Stiff laptop hinge

[Robjon]

Hi Guys.  HP Pavilion 17" laptop. 

 

RH hinge has become stiff, causing the lid to deform when closing.  LH hinge seems OK.

There have been no coffee/beer spills or similar.

Laptop spends most of its life open as a desktop, and only occasionally gets closed.

Would it be safe to put a single drop of WD40 on the offending hinge?

 

Cheers

[MikeTheThinker]

I wouldn't use WD40 - it's designed as a waterproofer and has a limited mineral oil component dissolved in kerosene.

 

A dedicated switch lube/cleaner would be my preference; Electrolube used to be the brand of preference but I've used a WD40-branded switch cleaner to good effect for cleaning, perhaps to be followed by a drop of silicone oil.

 

After writing before I checked the WD40 website and their switch cleaner DOES NOT contain any lubricant (my bad, sorry) so by all means use it cautiously for cleaning (don't overdo it or you may start to leach out the plasticiser from the hinge moulding making it dry out and crack) but don't forget to follow up with some lube.

 

Servisol offer what seems a good alternative - CPC amongst others sell it - but I can't sday I've used this specific version; maybe others can help on this?

 

Mind you, considering the weather we've been "enjoying" in the mid-to-northern half of the UK perhaps WD40 might be a useful choice!

 

 

Edited 6 August, 2019 by StickyMicky
correcting some information

[Aspman]

Something has probably got in the hinge. Bit of sand or something random. Or the hinge is breaking down. Could you get any sort of dry lube that wont turn into a grinding paste?

 

PTFE based?

[Ttaskmaster]

WD40 = Water Displacement, 40th formula.

 

Friend of mine who services computers suggests silicone lube.

[Robjon]

Thanks everyone.  A drop of silicone lube has made all the difference.  Cheers 

[SurreySlowCoach]

I was going to say silicone but see you've already used that. I'd keep an eye on it, hinge on my wife's Lenovo jammed as she opened the lid which cracked the lid and damaged the screen. Back to John Lewis who returned it to Lenovo who replaced all the broken bits in just over a week under guarantee. The hinge was seized solid, must have been a manufacturing defect, not anything I ever came across in a lifetime in it.

[roaddetective]

With two laptops I have had a hinge break, bloomin expensive to replace as well. One Lenovo and one HP laptop. With the Lenovo I had it fixed, but now on the same computer the other hinge has gone weak as well. Seems to be a common problem with laptops.  I might try the silicon lube trick, even though they have not ever seized and I open and close them gently. 

[Ttaskmaster]

14 hours ago, roaddetective said:

With two laptops I have had a hinge break, bloomin expensive to replace as well. One Lenovo and one HP laptop. With the Lenovo I had it fixed, but now on the same computer the other hinge has gone weak as well. Seems to be a common problem with laptops.  I might try the silicon lube trick, even though they have not ever seized and I open and close them gently. 

 

Dust, guff and stuff can often build up inside the hinge, causing a sudden jam, which then breaks.

If you have persistent issues, you may want to try a decent air duster (I use a 140L compressor) followed by a small dab of graphite grease or silicone lube.

[MikeTheThinker]

20 minutes ago, Ttaskmaster said:

(I use a 140L compressor)

 

That must take up a lot of desk space ...

 

[roaddetective]

7 hours ago, Ttaskmaster said:

 

Dust, guff and stuff can often build up inside the hinge, causing a sudden jam, which then breaks.

If you have persistent issues, you may want to try a decent air duster (I use a 140L compressor) followed by a small dab of graphite grease or silicone lube.

Will do that on all laptops, cheers.

[Ttaskmaster]

23 hours ago, StickyMicky said:

 

That must take up a lot of desk space ...

 

Nah, that's out in the garage.

I have no desk space, as my PC takes up a whole worktop just by itself!!