Center console hinge part

Upholstery, floor mats, seats, window tint and anything inside the vehicle and not electronic
Post Reply
bigdoug
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Detroit Area, Michigan

Center console hinge part

Post by bigdoug »

So, the small hinge pieces for the armrest broke. Not the ones for the entire armrest, but the ones if you have the two-piece clamshell armrest, the ones that go between the parts of the armrest. They are actually SMALLER than the two pieces (the ones with the screws) that attach the armrest to the center console.

In this old thread the two shown are for the larger hinge pieces that attach the entire armrest to the console. It's a good thing I noticed they were smaller, because I was about to order them from a Toyota dealership. Would have had a hell of a surprise.

Does anyone know what the part numbers for the smaller hinges are? Won't be able to stop by the dealership until Fri so that gives me some time. I will also look online myself for them.

The Toyota official parts website is showing #11 which MIGHT be the hinge but I think is actually a part of the front latch.

I have a feeling that GM and Toyota expected you to replace the entire armrest if those hinges broke. Which is $50. I wonder if there's an aftermarket or DIY fix, I'll have to figure things out. Might order those hinges anyway, see what I can do with them (maybe grind them down a little).
kcorona
Posts: 108
Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:36 am
Location: Fla.

Re: Center console hinge part

Post by kcorona »

#11 on that diagram is for the latch on the front of the clamshell, it is not a hinge. The diagram doesn't show the parts for the clamshell hinge, so I think you'd need to replace the whole armrest.

The clamshell latch on mine broke long ago, I believe #10 and #11 are gone on mine, and the lid is cracked from leaning my elbow on it when getting in the car. I've just never gotten around to replacing.
Image
'04 Shadow Monotone Base AT power pkg., + FIAMM low note horn, GM exhaust tip, GM splash guards x 4
User avatar
joatmon
Posts: 10018
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:19 am
Location: SMC MD

Re: Center console hinge part

Post by joatmon »

Before you posted this thread I would have bet money that the hinge side pieces were the same for both hinges of the two piece console lid. I read your post and I did not believe you, so I took mine out of the car and compared, and sure enough, they are different sizes. Thanks for the insight, and sorry I didn't believe you.

The good news is that in the old thread you linked, those are the part numbers for the smaller ones, the ones that go in between the top and the tray parts of the two piece lid. When I ordered the parts for that old thread, I had bought several of each, and still had a pair left over from when I ordered them, and was able to verify that those part numbers are for the smaller ones that you need.

I have no idea what the part numbers are for the larger ones, but I did find that I had an extra complete intact lower hinge.
Image
bigdoug
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Detroit Area, Michigan

Re: Center console hinge part

Post by bigdoug »

Yea, they are two entirely different sizes, and they're also somewhat different shapes, so it would be impossible to cut or sand the bigger one down to the smaller size. Don't mind the crappy pics, my cell phone doesn't do macro well.
hinge.jpg
hinge.jpg (43.73 KiB) Viewed 2955 times
I am surprised that those part numbers are for the smaller hinges. The diagram makes it look like the bigger ones. Maybe because the smaller ones seem to break more. Wonder what you do for the big ones, get a new armrest?

I had considered an idea of driving a screw through the holes for the hinges. The screw below is a #10 door panel screw and is way snug, so a #8 would work properly (unless you got a #10 with a partially smooth shaft). However there's not much to screw into in the armrest body, unless you slapped some JB weld putty there or something. And the red line is where a bulkhead/wall is on the other part of the armrest so you'd have to cut a hole in that too.
hinge-idea.jpg
hinge-idea.jpg (49.94 KiB) Viewed 2955 times
I had already figured out some sort of solution to the problem, although I'm not sure how long it will last. I basically took the hinge pins, and drilled holes through them and those plastic walls on the armrest under where the hinges go. I had to carve away some plastic where the holes were drilled (it's soft plastic, easy to cut). I'd recommend #2 or #3 screws if you can find them, but I had to use #4 screws because that's the smallest drill bit I had.

Those pins that stick out of the hinge body, the actual hinges that go into holes in the upper lid. They had broken off the rest of the hinge body but were intact. I drilled a hole through them and also the flange or wall that's under the main hinge body. Then put in the screws. I tightened them down using two screwdrivers, one for the screw and one for the pin to keep it from turning. I had considered also using some epoxy but didn't. I also used a bit of lithium to lube the pins so they turned easier, as they were snug.
hinge-fix.jpg
hinge-fix.jpg (60.87 KiB) Viewed 2955 times
Post Reply