T43P Hinge/Lid Repair

[whitebrow]

So my laptop fell almost 6 feet from a bunk bed, and the result is a broken left hinge (the one with wires passed through), a right hinge that looks skewed, and a cover that is mangled in the area of the two hinges. The power jack is also flaky now and wiggling the plug connects/disconnects power randomly. Figures I picked now to do this after my warranty ended in September.

I searched and found the manual and it seems like a doable fix. I assume I'll need 91P8388, the hinges, and possibly 13R2569, the lcd covers. Thinkpad-parts.com has each of them for $10.

I'm hoping someone can give me some insight on this fix and the parts and tools required. Are these FRU parts all I'll need? Do I need a new lid if I don't mind the cracked one? Is Thinkpad-parts.com genuine or should I be getting them from ebay? How about the power jack? I took some pictures and I'll link to them shortly to clarify what I'm describing.

Thanks!

EDIT: PICS
left hinge
right hinge
right hinge back
left hinge back

[madkat]

you will need more than just the hinges... the lid is cracked real bad also...

[richk]

If the jack is loose, you cracked the rear magnesium frame (behind the motherboard) and probable the base.

[whitebrow]

I wanted to update this after getting my thinkpad fixed. I ordered hinges and the lid cover from thinkpad-parts.com and they showed up quickly and in nice shape. I'd recommend them if anyone needs parts as the prices were lower than anywhere else I could find. The repair was not difficult and though I'm still left with the "loose" jack (it doesn't wiggle much but its sort of hit or miss trying to get it to actually charge, I can live with that.

[pcdj]

Apologies for going slightly off topic, but I was hoping - seeing as you've just had experience in taking the hinges apart - whether you could assist me with the following query...

I have an issue with my T43 whereby the screen seems to wobble slightly if moved when in an open position. As I've recently swapped a motherboard out from another T43 I have been able to compare this to another laptop I have and the screen hinges are far more secure.

My question therefore is, are there any sort of screws or such anywhere on the hinges that look like they can be adjusted to make the screen more secure?

Thanks in advance.

[sparta.rising]

Download the hardware maintenance manual and look at the screws involved in the LCD removal. There should be 6 (if memory serves me correctly). The easiest and most important are the 4 on the back machine. 2 on each side stacked on top of each other. There may be a vinyl oval sticker covering them. The other two are pretty obvious when the keyboard bezel is removed.

[sjthinkpader]

...
My question therefore is, are there any sort of screws or such anywhere on the hinges that look like they can be adjusted to make the screen more secure?

Thanks in advance.

No, the hinges are not adjustable for force to open or close the lid.

[virge]

So my laptop fell almost 6 feet from a bunk bed . . .

Wow, a fall of 6ft and the T43P still works but for some relatively minor damage... that's amazing even for a Thinkpad!

[whitebrow]

Wow, a fall of 6ft and the T43P still works but for some relatively minor damage... that's amazing even for a Thinkpad!

Definitely, and as it turns out the charging port isn't a problem either, its the jack on the AC adapter. This is the standard laptop for my college, and I've seen them take quite a lot of abuse. Now that I'm out of warranty it's great to see how available parts are and a community like this to help support these machines for quite some time.