How do you change door HINGES on 2002 Nissan altima?

Answer 1

It is a fairly involved process that took me about 3 hours working alone. It would probably go a little faster with some help. I haven't replaced hinges before so this was all new to me. Although I didn't take pictures (I will for my next DIY project), here is the process:

1. Paint the new hinges. I sprayed them, 3 coats and then a coat of clear coat. I did this a few days before replacing them.

2. I put some masking tape pieces at various points perpendicular across all of the panel gaps of the door, the fender and the hood. I measured the body panel gap at each piece of tape, and marked it on the tape, then I cut the tape in the gap. I figured this would come in handy later when trying to realign the fender to the door, hood and bumper cover.

3. Jack up the car and remove the front wheel, then support the car with a jack stand. You will need the jack to help adjust the door later on.

4. Remove the mud flap (3 screws)

5. Remove the plastic inner fender liner. This is held on with 5 screws and a bunch of plastic push pins. The push pins are easy to break so be careful (or buy some extras).

6. Remove the front half of the side sill. There are 4 body screws underneath, and then it snaps in along the top. Remove it from front to back. When you get to the last fastener , slide it ahead instead of pulling it out. This was probably the toughest part of the job for me since I didn't understand how it was attached.

6. Unbolt and remove the fender. There are 10 bolts in total I think. One in the door opening, and one under the side sill. Four across the top (including the wire harness channel and rad support end). Two attaching the bumper cover and one on the headlight support. The last 3 must be accessed from inside the bumper cover/fender. Make sure you note where each bolt came from, because they can be different.

7. Replace the door hinges. Keep the door closed and do one at a time. I started with the upper hinge. Remove the bolts and nuts. It will be stuck with body adhesive and paint. I used a big set of channel locks to break it free. Once it is off, clean up the mating surface and replace it with the new one. Repeat for the lower hinge.

9. Adjust the door. Because you replaced one at a time, the alignment will be close, but is probably slightly low at the striker/latch. This is where I used the floor jack, with a piece of wood on top that I wrapped in a towel to protect the lower edge of the door. Once you take some strain under the door edge, loosen the hinge to door pillar bolts and adjust it using the jack. The bottom hinge is where the adjustment actually takes place because the top hinge is on a sleeve. (You'll understand it when you see it). Tighten the bolts between adjustment attempts. I continued adjusting until the door was easily closed with two fingers and it didn't appear to drag the latch on the striker.

10. Reassemble (in reverse order). You can use the tape and measurements applied in step 2 to help you to align the fender to the hood/door/bumper cover.