992 Nissan Pathfinder and of course the door hinges sag down at this age of the vehicle on the drivers side door....can you give me some advice on what is involved in doing this job of changing the bushings for the hinges themselves?
taking off the door? do the electric wiring for the windows have to come off - can they stay on while I do the job for example?
thanks for any help.
ANSWER: Hi Simon!....In regards to taking the door off, you will definitly be required to do this....There will be 2,3 or 4 bolts, depending on the model....Either 12 or 13mm....First step, is to be concerned about the wiring before unbolting....Most import vehicles, as well as newer model Canadian/American model vehicles, have a plug for disconnecting....Simply pull out the wiring boot on the "A " pillar, and check for this....If there is not one visible, you might want to pull the kick panel off on the interior, as sometimes they run the wiring to the inside of this panel for a plug....If still no luck, then you will either need to just pull the door away as long as the wiring is long enough to gain enough room, or disconnect the components inside the door, and remove the wiring...Once this is done, and the door is out of the way, you should just need a hammer and punch to remove the pins....Once the pins have been removed, simply pull apart the 2 hinge pieces....Now you will be able to replace the bushings....After that, reinstall the other half of the hinge, and replace the pins....Then reinstall the door and wiring if need be....You will more than likely still have to do some door adjusting....If you have any questions about that, please drop me another line....I will be more than happy to help you out with that as well....Thanks....Dave
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QUESTION: I was trying to get away with just letting the door hang on one hinge while I did the other one...no go? not enough room to punch the pin out?
and why would I need to adjust the door once it is re-installed with new bushings and pins....? that soounds a little worrisome......
simon.
AnswerHi again Simon!...In regards to letting the door hang on one hinge while doing the other....2 reasons on why I would not attempt this....First, yes, generally not enough room to remove the pin....Second, there is the possibility of damaging the door shell or bending the opposing hinge, as you would have to swing the door too far to be able to remove the pin sucessfully, and replace the bushings....I would still recommend removing the door completely....This will give you the best result....As far as adjusting the door after replacing the pins and bushings....And re-installing the door....No need to worry....The best way to go about this, is after you have replaced the parts, is to remove the door striker...Usually on these models, you will need a Torx 40 or 45 bit....Once removed, close the door SLOWLY....As to make sure there is no contact with the door, fender, and door opening....Then check the alignment of body lines....If you need to go up, just loosen the bolts on the top hinge on the A pillar, and adjust it forward, or loosen the bolts on the bottom hinge, and adjust it rearward....If you need to go down, adjust the lower hinge forward, or the top hinge rearward....Unfortunatly, this is a trial and error procedure...It might take you a few tries until you get an even gap on the door between the fender and the pillar....Once satisfied with the gap, and body line, simply re-install the striker as so it sits directly in the center of the latch, and the door is flush with the adjacent panel....As for why you might have to do some adjusting, I can only compare it to building 2 separate engines....You use the exact same parts, use the exact same torque specs, and the exact same procedures....But yet they do not run exactly the same....The same goes in the Autobody Trade....Hope I have helped you out....Anything else....Please drop me another line....Thanks....Dave
