Compartment Door Woes

[cfsoistman]

Just finished fixing 2 compartment doors that became next to impossible to open and close. These are doors we rarely open unless our daughters are with us and we're on at least a one week trip.The problem is the wonderful hinge assembly made up by FR. Although I have lubricated them at the beginning and end of each season the fact is there is nothing to keep it from just running out the bottom over time. This has led me to disassembling the door hinges. WD40 is good stuff but doesn't cut the mustard on these hinges. I had to take a torch to two of the hinges along with a hammer to drive the two pieces apart. I wire wheeled the rust off the bolt side and took sandpaper and a dowel to clean the inside of the hinge. I marked the frame before taking the doors off with a silver Sharpie so it ends up where it started. I took heavy duty automotive grease and spread it on both the hinge and bolt. I added a washer prior to the nut so it helps to slide back and forth. Once I reassembled it I tested it and it now opens very smoothly. I plan to do all the doors so I can avoid the torch and hammer part of this project. The biggest problem I see besides them not using stainless steel is the fact there's very little if any room to get a decent lubricant into the hinges other than taking them apart. Once the paint wears off the bolt inside the hinge it starts to rust. If you haven't done so I highly recommend checking those hinges. The ends of the bolt side rust very easily. I'm just glad I noticed it at home and not had this problem on the road.