Door Handle and Door Pin Replacement

I’ll try to post here first before starting a new thread. 99, my drivers side door exhibits the following symptoms. Power lock Motor makes a sound but doesn’t lock or unlock. Outside and inside handles both work. Inside manual lock tab operates easily to lock/unlock. Exterior key must be used to unlock, but is very hard to turn. Both for lock and unlock. So what should I replace here? Or is it maybe just a lube job?

I just replaced my drivers door hinge pins and bushings. I watched a ton of videos on you tube. So ok, it looked straight forward enough. Well, watching people do this with a floor jack,and a helper, I figured I would do it at work, where we have an over head crane. That way I , could do it by my self. Shop is closed for black friday, so the owner said Wends that He was going today to do some paper work, and cut the grass. I told Him then what I wanted to do, and He said ok. Well I pull in my truck, and align the overhead crane. I also put a small hyd floor jack under the door, with a 2x4, and remove the spring. After that, I remove the clips on the hinge pins. All good so far. I get some small round bar, and put that over the pin and remove the top pin half way. The door falls off of the floor jack. The bottom of the door is at an angle, so the jack just keeps sliding out from under the door. So glad for the over head crane. The pins came out somewhat easy. I pulled the door out of the way enough to get at the bushings. The rubber boot popped out from the A piller side. Ok, good deal. This gave me plenty of slack to move the door around. It wasnt hard to get the bushings out. They were shot. I used a bolt, flat washer, and a socket to press the new bushings in place, this worked good. I fought a little to get the pins back in, but I first put them in only the first hole on each pin. This gave me enough slack to make it easier to do the other pin. I used a set of needle nose vice grips to help hold the pin to align it in the second holes, and I did have to tweak the crane a little. I greased everything before I installed anything ( pins and bushings) . It took me about 1-1/2 hours to do the job from start to finish. The big lesson learned here is, you need a way to hold the door from the top side. Had I tried this at home with my wife, the door would have fallen off of the floor jack and I would have been pissed at the least. Also the center point of the door, is rite where it turns from straight to its downward bend on the windshield side. If your going to do this job, park your truck under a tree where you can use a heavy branch, with a come-a-long or use an engine hoist or like me, an over head crane, or even an A frame. Some means of supporting the door from the top. These door are heavy. About 80 pounds I think. I dont think my door has lined up this good in maybe 15 years. Its a little hard to tell in the pic, but it aligns perfectly. Shuts and open very easy too now.

Engine hoist with a thick old towel wrapped around the door frame, strap around that to the hoist hook, all the way forward in the window opening for decent balance...worked like a champ. This was the first set of pins I did on a GMT400 years and years ago.

Wouldn't hurt to do a few layers of painter's tape along the fender and door edges so they don't kiss...I didn't bother in this example because the truck was a beat-up old POS yard wrecker.



Another benefit of using the engine hoist is you can move the door away from the truck easily and lower it just enough you can set the door on the hoist's legs (more towels folded over for paint protection) and have room to install all your bushings without the door banging against the truck.

Richard

someotherguy said:

Engine hoist with a thick old towel wrapped around the door frame, strap around that to the hoist hook, all the way forward in the window opening for decent balance...worked like a champ. This was the first set of pins I did on a GMT400 years and years ago.

Wouldn't hurt to do a few layers of painter's tape along the fender and door edges so they don't kiss...I didn't bother in this example because the truck was a beat-up old POS yard wrecker.

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Richard

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Yes. Grate pic. And the painters tape is a good idea too. I was extra careful not to bang my door and fender together. You have to be careful watching you tube videos. They dont give you all of the info you need a lot of the time.

CTX-SLPR said:

Lots of digging and cross refferencing has turned up the following part numbers:

Bushings: 16632193; 15964971 (http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/oe-gm/16632193)
Pins: 88891731 (http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/chevro...t/lock-and-hardware-scat/?part_name=hinge-pin)

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Question on part numbers. There are two sizes of bushings, right? The two bushing part numbers in this post seem to be the original number (159x) and the number that replaced it (166x). Does anyone know the other bushing part number, or even just the two sizes? Frankly I don't trust my dealership to get me the right info.

Has anybody ever run into different style bushings on the lower hinges? My top hinges use the normal bronze style bushings but the bottoms are a very thin stamped steel style. The holes in the hinge also considerably smaller. The bronze bushings wont fit. Truck is a 2000 obs crew cab. Working on the front doors. I searched everywhere and from what i conclude the upper and lower hinges should use the same part number pins and bushings. I can upload some pictures soon. Im a bit baffled. Sorry if this has ben answered already im new here.

FIREBALL 94 said:

well rockauto, lmc trucks, and classic parts do not carry just the roller piece i need from what im seeing you have to buy the whole hinge assembly and i dont need nor want to do that, i know you can buy the pins and bushings at advance auto and im thinking i seen a newer model roller pin at advance but it was for the 99-up models is that the same design, would it work for the 94 model roller, or ????

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I think the 99-up is different they are shorter and you need 2 per hinge.

poncho62 said:

Good write up, have a question though....will be doing mine soon

Has anyone done the hinge pin replacement without totally removing the door?. What I mean is, remove one pin at a time, move the hinge enough to get at the bushings and then do the other one?...Just wondering

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I did my door with an officechair bottom w/back bolted to my motoorcycle jack, then strapped the door to the chair with a pillow. That way it can move up or down and move out away if need be when, like me, you don't disconnect the wires for the door. You still have to remove both pins though to move the door away enough to remove /replace bushings and pins.

Drylandfarmer said:

Has anybody ever run into different style bushings on the lower hinges? My top hinges use the normal bronze style bushings but the bottoms are a very thin stamped steel style. The holes in the hinge also considerably smaller. The bronze bushings wont fit. Truck is a 2000 obs crew cab. Working on the front doors. I searched everywhere and from what i conclude the upper and lower hinges should use the same part number pins and bushings. I can upload some pictures soon. Im a bit baffled. Sorry if this has ben answered already im new here.

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Ran into this doin my moms escalade. From what understand to paraphrase, gm did a rolling production change on the remaining OBS trucks. They "had" replacement bushings available but have since discontinued them. U have to drill the holes out for the normal replacement bushings to fit. Somethib like 15/32 or 17/32. Not 100% positive on sizes.

Nice idea with the chair.