Pathfinder spare tire carrier tight

Anyone have any good ideas on how to free up the spare tire carrier on my '92? It takes a lot of effort to swing it. I don't know how tight it's supposed to be, but it seems it should swing pretty freely. I tried shooting some Kroil into the hinges and working it back and forth, but it didn't seem to help.

Aaron '92 Pathfinder '88 MR2 NA '70 Beetle project

Reply to
Aaron and Aimee Ness
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"Aaron and Aimee Ness" wrote in news:yuXPc.40$ snipped-for-privacy@eagle.america.net:

I have a 92 PF SE. Over the years, there were times when the tire carrier became, as you put it, "tight". I had the dealer 'loosen it up'. It's my understanding that they used penetrating oil, maybe a bit of heat(not sure), and lots of 'elbow grease' to work it back and forth.

Later on, during a period when I was using a local mechanic rather than the dealership, they one time also 'loosened it up', but then I found that they had used heat(a torch, I think) and burnt the plastic top of the bumper, and sprayed black paint onto the tire carrier hinge and body to cover up the burnt area on the hinge. After getting them to pay for the repairs, I never went back.

Last fall, there started to be a noise from the rear when going over some bumps. This was diagnosed as a problem with the tire carrier hinge bushings. This, and the 'sticky' carrier, are common problems.

I bought new hinge pins and bushings from the dealer. The pins on mine, from the factory, were installed with the bottom one pointing up, the top one pointing down. They have a flat 'top' end, and were peened over on the other end.

I removed the tire carrier from the PF. Then I used a grinder to grind off the peened-over metal.

I took the carrier to a local shop that does metal fabrication, and paid them to press out the two pins, and replace them with the new pins and bushings (and grease), and put a couple of welds on the end that on the originals was peened over.

Then at home I painted the hinges, and re-installed the carrier.

The pins/bushings aren't expensive, and it cost me about $40 to get the new pins installed.

Reply to
Dave Patton

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