HOW TO CHANGE HINGE PINS

[MY1PATH]

This is for the WD21 front doors, other models and other doors(4 door) may be similar but I do not know.

I noticed one day when parked on a pile of logs that my drivers door had to be lifted up to open and closed...

Upon later inspection I found I could lift the end of the door about 2" before it started to rock the body. I found a set of Nissan OEM hinge pins on eBay for around $15 IIRC and I'm sure Alkorahil could get you some reasonably priced ones as well. Anyway Here's the how to

Removing the Pins

I broke this up into 2 days the first day (which was actually a few months ago) I got the pins out and was out of time so I just re-installed them.

Support the door

I hung the door from my car port and had jack stands under it for a little more support. I used a knot called the taught-line so that I could readily adjust the height of the door when needed(this came very much in handy when getting the new pins in.

Using a small flat screw driver remove the E-clip from the pin.

Take a long 5/16" or 1/4" punch, It helps if you grind or drill a dimple in the end to help keep it centered on the pointy end of the pin. I didn't have a punch long enough so I chopped the handle off of a rat-tail file and ground a dimple into the end of that. My upper pin was very rusted and took allot of beating and pb-blast to get out. the Lower pin was not as bad. here's how the upper pin and bushings looked today after I pulled it out again.

 

Removing the Pin Bushings

If you didn't already do this when pulling the pins go ahead and remove the roll pin from the door tether spring and move the door away from the vehicle(as far as the wiring will allow) stick the roll pin back in the spring and shove the spring all the way into the door so that its out of the way.(if you don't put the pin back in you will lose the spring inside the door)

Using a long 3/8 drill I drilled about 3/16" deep (about half the bushing length) into the top upper bushing and the bottom lower busing. Because of how the door is shaped you cannot get the drill straight into the bushing so if you drill more than half the bushing you will wind up going crooked thru the side of the bushing and into the hinge body. Drilling just softens up the wall of the bushing so it gives less resistance coming out.

 

With a long 3/16" or 1/4" punch slide it into the opposite bushing diagonally so that it rests against the inner edge of the bushing you just drilled. Again I didn’t have a punch long enough so I used a long 6mm allen key, use vise grips to help control in the tight area. Whatever you use make sure it has a good square edge so it drives the bushing rather than slipping off of it. And rounding the inside edge(making it more difficult). When hammering upward I removed the jack stands to let the weight of the door do more work for me.

[MY1PATH]

With one upper and lower bushing out you now have room to use a bigger punch to remove the remaining bushings. Use a 5/16 offset punch or a long 5/16 bolt that has been bent to clear the door (make sure there is enough straight section to slide freely into the hinge and rest on the remaining bushing.)

Tap the remaining bushings out. There will not be room to pre-drill them and it shouldn't be necessary since the 5/16 punch will make 100% contact with the bushing compared to earlier w/ the angled 1/4" punch.

 

Installing New Pin Bushings

Firstly, get some wd40 and soak the old hinge and then clean all the old grease and rust and dirt out of it, as much as you can, 3/8" round brushes should shove in there pretty good and then wipe it clean w/ Q-tips. Now take a good waterproof grease like bearing grease or thicker (I used Energy Suspension Formula 5 since I ordered a whole 8 oz tub of it for my Calmini UCA’s) and pack the hinge hole. Lightly grease the new bushings and tap them in using your special 5/16 punch. If your grease is thick enough it will hold the bushing in place long enough for you to pick up your hammer and punch to drive it in. Leave the excess grease in place it will be there to grease the vehicle side of the hinge.

 

Re-Hanging the Door

OH! This is the fun part... Actually its not too bad if you are clever with your knots (like the taught line) and have a helper.

I didn’t have a helper but I got the door to the perfect height by adjusting my knots a little. Pull your hinge tether spring back out and remove the roll pin. Lightly grease your new hinge pins. Remove the jack stands and push the door to the body and line up the hinges.

Wiggling the door and tapping the pins will help these next steps. Take the lower pin and push it in from the top until the pointy part of the pin starts to go into the bushing(some tapping may be required). Take the upper pin and push it in from the bottom until the pointy part of the pin starts to go into the bushing(some tapping may be required). Tap the lower pin all the way in and then tap the upper pin all the way in. Install your E-clips on the new pins, and your door tether back to the door jamb with the roll pin.

 

after doing this my diver door has zero play in it. I cannot move the door up or down w/o shaking the body. enjoi =)

[MY1PATH]

I think that's everything,

Mod's if you don't mind moving this to the HOW TO's for future reference that'd be great.

[Kingman]

Nice write up!

 

I need to do this on my passenger side door, it's starting to get bad. Driver's door still doesn't have any play in it though

[beavis0076]

Yea, nice! and my pas door is getting bad too.. and the drivers is fine... weird... you would think the drivers door would go first due to the fact it gets the most use! ......???

[adamzan]

They've probably been changed before. My drivers one was toast. Now its tight but the pass side is getting a little loose. Makes for a lot of wind noise. Thanks my1path.

[MY1PATH]

I need to do this on my passenger side door, it's starting to get bad. Driver's door still doesn't have any play in it though

my pas door is getting bad too.. and the drivers is fine... weird... you would think the drivers door would go first due to the fact it gets the most use! ......???

 

They've probably been changed before. My drivers one was toast. Now its tight but the pass side is getting a little loose. Makes for a lot of wind noise. Thanks my1path.

x2 I was thinking the same thing PO musta done it. MY passenger door is only a little bad, If I can find my "rat-punch" I'll be doing the pass side b4 is damages the door catch like the driver one did. Then I can add some pin-removal pix.

 

Thanks 4 the props guys, I'm just tryin' 2 give back a little.

Edited May 21, 2009 by MY1PATH

[Precise1]

Thanks for writing this!!

 

Moved...

 

B

[maxwell]

Quick tip, if you happen to be changing fenders you can change the door pins with out opening or removing the doors as long as you do it one hinge at a time. To get the clearance needed use a 12mm socket and remove the hinge from the door frame. I also pinched the hinge tighter in a vice and that took out all the play in the door, more than changing the pin and bushing.

[Towncivilian]

Anybody know where I can get new hinge hardware for a front driver door for a 2001 R50?

[1994SEV6]

Anybody know where I can get new hinge hardware for a front driver door for a 2001 R50?

 

Check rock auto. They had this for a 2000 GMC Sonoma. It was like $1.50 for the pin. and I think a hinge kit was something else that included the pin and some other stuff. I know Rockauto is a little short on the import section, but check it out.

[Towncivilian]

eBay don't have it, RockAuto don't have it, AAP, Bennett's, NAPA, AutoZone, Dorman's site... none of them list it. A helpful and knowledgeable employee at AAP suggested to measure the pins with a micrometer, get the ones closest in size, and try using those and if necessary drill the bushings to accommodate the pin's different size. I'll probably go that route since I don't want to pay $50 each for new door hinge assemblies from the dealer.

[Towncivilian]

R50s do not have user-serviceable door hinge pins. The entire hinge assemblies must be replaced, and the dealer is the only option for new ones. Best bet is to find them at a junkyard or find someone who is parting out their Pathfinder. Lame.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Towncivilian

[MY1PATH]

R50s do not have user-serviceable door hinge pins. The entire hinge assemblies must be replaced, and the dealer is the only option for new ones. Best bet is to find them at a junkyard or find someone who is parting out their Pathfinder. Lame.

 

yes, but on the W/D21 the door side of the hinge is welded to the door.

[Slartibartfast]

Anyone have their hinges fail where it's not just worn out bushings? Turns out mine are...

 

My stock bushings are all but welded to the pins, to the point where even the BFH doesn't do much (and we're worried we'll just break the door trying). That's the problem: it's been turning the pins in the hinge pieces for, well, probably a long time, because they're seriously hogged out. Anyone else had/fixed this problem? I checked my other doors, and each of them is the same way... not loose yet, but every hinge but one has the pin seized to the bushings and is rotating in the plate that bolts to the body. Good to know Nissan thought this design through.

 

Any options besides new hinge plates? Or a new door?

 

Edit: ordered new hinge plates... any ideas for how to fix the other doors before they wallow out?

Edited June 28, 2012 by Slartibartfast

[88pathdiversam]

Great write up,both my doors (88pathy)have play in them and I'm sick of wind noise and not shutting neatly

 

 

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[level9]

I just went through this. I whaled on the front drivers side hinge pins for a while with various punches and hammers. I could only get one out. I also couldn't get the bushings out at all (I practically destroyed them but they wouldn't budge).

 

hrmm. I grabbed my Air Hammer and a flat piece of 1/4" steel.

 

Placed the steel between the pin and the hammer to help with the alignment issues. Pulled the trigger and the pin popped out instantly.Then I grabbed the chisel bit for the air hammer and placed it on the outside lip of the bushing. Again, they popped out instantly! I was able to pull the pins & bushings from all 4 doors in just a few minutes.

 

An Air Hammer is one of those tools I rarely use, but when I've needed it, it pays for itself several times over. This is also preferable to putting any kind of punch or other object inside the hinge area to push the bushings out since you can easily scrape/gouge the inside of the hinge, which is asking for future rust issues (yes there will be oil going back in this area.. but.. )

 

[Cuong Nguyen]

Attempted to tackle this. I have one bushing that is giving me hell and it was getting late and so I had to tape my door shut since I live in an apartment complex.

 

What sucks even more is I have to order Nissan bushings because the Dorman hinge pin kit comes with some brittle ass copper looking bushings. They crumbled and broke with I tried push them into the hinge.

 

Really pissed.

 

[PathyAndTheJets]

My issue with the Dorman bushings was that they weren't very tight fitting on the pin. i still have like an 1/16th of slop at the end of the door. I suppose its an improvement, but for the work of getting the old stuff out I was hoping for better.