Door Hinge Maintenance

[Steve M]

Squeaky, creaky door hinges?

This is a fairly common issue with these cars...I've certainly noted it from time to time with my own, but I never really took the time to figure out why. Thanks to this post in the Gen V section, I finally caught a clue bird that I wasn't seeing the part of the hinge that was causing it:

https://driveviper.com/forums/thread...l=1#post409494

All you have to do is remove the triangular shaped body panel just in front of the door, and you'll really see what's going on in there. All you need is a T-20 Torx bit to remove the three screws that hold the panel in place. Once the screws are out, tilt the top of the panel towards you, and then pull the bottom part of the panel kind of up and towards the back of the car. The next three pictures showing it apart should help you understand how it fits:

Where the 3 screws go:



The bottom of the panel showing the three slots that fit with the tabs on the black plastic side sill vent panel:



Insert Tab A into Slot B (and forgive how dirty my car is at the moment - I've actually been driving it a fair amount):



So now what? Well, here's the culprit (door closed):



And a better shot up close (door closed):



So what is it? It's essentially a leaf spring...once you open and close the door with the panel off, you'll see exactly how it works. Mine still had some grease on it, but as you can tell, it is metal on metal contact. It wasn't always that way, but over time, the coating just wears off, and that's what you have left. The picture makes it look far worse than it is - the little chunks you see are actually just the coating peeling off (not metal shards), and it really wasn't all that rusty, but the flash certainly made it look that way.

Here's what it looks like with the door partially opened:



And with the door fully opened:



As I said, just play with it a bit and you'll see how it all works...it ain't rocket science.

You just have to give it a good lube job. If yours is as dry as my sense of humor, it's gonna grind and squeak on you.

I used Lucas Red n Tacky for the leaf spring, and sprayed some PTFE (Teflon) dry lube on the hinge pins for good measure:



All in all, it took me about 5 minutes per side to clean everything and relube it. Works like a charm now...we'll see how long it lasts. I'm sure white lithium grease would also work well...I just wanted something that wouldn't wash away easily, and that particular Lucas grease has very good water resistance. Being lithium based, it is also compatible with pretty much any grease out there, so you don't have to worry about any adverse reactions if you end up using a different kind of grease in the future. And yes, as I learned yesterday thanks to the power of the internet, not all greases are compatible with each other.

I realize this is probably a pretty dumb post for most, but I never really took the time to investigate why the problem even occurs until I saw that post in the Gen V section a few days ago. Hopefully this will help someone else out too. There's nothing worse than your car sounding like a clapped out hoopty when you go to open and close the door.

[pokeyl]

Very Nice, I was just in this area. The body shop did poor job fitting that panel; so did the factory on the other side. Great paint, just poor on everything else.

[SuperBird4404BBL]

Good post Steve.

Thank you.

[Steve M]

Very Nice, I was just in this area. The body shop did poor job fitting that panel; so did the factory on the other side. Great paint, just poor on everything else.

This was the first time I've ever messed with either side...it came out surprisingly easily, and went back in just as easily. Maybe that's because I've been tainted by working on my 13-year old daily driven truck lately, and the Ohio winters have not been kind to it.

Good post Steve.

Thank you.

You're welcome. I'm not sure why I never tried to figure this out until now to be honest.

[Raheel]

Thank you very much Steve!

I recently noticed my passenger side door was squeaking and I couldn't figure out how/what to lube to address the problem.

Now I know what to do!!

Thanks again!

[FrgMstr]

Squeaky, creaky door hinges?

Many thanks, been needing to do mine for a while, just needed a little motivational guidance, and you supplied.

[Steve M]

Please let me know if it works for anyone that tries it. It made a big difference on mine for sure.

[ACRucrazy]

Another great threat to subscribe to.

[Gen3CoupeTX]

It was cool of you to share this ... Even took the time for pictures, detailed post. Mine haven't squeaked, but I know what to do if / when. Thank you!

[xclusivsmith]

Awesome thanks I am currently deployed in the middle east and I bet the hinges need this to be done on my car because its so hot here, it sounds horrible I will do this next weekend thanks for the post and pictures.

[09coupe]

Funny - I have only had my car 3 weeks! This is the one thing that drives me nuts about it. I am going to address it this weekend!!! Thank you!

[Steve M]

Please let me know if it works for you...mine has been silent all summer, but I want to make sure I'm not blowing smoke and sending others down the wrong path.

[SA Heat]

Great thread Steve. I just got through doing mine 10 minutes ago. They weren't making noise, but they were bone dry and now the door swings and locks in more "fluid". This is now a must for regular maintenance. Thank you.

One tip I'll share that worked better for me was to put the panels back on with the doors fully open. It was easier getting the three tabs to line up that way. Just be careful to avoid paint-to-paint contact with the door when manuevering the panel back into place.

[TheMadMachinist]

Steve, you are on point with this one.

If this isn't done from time to time those hinges will break. At least the one in my old Gen 2 did back in the day.

Maybe this should be in the How To section.

[sidwin]

i opened the door and sprayed lithium grease on it and haven't had a problem in a couple of years. doesn't look at pretty cause it comes across white but i don't care since i don't see it when the door is closed.

[Graphite Snake]

I do the same routine to the doors on my 2002 RT10. Grinding raspy sounds also tell you maintenance is needed. The grease and dirt become a fine grinding agent so I clean and re-grease. The gen II Vipers have shims that work with hinge panel placement. Be expecting them and keep track of how many and which screws get them. As I recall there are 5-6 screws instead of 3. Nice post Steve.

[FrgMstr]

Finally doing mine today.....was just waiting for the garage to get up to 95F, just so it felt like I was really working. :P

[FrgMstr]

Worked like a charm, now nice and smooth and quiet as a kitten.

I did use some WD40 to clean all the old solidified grease off first. Then cleaned up good with dry paper towel and greased it up with Teflon Super Lube Grease. Good to 450F, so it MIGHT be OK over those pipes. LOL. Stuff is great for using all over the place. Doesn't stain either.

Anyway, I always love finding "secret" handwritten notes on this car.

z.jpg

[sonicbloo]

Great thread, mine is making the same sound on the drivers door. I lubes the hinges with no effect.

I'll take my side panels off next time I'm in the garage, and lube this area before it gets any worse

Thanks for the pics!

[Steve M]

Mine is still silent ~1.5 years later.

[sonicbloo]

Great thread, mine is making the same sound on the drivers door. I lubes the hinges with no effect.

I'll take my side panels off next time I'm in the garage, and lube this area before it gets any worse

Thanks for the pics!

Ok, I did mine this morning, all good now! Thanks a lot for this thread Steve

Whilst I was in there, I also put a piece of insulation tape on the slotted part of the black plastic 'vent' to stop the side panels rattling

[FrgMstr]

Mine is still silent ~1.5 years later.

All good here too, Captain! Smooth like silk.