Problem: Seized garage door hinge on 2004 CI Carioca 656
Contingency: None, just try asking or searching for a replacement hinge
Tools and equipment needed:
Powered drill
8mm HSS drill bit
5mm HSS drill bit
Pop rivit gun
2No 5mm diameter x 100mm long pop rivits
Posidrive screwdriver
Boiling water (I used a camping stove and beans tin)
Vice
Blocks of wood
Hammer
Graphite Lubricant
Toilet roll cardboard
Tipex
Pre works:
1) Remove garage door from van by the removal of door side hinge screws
2) Stow the door somewhere safe
3) Try to operate the hinges to see if one or both are seized
4) Remove the seized hinge from the van by drilling off the heads of the two pop rivits with the 8mm drill bit, and removing the posidrive screw.
Attacking the beast:
Penetrating oils did not work in my case, I had the unit immersed on release oil for 24hrs, also interesting to note, the hinge that secures to the van (ribbed surface that makes contact with the garage frame) is the FIXED PIN, the hinge that screws to the door rotates about the fixed pin.
Now this makes sense as to why my bottom hinge seized, the top hinge can be lubricated by the removal of the top platic cover ( I used a pair of wire cutters to gently get unterneath the caps flange ans teased it off) however the bottom hinge is effectivly upside down with respect to the top pin, so removal of the cap and the introduction of oil will try and lubricate the fixed pin!
Plan:
1)Get water on the boil
2) Get cardboard and make vice protectors with it, I used spent toilet roll cardboard as I felt it was apt when working on this van
3) Put the hinge in the boiling water for a couple of mins, the aluminium will expand at a greater rate than the stainless steel pin so should make removal possible, note only put the hinge half that screws to the door into the water, not the hinge half that screws to the van.
4) Transfer the hing to the vice, use the vice protectors madde earlier (Blue Peter moment) and secure the cold bit in the vice.
5) Use the wood and hammer to knock the halfs apart, repeat as many times as required, (make sure you do not loose the stainless steel washer)you might find that the pin will bend slightly due to the hitting angle used, this can easily be srtaightend in the vice.
6) When off (jump for joy), clean out, use oil and graphite and keep working till free.
Refixing to van:
1) Knock old pop rivits through into van frame, if they wont go, use a 5mm drill and drill them, if they spin, pull them out a but and crimp the exposed bit, this will stop them spinning and allow you to drill
2) Fix hinges onto garage door
3) Slide top hinge onto pin after lubricating, and secure bottom hinge to van with posidrive screw removed earlier
4) Replace the 10mm pop rivits, the pop rivits I had were 14mm and I felt these were too long, so I removed the head from the stem, and cut to size with a junior hacksaw and the stem re-inserted in the modified head.
5) Wipe down, touch up with tipex where chipped and have a nice cuppa.
I wont bore you with how I fixed the habitation door catch
Hope this was of use.
Ian
Contingency: None, just try asking or searching for a replacement hinge
Tools and equipment needed:
Powered drill
8mm HSS drill bit
5mm HSS drill bit
Pop rivit gun
2No 5mm diameter x 100mm long pop rivits
Posidrive screwdriver
Boiling water (I used a camping stove and beans tin)
Vice
Blocks of wood
Hammer
Graphite Lubricant
Toilet roll cardboard
Tipex
Pre works:
1) Remove garage door from van by the removal of door side hinge screws
2) Stow the door somewhere safe
3) Try to operate the hinges to see if one or both are seized
4) Remove the seized hinge from the van by drilling off the heads of the two pop rivits with the 8mm drill bit, and removing the posidrive screw.
Attacking the beast:
Penetrating oils did not work in my case, I had the unit immersed on release oil for 24hrs, also interesting to note, the hinge that secures to the van (ribbed surface that makes contact with the garage frame) is the FIXED PIN, the hinge that screws to the door rotates about the fixed pin.
Now this makes sense as to why my bottom hinge seized, the top hinge can be lubricated by the removal of the top platic cover ( I used a pair of wire cutters to gently get unterneath the caps flange ans teased it off) however the bottom hinge is effectivly upside down with respect to the top pin, so removal of the cap and the introduction of oil will try and lubricate the fixed pin!
Plan:
1)Get water on the boil
2) Get cardboard and make vice protectors with it, I used spent toilet roll cardboard as I felt it was apt when working on this van
3) Put the hinge in the boiling water for a couple of mins, the aluminium will expand at a greater rate than the stainless steel pin so should make removal possible, note only put the hinge half that screws to the door into the water, not the hinge half that screws to the van.
4) Transfer the hing to the vice, use the vice protectors madde earlier (Blue Peter moment) and secure the cold bit in the vice.
5) Use the wood and hammer to knock the halfs apart, repeat as many times as required, (make sure you do not loose the stainless steel washer)you might find that the pin will bend slightly due to the hitting angle used, this can easily be srtaightend in the vice.
6) When off (jump for joy), clean out, use oil and graphite and keep working till free.
Refixing to van:
1) Knock old pop rivits through into van frame, if they wont go, use a 5mm drill and drill them, if they spin, pull them out a but and crimp the exposed bit, this will stop them spinning and allow you to drill
2) Fix hinges onto garage door
3) Slide top hinge onto pin after lubricating, and secure bottom hinge to van with posidrive screw removed earlier
4) Replace the 10mm pop rivits, the pop rivits I had were 14mm and I felt these were too long, so I removed the head from the stem, and cut to size with a junior hacksaw and the stem re-inserted in the modified head.
5) Wipe down, touch up with tipex where chipped and have a nice cuppa.
I wont bore you with how I fixed the habitation door catch
Hope this was of use.
Ian
Last edited:
