Morning all,

First point door hinges on all cars wear to a greater or lesser degree. On 300 series cars it is a common problem - especially on 3 door cars due to the length and weight of the doors. Fortunately the door hingepins are "sacrificial" and are easy to replace.

The hinge arrangement is quite conventional with a sprung steel hollow pin linking the articulating halves of the hinge. The hollow pin is packed with grease on assembly and is sealed with a plastic dust cap top and bottom.

Each door has two hinges and the pins are the same front and rear.



All doors are fitted with checks straps. The front comprising of a bracket on the A pillar and a sprung catch in front edge of the door. The two halves being linked by a roll pin at an articulating joint.



The rear door check strap is different, being a sprung unit in a single piece bolted to the door frame and to the b pillar.


Generally it is only the top pins which wear to any extent but even a slight degree of wear causes door drop and difficulty in closing without lifting the door.

I have changed pins solo but it is much, much, easier with two people.

The hinge pins are simply driven into the hinges but due to the space available you cannot just use a drift - hence the need for a removal tool.

Basically the tool has a mandrel with a threaded fitting on top (slightly smaller in diameter then the hinge pin). The pin dust caps are removed and the mandrel passed through the pin and the threaded fitting screwed on. A forked forcing bar is engaged with the mandrel and struck with a hammer. The upper pin is removed downwards and the lower pin removed upwards. Each door is serviced in the same way.




Whilst it is theoretically possible to replace the hinge pins with the check straps fitted it is far more easy if they are disengaged first. In fact on the rear doors they must be released.
On the front doors the allen bolts securing the check straps are often VERY tight and it is simpler to drive out the articulating pin with a 5mm parallel punch. Having released the check strap open the door as far as possible without fouling the front wing and have your assistant/wife/neighbour support the door. Fit the tool and remove the upper pin. Pack the new hingepin with grease (I use copper grease) and install it. The new pin is inserted from below on the upper hinge and from above on the lower (opposite to removal). The tool forcing bar has a nipple on which the new pin can be engaged to hammer it in.






Removal.


Refitting.



Hinge pins are still available under part no.3140643 (2 needed per door)
Front check strap pins under part no.3282546 (1 per front door)
Hinge pin sealing caps under part no.3120620 (4 per door).

If present, the sealing caps and check strap pins can be re-used.


The job may seem daunting - but it really is far easier than it looks.

But you must have a pin removal tool - the pics are of my own Volvo tool but there are generic tools available that will do the job just as well as long as the mandrel will fit the Volvo pins.

Anything not clear - just ask.

Here endeth todays lesson! - Mac.

heh, i just put the new pin on top and hit it with a hammer till it went thru

Ok disregard everything I've said - just hit it with a hammer! (and when the hammer slips and mashes the curve of the door above the top hinge - just stick some 'Dulux' on it.)

Mac.

Thank you Mac, that is very helpful

mac wrote:stick some 'Dulux' on it.)

Mac.

You've met Hugh before!? Ahh no sorry Nessy was painted with Hellfrauds paint I think!

Interesting topic Mac, one that is often overlooked and people put up with it instead of getting it done. The drivers door on the saloon I'm breaking has one of the worst cases of worn hinge pins on a 300 that I've seen!

I don't currently need to do any hinge pins on my cars, but one day I'm sure I will, so useful info Mac. I might need to invest in such a removal tool.

Pete

you used to have to lift up the drivers door on nessy before shutting it - it dropped about an inch when opened. drifting the top pin out with a new pin (as told in haynes, i htink) worked a treat

by the way - not doubting your technique works better - it took me about 3 hours to do it :S

Hi Hugh,

As with most jobs that 'need' special tools there are often ways around without. Haynes actually mentions that the upper pin must be driven downwards and the lower pin removed upwards - but makes no suggestions how.

It is just possible to do the upper hinge pin with a slim drift or the new pin, but space is very tight and you risk damaging the door. The lower hinge has very little clearance below it and driving the pin downwards, would I think, cause the old pin to contact the door before coming out. I can't see any realistic way of getting any sized hammer under the hinge to drive the pin upwards as Haynes suggests. I sometimes wonder how many of the repairs Haynes describes, they actually carry out. When Haynes describes propshaft removal on B14/B172 cars they instruct that the clamps must be slackened and the shaft moved rearwards to clear the clutch shaft at the bellhousing. This tecnique has been impossible since the 'Mk2' as the fitted position of the prop is already fully rearwards (hard against the mass damper on the B172 and to the limit of the input shaft splines on B14s.)

As with everything there are always workarounds - but having a pin remover (Volvo, Sykes, or other) makes it so much easier, and quicker.
(as I said - about 3mins a pin on Varts car).

Your description of Nessies door dropping an inch is pretty typical and in the worst cases the weight of the door can cause the lock to jam closed.

Keep off the 'Dulux' - Mac.

Ahhh, the good old Haynes book of lies! I often wonder the same things Mac, do they really know what they're on about or try it!?! I don't actually bother using the Haynes much now, I think trial and error like they did often works well, just I might find a better method, or the right one my way as opposed to theirs!
Pete

the propshaft one has got me a few times because

a) i've done the bloody thing 5 times
b) its pretty stiff every time (except when rounded, in poland)

Anyone got a good tip about creaking doors? Front doors on mine have no play whatsoever and have sprayed lots of WD-40/oil

WD40 or oil would probably be too thin to stay in place and effectively prevent the squeak. I'd imagine a grease would be better, I need to find the correct sort and a way of getting it in the correct place to be effective.

Pete

Passenger door on ours makes a loud creaking noise. Whether this would be possible to fix without removing the min and re-greasing, unless problem is elsewhere...

grease the check strap first (and use decent grease, WD40 is NOT a grease)

Hehe, talking about bodging, we've been tidying the garage, and to save space I thought I'd take one of the pedals off my bike to save space. Unsure of how to do this, I went ahead removing a bolt, took the pedal off and ball bearings fall everywhere.

Well, several attempts to re-assemble resulted in all the grease being washed out with WD40 (I don't have any grease). Pedal now makes funny noises

This is when I remember why I hardly do anything to the car

5lab wrote:heh, i just put the new pin on top and hit it with a hammer till it went thru

yeah , you can do that on fords lol