Loose hinge/bezel on X40

X2/X3/X4x series specific matters only
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ThinkRob
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Loose hinge/bezel on X40

#1 Post by ThinkRob » Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:39 pm

I'm in the process of refurbishing an X40 that I picked up on eBay. I've noticed that the hinge is a bit loose, or rather that the hinge's attachment to the screen casing seems to be loose. The hinge itself seems to be in good shape, and holds position, but screen itself seems to wobble back and forth a bit even though the hinge remains set.

I've mostly been working on the lower casing/body thus far, and I haven't had a chance to pull apart the screen yet. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem and/or does anyone know what I'd have to do to fix it? I was initially planning on replacing the panel itself, but the actual screen quality is far better than was described, so if I can fix the hinge issue I'll be all set...

Thanks!
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Current laptop: X1 Carbon 3
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sjthinkpader
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Re: Loose hinge/bezel on X40

#2 Post by sjthinkpader » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:25 am

There are two screws each side, one thru the bottom and one thru the back. All four have to be tight. A little play in the hinges is normal.
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ThinkRob
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Re: Loose hinge/bezel on X40

#3 Post by ThinkRob » Tue Jul 07, 2009 7:20 pm

Do you mean the two screws on each side that attach the hinge to the *bottom* casing? 'cause those are tight -- the visible (silverish) portion of the hinge doesn't seem to wobble in relation to the body. It's the hinge's anchor to the screen that seems loose.

Sorry for the unclear explanation.

With regards to it being normal -- I've got an X61s which doesn't have this problem, so I don't think it's normal in the sense of "comes that way from the factory". I kinda figured it's a common issue for a ThinkPad to develop as time goes on, but since I'm refurbishing the machine I'd like to get it as close to new as possible...
Need help with Linux or FreeBSD? Catch me on IRC: I'm ThinkRob on FreeNode and EFnet.

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Current laptop: X1 Carbon 3
Current workstation: none

sjthinkpader
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Re: Loose hinge/bezel on X40

#4 Post by sjthinkpader » Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:27 pm

Tighten the two front bottom screws under the black stick on round dots. The two bottom side screws under the black rectangular dots needs to be tighten also. The hinge verticals are very thin metal and can deform easily if these screws are not tight.

The worst case are X20 and X21 hinges. They are very short and always have quite a bit of play.
T60p 2623-DDU/UXGA IPS/ATI V5200
T60 2623-DCU/SXGA+ IPS/ATI X1400
T43p 2668-H8U/UXGA IPS/ATI V3200
R50p 1832-NU1/UXGA IPS/ATI FireGL T2
X61t 7762-B6U dual touch IPS/64GB SSD
X32 2673-BU6/32GB SSD
755CDV 9545-GBK Transmissive Projection LCD

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