Dell Inspiron 6000, Broken Hinge Repair
Open the lid of the laptop, and find a flat screwdriver.
Pop The plastic cover off like this using the screwdriver.
Open the laptop flat, and gently lift and pop the plastic strip loose.
There are Two screws holding each hinge and 2 holding the keyboard, remove them.
This shows the left hinge and the left keyboard screw.
This shows the start of typical hinge problems, the plastic seperates because the hinge is loose inside.
Take off the ground strap for the video cable.
Pull on the plastic tab to remove the video port connector.
Removing the screws in reverse order.
Under the keyboard there are 2 Antena connectors for your wifi, remove them.
unweave them from the plastic catches like so.
Removing the rubber bumpers (that cover the screws. ONLY the round ones. Note, remove All 6 screws before proceeding!
Gently lift, pop and pry very gently using a combo of your fingers, the screwdriver and whatever is handy to remove the front plastic shroud.
In the hinge recesses are screwdriver guides to help you pop the shroud loose, use them!
Now that the shroud is removed, you can see the wobbly screws that are worn out. This is caused by metal fatigue.
With the drill bit, bore your hole (Appropriate for the 4-40 tap to come) Run the bit through the lid out the back into the wood.
Tap the holes with the tap tool to 4-40 american (the holes that attach the hinges only)
Screw in the 4-40 screws and tighten them down once both are inserted.
Do the same on the left hinge.
Replace the plastic shroud and replace the 6 screws and bumpers.
Notice the gap is gone and the plastic fits better now.
Showing all 6 screws in place.
attach the hinges first, then the cables.
snug them, but don't crank on them.
Attaching the video cable, should set neatly in place.
push gently until you hear click!
Tighten the Positive Ground strap.
Push the little antenna coax connectors gently until they pop into place.
Weave the cables into the strap holders.
make certain the cables are not on top of the metal, it makes the keyboard hard to put back on.
Keyboard goes in at 45 degrees then down.
Once the keyboard is down, screw in the 2 screws.
Gently push it into the track so that it stays.
with the laptop open flat, slide the catches into the left side and push down on the plastic so that it pops into place.
I use the longer screws so that I can monitor if they loosen up so that I can stop the damage before it begins. You can use the short screws too.
If these screws unscrew, they become flush and you know it's time to unscrew the shroud and tighten the screws up before they start to wobble and wear out the hole.
