Broken rear hatch hinge pins is another Scimitar-killer. When the pins shear off there is no easy way to replace them. Several people have assured me that they can get in there with a MiG welder and fit new pins. They're better men than me. This article is not about how to repair the sheared- off pins, but how to make sure that you never need to.
There is no easy method of lubricating the rear hatch hinges. I found this out recently when I went to close the rear hatch on one of my cars. I had left it on a windy day with the windows wound down and the hatch open to try and dry the car out. When I closed the hatch I felt it twist to one side. I opened it again to check what was wrong, and found the left-hand bracket that joins the hinge to the frame had sheared off. When investigating why, I found that the left hinge was so stiff on the pin that I could hardly move it.
It is difficult to judge whether the hinges on the back of a Scimitar are stiff, because of the damping action of the gas-struts. Sadly, the first real hint that they may be in need of attention will be a broken fitting on the hatch frame, as happened to me; or even worse, the hinge pin shearing off.
Start by removing the rear hatch from the car, (see the section Changing the hatch lip seal for detailed instructions).
You will probably need a good pair of gardening gloves or welders gloves to avoid ripping your hands to shreads. What has to be done now is to work the hing backwards and forwards, and side to side, to gradually free it on the hinge pin. You will also need penetrating oil, plus a small length of windscreen washer tubing, or a squirt oil-can, in order to get the liquid up into the area of the hinge.
Start by laying some newspaper or rags in the rear of the car to catch any drips. Get some
penetrating oil up into the hinge at the point where the free end of the pin is sticking out, and
also at the point where the hinge abuts the strip of metal to which the pin is welded.
I started out by trying to use a squirt oil can, guiding the flexible spout with my finger
tips to try and direct the liquid to the right spot. This didn't seem to really get enough fluid
up there, so I finished up using a metre length of screenwash tubing, filled with penetrating
oil, and using my thumb to block off one end while I fiddled the other end into position. Then,
releasing my thumb and raising the free end slightly allowed the liquid to run out over the hinge
pin. Very messy, but it seemed to get enough fluid into position.
Very gently, try to get the hinge rocking backwards and forwards. Do not try to force it if you cannot feel it move; you will probably shear off the pin. Keep adding penetrating oil and trying to rock the hinge.
Once the hinge has begun to rock through a few degrees, try getting it to move sideways by gentle hammmer taps while rocking it, or by putting a sideways pressure on it with your other hand. As soon as it has moved a little bit, put some penetrating oil on the newly-exposed part of the pin, and then work the hinge back over this lubricated section. As the hinge starts to move sideways more and more, the hinge will come out over the end of the pin, and you can get some penetrating fluid inside the hinge, which will help to lubricate the pin when the wiggle the hinge back towards the centre of the car.
By rocking the hinge backwards and forwards, getting it to gradually move sideways, and continually adding penetrating oil, I finally managed to get the hinge all the way to the end of the pin and off. I was then able to clean up the pin with emery tape, and clean out the hinge. I then greased the pin and hinge thoroughly with CV-joint grease, and replaced it.
It had taken me nearly 45 minutes to work the hinge free of the pin, clean, grease, and re- assemble it, and it took a similar amount of time to treat the other side, but I finished with both hinges swinging freely with just a finger-touch.
Having had a wake-up call on one of my cars, I went looking at the others. I found on my red SE5A that although the hatch appeared to open and close easily, there was visible play where the right-hand bracket for the hinge attaches to the frame, and when I followed the remainder of this procedure, I found that the left-hand hinge slid freely, but the right-hand hinge was almost locked solid. I was lucky enough to be able to get it moving without having to take the whole hatch off. The warning sign you should be looking for is movement where the hinge bracket attaches to the hatch frame.
If you want to try the method I have adopted to check and lubricate the hatch hinges, it is as follows:
Open the rear hatch. Using a 7/16" AF socket, undo the two dome-headed nuts securing one side of the hinge half to the frame bracket. Using a phillips screwdriver, remove the three screws from the same hinge pair and remove the hinge half. Try to move the remaining hinge half on the pin.
If it will not move easily, then you will have to remove the hatch and carry out the operations described in the previous section, so replace the screws loosely and prepare to remove the entire hatch.
Assuming that you can get the hinge to move, wiggle it free of the pin, and apply plenty of CV- joint grease before assembling it. Before putting the hinges back together, use a small slot-head screwdriver and check the three screws holding the bracket to the frame. Repeat this procedure on the other hinge.
I intend to do this job once a year now, probably in summer, (I woudln't advise doing it in gusty conditions, just in case the hatch gets a severe wind load when only one hinge is attached). It might take a few minutes, but it should save you from a very tricky welding job.