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DIY Sagging rear door fix

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  • DIY Sagging rear door fix

    I've put this in the 120 section as that's the vehicle being shown in this case but the same concept can be used to realign any door with bolt on hinges.

    There are two separate issues that cause sagging rear doors on the Prado; one is cracking of the door shell along the vertical seam that runs near the hinges; the is an issue with the early door design and can also happen on later models that have had the door over extended when opening.
    The second issue in the small plastic bushes in the hinges wear out and cause excessive free play in the hinge.
    This Fix covers the latter issue of warn hinge bushings.

    The whole process takes about 10 minutes and can be easily completed at home with basic hand tools.

    The problem is easily identified by a door that drops visually when opened and a support striker that is misaligned.

    Inspection of the hinges will usually also reveal that the plastic bushes have extruded out under the load on the hinge.

    This piture clearly shows a support striker that is well out of alignment:


    If you look closely at this picture you can see the plastic bush extruded out where the pin enters the bottom plates of the hinge:



    This fix involves basically spacing out the bottom hinge from the door to take up the wear in the hinge.

    You can do this two ways, one is to use a couple of washers to space the hinge out, or make up a spacer plate out of thin plate or shim material. In this case I’ve used washers and have done so on a few vehicles without issue, but it could be argued a shim plate would technically be a better solution as it would cover the whole contact area of the hinge.

    The first step is to lock the door in its open position and support its weight. You can do this with any appropriately sized piece of timber and a jack.

    There's no need to go crazy on the jack as you risk causing further damage to the door or metal work, you simply want to support the weight of the door and take some load off the bottom hinge.

    Put a rag between the wood and panel if you are worried about damaging the paint.



    Once the weight is off the hinge you can crack both bolts that hold the hinge to the door.

    These are tight and space is a little limited, if you don’t have a low profile ratchet or strong bar then they can be cracked using two ring spanners that are locked together like this:



    The bolts require a 12mm spanner.

    Once cracked you can fully remove ONE of the bolts, leave the other in to hold the door in place for now.



    As you can see in this picture the bolts have a 10mm thread but a 12mm shank. The next step is to find some 12mm washers to use as packers.
    I started with a couple of Stainless steel ones which are thinner by a 3rd than normal mild steel washers. I found these not to be enough and later changes to a couple of zinc plate mild steel ones which were approximately 1.6mm thick.



    The next step is to carefully start removing the second bolt until you have just enough space to insert a washer and re-install the removed bolt.

    I suggest you do this carefully and don’t fully remove the second bolt!





    Now it’s just a case of repeating the process for the other bolt:



    The finished job should look like this:



    As you can see I’ve chosen washers with a large outside diameter to provide maximum contact area.

    Also make sure your choice of washer is Stainless, Zinc or Cad plate, not plain mild steel, to avoid corrosion issues.

    A little trial and error with washer thickness may be required to get the ideal end result:

    Spot on in this case:



    All good for another 10 years, plus it saves $100 for one hinge from Toyota (Plus paint) which only last as long as the plastic bushings!

    Also on a side note: I prefer a dry lube (aerosol dry moly) on the hinges, stickers and latch. Most workshops either use white grease, silicone spray spray Tac lube or alike, which tends to make a gritty paste when mixed with dirt and can accelerate wear, especially on the plastic support striker.

    Mick

  • #2
    Excellent write up with great Pics! Thanks Mick, well done!!!
    2004 V6 Grande. BLACK -

    Comment


    • #3
      This is exactly what Toyota did to fix my sag. Great write up and pictures to suit.
      [B]Tasmania 2015 GTG Committee Member[/B] 2005 Prado Pilbara, Sovereign Bar, Driver & passenger weathershields, UHF TX3220, Spare wheel spaces, Lifestyle rack, Genuine front & midrow seatcovers, Genuine front & midrow rubber floor mats, ARB 47 litre fridge/freezer, Hilux washer jets, BF Goodridge A/T, Radiator protection plate, Dual battery tray and isolator, ARB 2.5m awning, Rhino heavy duty areo bars, MSA rear wheel bin, MAXTRAX

      Comment


      • #4
        I have the problem and will be using your fix. Thanks Mick. Will report back.
        Terry
        Canberra
        2008 Prado 120 D4D and 2010 Jayco Swan Outback

        Comment


        • #5
          Cheers Mick. I have to ask what is that sticking out the bottom of the door in the pic of the jack supporting the door?
          [SIZE=2]120 GXL D4D Auto, with a 'List of Wants' greater than the 'List of Needs' greater than the 'List of Haves'
          Nissan Patrol: Keeping Bogan's out of Toyota's since 1951[/SIZE]

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          • #6
            .



            Originally posted by r4ndll View Post
            Cheers Mick. I have to ask what is that sticking out the bottom of the door in the pic of the jack supporting the door?


            Beer Tap?
            2004 V6 Grande. BLACK -

            Comment


            • #7
              Air compressor socket?
              Excellent write up too. Will keep it in mind if my door ever sags.
              2007 GXL V6 - ARB Bullbar with LED lights, snorkel, extractors, 2 1/4" dual exhaust, K&N filter, dimpled/slotted rotors, headrest dvd players, Ebay Satnav/reverse camera, GME 3100TX, Tigerz11 Side awning on custom brackets with Maxtrax mounts, 300W Invertor, ARB Underbody protection, Lightbar and STZ 265/70 tyres.
              Wish list in order I'll get them: Sliders, 2" lift, E-locker, Winch bar with winch.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by OziOffroad View Post

                All good for another 10 years, plus it saves $100 for one hinge from Toyota (Plus paint) which only last as long as the plastic bushings!

                Mick
                Nice Job !

                I just bought a set for $60.00 each from All Four x 4 (no affiliation)

                Cheers, Scott

                Comment


                • #9
                  Thanks guys.

                  The tap in question is for water. I have a tank underneath and a small Flojet pump with pressure switch. It's plumbed up with pneumatic line so it was pretty easy to run it through the under-body grommets and through the cable conduit into the door. The tap fits neatly between the storage drawers and back door.

                  Mick

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Yahooo. All fixed for the huge cost of $3.50 - and I have 6 washers left over. Took longer than 10 mins mind you.

                    1. Didn't have any of the right sized washers and had to go to hardware store.
                    2. Bolts came out OK - I used the same leverage trick you did.
                    3. Jack slipped and it misaligned the holes and difficult to get in washers. Two stainless steel washers on each bolt was enough. Took me about 10 mins extra.
                    4. Bolts back in Ok except top one on bottom hinge seems to be cross threaded or the receiver has moved. Will look at this llater.

                    But all OK - can't get over it - have opened and closed about 6 times just to keep proving it works.


                    Originally posted by OldGreyFart View Post
                    I have the problem and will be using your fix. Thanks Mick. Will report back.
                    Terry
                    Canberra
                    2008 Prado 120 D4D and 2010 Jayco Swan Outback

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Checked mine this arvo, add this job to the 'to do' list
                      [url=http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=12264]My Prado[/url]

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Checked mine this morning, ten minutes later all fixed, many thanks
                        2005 120 Series 4 Litre Petrol

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Thanks Guys.

                          It is nice having a door that opens and shuts with a solid "thud" rather than a scraping sound and 10mm of drop.

                          I just bought a set for $60.00 each from All Four x 4 (no affiliation)
                          Yeah I saw those, are they genuine or copies?

                          This is exactly what Toyota did to fix my sag.
                          Your dealer must have had the same thought I did;
                          I have a copy of a tech note from Toyota that says to remove the "Self aligning" bolts and install standard ones to give enough play/clearance in the hole to move the hinges. (that is replace the fat shank bolts with standard ones). I wasn't real happy with this solution, seems too sloppy for hold up long term.

                          Mick

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Also have the problem - great help Mick - will do same to mine - thanks, Bruce

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by OziOffroad View Post
                              Thanks Guys.

                              It is nice having a door that opens and shuts with a solid "thud" rather than a scraping sound and 10mm of drop.



                              Yeah I saw those, are they genuine or copies?

                              Mick
                              Genuine. Have the Toyota stickered part number and Made In Japan stamp. They're black so I'll need to paint them white to match. I've also ordered a new rear seal from them, this will take a little longer to get to me, about 3 weeks. But at $195.00 plus $17.00 delivery, sure beats the $376.00 Toyota wants for it and with the same lead time !

                              Oh and the seal is genuine aswell !

                              Cheers, Scott

                              Comment

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