The passenger door hinge on my '97 Impreza is getting *very* stiff. I've
> soaked the hinge with oil but it only seems to be getting worse. It's now
> impossible to close the door by just giving it a push - it stops before
> reaching the door frame.
>
> What would cause this? Is there any kind of bearing surface on the slider
> that might be bad? This car is used for work and back and the passenger door
> is used very little, but the hinge is not rusty.
It could be an issue with the guide (the flat metal piece which is between the two hinges and goes into the door) - you want to grease that, and also make sure that the part in the door hasn't come loose (check to see that the bolts where the guide attaches to the door and where the guide itself attaches to the door frame on the car haven't come loose. The door slides on that flat piece of metal as you close it - if it is dry/unlube'd, the door will be sluggish to close