DIY 996 broken console hinge repair
07-30-2016, 07:06 PM
#1
5th Gear
Thread Starter
DIY 996 broken console hinge repair
First, thanks to all of you who posted useful tips on the care and feeding of the 996. I'm grateful and saved a lot of money in the upkeep of my '99 coupe. I am one of those who try to sort out issues on a budget so I can continue to keep my 996 healthy without breaking the bank.
I recently had the well-known broken console hinge issue. There is a quick $40-50 fix out there on ebay etc. but I decided that money is better spent on oil change. So I spent total 1.5hrs (but did let the epoxy cure overnight) on a DIY using a leftover 2.5" cabinet hinge, and took some pictures so that someone might benefit. This will work well (I've tested opening & closing it for 100+ times without issues & it is holding up really good).
The pictures are pretty self-explanatory but I'll just mention the specific step I did :
(1) Disassemble cabinet hinge and check to see it fits the 996 hinge (mine was providentially almost an exact fit ... I just filed off 1mm to get it snug).
(2) I saw off the middle loop, and then used a nail to open up the remaining 2 hinge holes slightly (to allow the 996 pin to go through smoothly).
(3) I saw a line slot on the DIY hinge to fit the spring (just match up to the hole by lining up the hinge on the console).
(4) I then push the console pin into the DIY hinge *without* the spring, and proceeded to epoxy the hinge to the console with the lock ENGAGED (this will ensure the hinge is placed at the right spot). I placed a weight on the closed console cover to let the epoxy set.
(5) I pushed console button and opened the cover next day. Then I took out the 996 hinge pin, and proceeded to drill a small hole inside the existing DIY hinge hole right next to the spring slot. I countersunk the DIY hinge hole slightly to let my screw sit in close to flushed.
(6) Now I re-assemble the cover with the spring installed and pin pushed in. Gave it a quick spray of black paint. Done!
Hope it'll help someone out. Have a great weekend to all!
ps. I actually created the 2 U-bars as per Porsche update kit (by looking at ebay pics) but decided I did not need them. That single screw is sitting right where the greatest spring load is happening and I have tested it repeatedly with survival.
I recently had the well-known broken console hinge issue. There is a quick $40-50 fix out there on ebay etc. but I decided that money is better spent on oil change. So I spent total 1.5hrs (but did let the epoxy cure overnight) on a DIY using a leftover 2.5" cabinet hinge, and took some pictures so that someone might benefit. This will work well (I've tested opening & closing it for 100+ times without issues & it is holding up really good).
The pictures are pretty self-explanatory but I'll just mention the specific step I did :
(1) Disassemble cabinet hinge and check to see it fits the 996 hinge (mine was providentially almost an exact fit ... I just filed off 1mm to get it snug).
(2) I saw off the middle loop, and then used a nail to open up the remaining 2 hinge holes slightly (to allow the 996 pin to go through smoothly).
(3) I saw a line slot on the DIY hinge to fit the spring (just match up to the hole by lining up the hinge on the console).
(4) I then push the console pin into the DIY hinge *without* the spring, and proceeded to epoxy the hinge to the console with the lock ENGAGED (this will ensure the hinge is placed at the right spot). I placed a weight on the closed console cover to let the epoxy set.
(5) I pushed console button and opened the cover next day. Then I took out the 996 hinge pin, and proceeded to drill a small hole inside the existing DIY hinge hole right next to the spring slot. I countersunk the DIY hinge hole slightly to let my screw sit in close to flushed.
(6) Now I re-assemble the cover with the spring installed and pin pushed in. Gave it a quick spray of black paint. Done!
Hope it'll help someone out. Have a great weekend to all!
ps. I actually created the 2 U-bars as per Porsche update kit (by looking at ebay pics) but decided I did not need them. That single screw is sitting right where the greatest spring load is happening and I have tested it repeatedly with survival.
07-30-2016, 07:20 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
Great job!
07-30-2016, 07:31 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Nice work! I'm trying to find a similar fix for the notorious visor mirror cover fail.
