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i cant get my doors off.

3K views 31 replies 23 participants last post by  kshaws21 
#1 ·
so i cant seem to get the doors off my 04 tj. ive looked at some tutorials on youtube but i dont have big enough jack to use to get them off. im sprayed them with liquid wrench but they wont seem to budge. any tips?
 
#2 ·
I had the same problem when I first bought mine. I took the bolts off and pulled up and nothing budged. What I did was I sprayed them up a bit like you did, and when I went to pull them up, I kept swinging the door back and forth and kept working it like that. Eventually it started to budge little by little until it finally came off.
 
#3 ·
Use your jack and stack stuff up on it til it reaches the bottom of the door. And be sure to jack it as close to the henges as possible. If the vehicle starts coming off the ground, stop haha cuz when it breaks loose your doors will launch. If it doesnt work the first time then stop and wiggle it and spray more stuff and keep trying and repeat.

But try to wiggle them back and forth while pulling up on them a good while before resorting to jack method
 
#5 ·
The first time getting the doors off they can be sticky. Not sure if you tried this but try wiggling them back and forth and up and down. Try rocking it a little from the inside to the outside and back. I find it helps the most if you grab the door near the hinges and grab it on the opposite end (where the latch is) and rock it side to side and up and down.

Not trying to be a smart ass but did you take the bolts off of the bottom? I know it's like IT asking "is your computer plugged in" but...
 
#12 ·
Put some masking tape above the hinges to protect the paint when the hinges finally lift. My doors were so tight the first time I took them off that the wood board was splitting ( it was directly under the bottom pin). Had to put steel shim between block and pin.
 
#13 ·
i spent 4 hours getting mine off, i used wood wedged under the door and inside the jeep, but be very careful, i ended up bending my driver door before it broke free. i sprayed mine many times and tried all methods above, also took hammer and beat it a lil bit too. may want to spray them for cpl days and keep working them. if and when you get them off make sure to check the pins and holes t omake sure they are clean, and use anti-sieze on the pins before you re-install. i put it on every other time they come off
 
#14 · (Edited)
I swap the half doors on my 97 all the time.
Sometimes the bottom hinge gets out of alignment and binds on the hinge bolt, stopping it from sliding out.
I loosen the 2 torx on the bottom hinges (T40) and the doors slide right off.

Vehicle Automotive exterior Car Bumper Vehicle door


Not saying you have the same problem but it could be worth a try.

Heads up: The torx bolts on the bottom hinges are on TIGHT. I use a T-handle T40 on these bolts because it helps me exert a more even force than with a ratchet.
You don't want to strip these bolts and make another problem.
 
#15 ·
Using a jack to take the doors off is a bad idea. In a similar thread, another member told us that he used a jack and accidentally launched his door into the air when it finally broke free.

The jack exerts waaay too much force, especially with the weight of the vehicle working against it.

Have you tried PB Blaster?
 
#18 ·
My doors have to be open at just the right angle to get them off. of course each door is different. Something much have warn in some spots more then other. once I found that sweet spot and got them off the first time they come off pretty easy. to get mine off the first time I cut down a two by four and wrapped two towels around it for padding and opened the door half way and put one end of the 2*4 on the door frame and put it under the door and lifted on the end of the 2*4.
 
#19 ·
I did this for the first time this weekend. Best technique I found was to wind the window down, stand between the jeep and door, reach down through the open window and grab the bottom door edge close to the hinge. Then lift up so you can see the suspension unload, and move the door back and forth. Watching the hinge to see when it starts moving. I was lucky I think as they came out pretty easy (and I'm 6'4 which probably helped with leverage)!
 
#20 ·
I sprayed mine with LW PO through the straw right into the hinge

I took a pool noodle and cut it down to size and put it on the bottom of the door.
I than took a 1x4 and ran it along the noodle and the entire length of the door.

I use a floor jack with a 2x4 hitting the 1x4 to spread the load but put force under the hinge.

Once tight two pumps popped em right off.

I kept the noodle on the bottom for storage
 
#24 ·
My doors were the same way. Never removed from the jeep until I got it. The trick is to swing the door from the tub to the fender while applying upwards pressure on it. But do it slowly.

For the drivers side door ill reach through the open window from the inside with my left arm and grab the bottom of the door. Then just walk back and forth with it while pulling it upwards.

I sure as heck would not use a jack. If you can't get the door off spray some oil on the hinge and try again. If not then get some of your buddies to help push the door up.
 
#25 ·
I used a 3 ton floor jack and a 2x4, with a 1x4 laid flat against the bottom of the door the first time, but I just put a little pressure on it and the swung the door back and forth a couple of times, then I gave it a little more pressure and did the same thing and they slid right off. Then I took some emery cloth and cleaned the rust off the pins and applied anti seize to them. Now they slide off effortlessly.
 
#27 ·
Lots of us used a jack to get them off the first time. MAKE sure you have hold of it or better tie it off to something above through the window frame. As soon as it is clear of the hinges, it has no where to go but DOWN.
 
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