X23 hinges not working

[Hater Depot]

The hinges on my x23 started to lose their spring about six months ago, and now they have none at all. So I have to keep the screen propped up on something all the time. The estimates I got from some repair shops around town were ludicrous, like $300. It doesn't seem that the hinge covers are damaged at all. Is there any way to tell whether the hinges need to be replaced or just tightened? What would you recommend?

[Temetka]

I'd recommend downloading the Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM) for your particular machine and opening it up to tighten the hinges yourself.

Most PC shops would do this as their first step, then replace the hinges if tightening didn't do much.

$300.00 for a hinge job is a complete ripoff.

[rkawakami]

The X23 hinges are the same ones as in the X22 (and X24). They cannot be tightened up. Due to metal fatigue, what normally happens is that the housing cracks or splits apart and you get something like this:

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/x22_bad_hinges.jpg
http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/x22_good_hinges.jpg (a comparison)

They are fairly rare to obtain "cheaply". The last pair I bought ran around $30 (eBay). The HMM for the X2 series is here:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... IGR-4UZMN7

[Temetka]

Ray you are a wellspring of knowledge.

Thanks for educating us on that.

[Hater Depot]

Thanks! My hinges look exactly like those in the first picture. Guess I will just try to do the repair myself.

[jamiphar]

I have a set of new X2x hinges (along with several other parts) that I can sell. If you're interested, just send me a PM.

[Raceboy]

Just for the record, hinges for X20/21 are different than those for the X22/23/24.

[sjthinkpader]

Yes, X20/X21 hinge has a single external screw each side. X22/X23/X24 has two external screws each side, much improved design. But I think James is offering hinges for the subject machine, X23.