Door Hinge

[CharlieBrown]

I have a 1998 Limited and the entrance door hinge (both the top and bottom) have two screws that keep coming lose. I have used the phillips head screw driver, but the screw keeps spinning. How can I get behind the screw to hold the nut without having to take the wall apart?

[sander17]

Hi Charlie,
I am fighting the same fight right now. I removed the screws from the door trim piece on one side and gently moved it over a little. Then I cut a rectangular hole about the length of the hinge in the wall covering. This hole will be covered by the trim piece when you are done. Next sawzall the door frame aluminum for the hole. Remove the vulkem covering the screws and nuts. The problem is the nuts did not have a nice big washer to keep them from punching a hole in the door frame. Remove rusty too small nut and replace with a nice full size 1/4" washer and nut. Add a second nut to keep the first from rotating and seal it back up. Good luck!

[bake315]

I'm going to have to address this as well in the near future. Was thinking about using a hole saw which would make holes just large enough for a socket to slip through, then using something like a chrome snap-in plug to cover the holes. This way, I can access them in the future without having to tear things up again. I may use stainless nylnuts to replace the existing ones, too.

[sander17]

Dave,
The reason I did not go with the hole saw was the large metal trim piece which was able to cover the bigger hole. Getting the vulkem out was a chore. It came out in little bits when using a pair of needle nose pliers. The extra room helped with the battle.

[CharlieBrown]

Dave from Michigan,
I have looked at my door trim and think you are correct in how to proceed.
I will be camping for several days and when I return home will start the repair. I had been told to drill the hole and then cap it when done. But was
not sure what I would run into or even how the screw was attached to the
door frame. If I have any problems May I contact you?
Sincerely
Charlie Carter

[sander17]

Sure, just PM (private message) me thru the forum. I would recommend a 7/16" deep socket for turning the flanged nut on the inside. The screw was stainless steel, but the nut was rusty plain steel. Good luck!

[CharlieBrown]

Dave and Dave
I fixed my door today, I did as Dave of Michigan said and used the nut that Dave of Texas suggested. Everything worked just right and I also think that
following the directions from Dave of Mi is the only way to do this with the least frustration. I thank you both for your help in solving my Door Hinge problem. Sincerely
Charlie Carter 21212

[bake315]

Originally Posted by CharlieBrown

Dave and Dave
I fixed my door today, I did as Dave of Michigan said and used the nut that Dave of Texas suggested. Everything worked just right and I also think that
following the directions from Dave of Mi is the only way to do this with the least frustration. I thank you both for your help in solving my Door Hinge problem. Sincerely
Charlie Carter 21212

Charlie,

Glad we Dave's could be of help. When I do mine now, I'll probably do it this way too!