De-rusting rear gate on '93 Pathfinder

Al Cunniff wrote in news:acunniff- snipped-for-privacy@reader1.news.rcn.net:

Depending on what you mean by "treat", you may not need to remove the tire carrier. I have a 92PF SE, and last summer all I did was to use emery paper to sand any rusty spots, then mask the PF with newspaper to catch any overspray, and used a rust-inhibiting spray paint(black), and it looks fine so far.

Just recently, I replaced the tire carrier hinge pin bushings, for a lot less than the dealer charges, by purchasing the pins/bushings from the dealer, then having a machine shop press out/in the pins.

I removed the tire carrier:

- remove the spare tire

- open the tire carrier and undo the two bolts on each hinge that are on the inner side of each hinge block

- close the tire carrier - that way the weight is partly on the catch and the block

- undo the remaining 4 bolts(it helps to have someone else holding the carrier at this point

I asked at the dealership about replacement 'pads' that go between the body and the hinge blocks, but they aren't available, and the dealership parts person said they are rarely needed, and if they are, they just make them from a rubber sheet. As it turns out, I didn't need new ones.

If you are concerned about putting the carrier back onto the body in 'exactly the same place', put some strips of masking tape on the body to mark the precise location of the hinge blocks before you unbolt them.

I'm assuming when you say "gate" you are referring to the tire carrier, not the rear door.

Dave Patton wrote in news:Xns943A546CFE1D7mrzaphoddirectca@24.71.223.159:

Via an email, Al said:

----------------------------------------------------------------- Dave,

Thanks for the tips. Our tire carrier/rear gate (not the rear door) has gotten quite difficult to swing open and shut, and I figured that some rust may have gotten into the hinges. I didn't realize that I can buy new hinge pin bushings.

Pardon by novice questions, but what sort of machine shop can I get to push these pins in and out? Do they install the bushings and immediately re-install the pins? How much should I expect to pay for this?

If I'm going to remove the tire carrier anyway, I suppose it makes sense to paint it while it's off the vehicle, correct? (I'm assuming that there are no electronic sensors that are going to cause battery drain or any other damage if the tire carrier if removed for a day or two.

Thanks,

-Al

----------------------------------------------------------------- Unless the 93 is different than the 92, there are no electrical connections on the tire carrier, so you can take it off and leave it off, if you wanted to.

From the dealer I bought the two hinge pins(upper and lower are slightly different lengths), and four bushings. You don't re-use the old pins. Total cost was about $16.

On mine, the pins were the original factory pins, and the bottom end of the pins(which faces up on some vehicles) had been rounded over. I used a grinder to remove that, so that end of the pins was flush with the hinge block.

I took the tire carrier(without the tire) to a shop that does repairs to trailers, and makes and installs tow hitches, but and machine shop with a press would work.

Just make sure they note the difference between the pin lengths, and that they grease the pins and bushings before reassembly. After pressing out the old pins, my shop used the new bushings and pressed in the new pins, then make some welds(not absolutely necessary) to secure the ends of the pins. Total cost about $40.

P.S. See why I'm answering this hear, rather than via email:

Dave,

Just curious--how are the hinge pins removed? Each pin has a small cap at one end and larger one at the other. Does the shop pry up one of the caps and then push the pin out?

-Al

Al Cunniff wrote in news:acunniff- snipped-for-privacy@reader1.news.rcn.net:

I already explained that, in my prior post: On mine, the pins were the original factory pins, and the bottom end of the pins(which faces up on some vehicles) had been rounded over. I used a grinder to remove that, so that end of the pins was flush with the hinge block. They aren't "caps" but are metal that is part of the pin, so they have to be ground/cut off before the pin can be pressed out.