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Doors. Grrrrr

3K views 44 replies 27 participants last post by  Defiant Systems 
#1 ·
I have a 2005 "x" I removed the nuts from the bottom of the door pins, tried to lift up on the doors..... nothing.. Is there another step, I know im new to this, but Im not that stupid.. Am I ?
Anyone offer me any advise please. :)
 
#3 ·
Try opening the doors to about halfway, get a good grip on the bottom of the door and sway it back and forth a few inches while pulling up to wiggle it up. You'll look ridiculous in front of your neighbors but it worked for me. After you finally get them out slap a light coat of some sort of grease on the pins.
 
#7 ·
Check yourself:
No belt-buckles, knife clips, Mr. T chains, or other such opportunities to accidentally alter the finish on your doors.
Be patient. If its been a while, it can be a tight fit. (doors)

Getting them back on can also be fun. I wish Jeep had made the bottom bolt 1/2" longer than the top to aid in alignment.

Sometimes it can be a challenge to hit the hole. Especially when working in the dark.
 
#15 ·
Getting them back on can also be fun. I wish Jeep had made the bottom bolt 1/2" longer than the top to aid in alignment.

Sometimes it can be a challenge to hit the hole. Especially when working in the dark.
Those little rubber thread protectors that you can get at the hardware store for about $.50 make it easier to get them back on if you don't plan on putting the nuts back. They kind of give the bolts a sort of point and help guide them back in place, plus they hide the ugly threads.
 
#8 ·
Vroooom you make me feel so perverted........but to the OP: I had to use an air hammer on the bottom of the pins to get them out, they had never been out before. But when they go back in they're getting a lot of anti seize! Oh and PB blaster helped a lot.
 
#11 ·
extreme caution if using more than mere man-power.

THe pins are designed to hold a 50-pound door.....

THe hinges are attached to sheet metal.

A little too much ooomff can create a heap of headaches.

Let the pins soak in WD-40 overnight.
Make sure you know where you are going with em when they come off.
remove the door strap
roll the window down.
step as far forward into the wedge of the open door as possible.
put your shoulder through the window opening.
Let the top of the window frame rest on your shoulder like a shoulder strap.
lift with your knees
move the door back and forth as you raise up.
carry the door away on your shoulder like a gym bag.

Be sure to apply the upward lifting force as close to the hinges as possible to reduce asymetrical leverage on the pins.
 
#13 ·
thanks Vroom and Watta. tried but no avail.. talked to a guy who knows a guy who knows jeeps... gonna try and touch base with him monday, see if he can shed some light on the situation... i appreciate the input.
 
#17 ·
Lift up and swing back and forth it will start to back out. After I took mine out I took a flat head and needle nose and worked out the insert so there is more
Room in the hinge. No issues with the door latching and taking the doors off take all of 10 sec now
 
#19 · (Edited)
I had the same issue with getting my doors off, they had never been taken off before.... the first time i tried i gave up after about 10 mins and then got on here, everyone seemed to suggest PB Blaster . So i went and got some, took the bolts off and then sprayed the stuff in and around all four hinges and then went back in the house (cause is was dang hot...) came back out after about 15 mins of letting that stuff set in, and both doors came off in about 10 seconds lol. Also when i decided to put them back on, i sanded all the rust and stuff off the door pins till you could actually see the metal again and i went and got some White Lithium Grease sprayed that in the hinges and on the door pins and put the doors back on. Went to take the doors off today and they came out so easy i about dropped them lol. Im not sure if any of this will help you but this is what i had to do to get mine off.

Sorry i typed a book... :whistling:
 
#20 ·
Taking the doors off my Jeep the first time, 5 years ago, is half of what created 2 bulging discs and a fractured disc, in my back!!

I'm now 100% disabled and can't work, or do much of anything that requires lifting anymore.

Be VERY, VERY careful using that jack method!!

Once you get them off, do a search on these forums for new plastic bushings to slip inside the hinge sleeve. You have to scrape the metal bushings out first.

Doors now come off with one hand!!
 
#21 ·
Yikes. Sorry to hear that cork.
Seems like the doors should just slip off, since the pin pivots in the bracket. Once the nut is off, is something other than gravity holding the door in place?
I guess I'll plan on soaking mine with liquid wrench the day before I try to remove them.
 
#27 ·
Yes,
They DO slip right off, if they have been off quite frequently before, and the wire mesh bushing like crap inside the hinge isn't all torn up/chewed up, as mine REALLY were!

Like I said, now that I have the new bushings, I can remove my doors with one hand AND a bad back!!

Now, if I could only figure out how to get the top off by myself and no hoist!! Darn kid had to get all grown up on me and move out. me an dhim could take it off very easily!
 
#22 ·
doors off

wow, reading all this about removing doors. I'm a new jeep owner and also wanting to take doors off. I still need to get some kind of clip for overhead lights to shut off when door is off,but am I understanding this right that the only thing you have to remove is the nut to take door off? I removed it on driver door and tried to get pin out even used a hammer and no luck. Feeling pretty bummed and a little confused that I can't get it off. :banghead:
 
#26 ·
wow, reading all this about removing doors. I'm a new jeep owner and also wanting to take doors off. I still need to get some kind of clip for overhead lights to shut off when door is off,but am I understanding this right that the only thing you have to remove is the nut to take door off? I removed it on driver door and tried to get pin out even used a hammer and no luck. Feeling pretty bummed and a little confused that I can't get it off. :banghead:
Do not attempt to hammer the pin out! That pin is attached to the doors and only the bottom nut is removed to remove the doors. As for as the lights, you can remove fuse #4 to disable the interior lights.
 
#23 ·
Wow, most of you are making this out to be much harder than it is.... It's all about angles and alignment.. The door must be lifted STRAIGHT up.. And I mean straight up !! The first time I took mine off I used a 3 ton floor jack, a 2x10, and a big block of wood, Jacking it up slowly, with the jack as close to the hinges as possible.. Once your alignment is perfect, they just slide right up.. I've even used my hi-lift to do the same when not at home.. And I have lifted them off by hand, but it is difficult, at best, to lift them straight up.. With a jack. You are able to step back and re-assess your angle..
 
#24 ·
This weekend I decided that the doors needed to come off. Got the driver door off easily, but the passenger door was really stuck. I coated it in PB blaster, gave it a few minutes, and then pulled and wiggled the door until it finally came out. It still took about 15 minutes of pulling it. As some suggested I'll be cleaning up the pins and coating them with some grease before I put them back!

Kateye, you can pull fuse #4 (located on the bottom right of the cluster) behind the glove box to stop the lights from coming on with the doors. You can still turn them on using the stalk on the steering column. I don't plan on putting the fuse back, it's easier that way.
 
#29 ·
The first time I took my doors off I needed two people hanging on the side of my jeep so that the force was actually going the door. I just Lifted up as hard as I could and then let it drop, and got it out centimeter by centimeter. When/if you do get them off oil up the hinges and then it's significantly easier after that.
 
#30 ·
Doing anything "as hard as I can" usually ends poorly for me.

It is, after all, its just a 50 pound door.

Which can be harmed with relative ease.

A little patience, some thought, a dose of technique and a smidgeon of luck...and they come off with ease.

If you apply too much force or apply even a little in the wrong way... it just might work against you.

Yet another way Wranglers are like ladies.

Lube it, work it, be patient with it, talk nice to it...and soon enough...slip.

Again, dont be so caught-up getting the door off...that you forget to plan what to do with em once they are in your hands. That can be a awkward moment....or three.

Odds are if something is supposed to work (removeable doors) and it doesnt for some reason...there's a "reason".

You might be able to overpower your Jeep...but you can definately out-think your Jeep.

And that is something Wranglers might not have in common with the women-folk.
 
#34 ·
This post = brilliant!

The first time I removed the doors I just swung then about 1/3 to 2/3 open while applying firm sudden pressure upwards, then I laid under the door & pushed up on the door near the hinge, benchpress style. Once I saw the door move in the hinge I got up and was able to lift the doors out pretty readily.
 
#32 ·
I got my doors off this weekend. It's a 2002 and the first time they have been off i think. Let me just say that PB Blaster is an amazing product and worth the 5 dollar bill at Lowe's. Also it makes no sense why they paint the nut that screws onto the hinge pin,because you definitely can't get a 13mm socket on that painted nut. So PB Blaster,time,patience and some muscle got my doors off the TJ this weekend for some well needed open air driving. :thumb:
 
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