Do you suspect that the hinge of your glove box is broken? Well, it can be highly inconvenient. The most common problem of a broken glove box hinge is difficulty opening and closing the glove compartment.
The glove box door can also be a safety hazard when it comes loose. You will not be able to access your registration, which is necessary in case of accidents. Another problem is internal damage to the glove box door, causing an extremely frustrating situation for both parties involved with the car.
When driving your car and using your glove compartment constantly, you want to ensure that whatever is inside it does not suffer damage. This is why you need to fix the hinge as soon as possible. So, keep on reading to learn how to fix a broken glove box hinge by yourself!
How To Fix A Broken Glove Box Hinge?
Opening the glove box in a collision may be necessary to access items to deal with the incident. But, with a broken hinge, you cannot do that. So, if your glove box hinge is broken, you will need to learn how to fix it.
Here are some quick and easy steps to fix a broken glove box hinge. We will go over what tools you’ll need and also the procedure.
Tools Needed
- Screwdriver
- Hinge pin (for metal boxes)
- Plastic spacer sleeve (for plastic/fiberglass boxes)
- Pliers Drill with a small bit Sharpie Hammer
- Rubber Mallet Step Ladder
- WD-40
- Safety glasses and gloves
- Tarp/Cardboard Newspaper Masking Tape
- Pencil Car Jack 4 C-Clamps
Tutorial
- Open your glove box and remove all contents. This will also make it easier to lay everything out when removing the old parts and ready for the new ones.
- If you have a metal box, remove the hinge pin from the center of your hinge with a flathead screwdriver.
- Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove any rubber or plastic pieces in the glovebox properly.
- Now that your hinge is free of all parts, you’ll need to remove it from the car. With your safety glasses on, carefully locate where it’s bolted to the body of the vehicle. Also, make a note of any clips or screws holding it down.
- Depending on which type you have (metal or plastic), either drill out your spot welds directly. Or you can use a hammer and chisel to split open any plastic plugs that keep them together.
- Now, use your flathead screwdriver to pry each end off its respective hinges. Completely free it up so you can detach it from the car entirely.
- Use a pencil and masking tape to mark each arm of the hinge. So, whatever size or type you get can be exactly symmetrical for both sides.
- Get your replacement parts ready by either measuring what you’ll need based on the old part or getting a new one if no similar-sized parts are available.
- The plastic spacers usually come in 5/16″ or 3/8″ sizes, while most metal ones will only fit one particular size. Once they’ve been cut to size, use a rubber mallet to tap them into place until appropriately seated within the box.
- Then insert your new pin back into the hinge, and you’re ready to put it all back on.
- Now that the repairs are complete, reattach the glove box lid and close it several times to ensure everything works.
- If they’re not bending correctly, you might need some adjustments on their hinges. After that, carefully bend them with pliers until you get an opening/closing motion like before.
- Once you’ve done that, replace any clips or screws holding down the hinge itself. Now, attach your glove box door back into its rightful place before closing it one last time!
Check Out This Video Tutorial on Glove Box Hinge Fix:
How To Fix A Broken Glove Box Hinge Ford Explorer?
Fixing a broken glove box hinge of your Ford Explorer is an easy process requiring only four steps.
- First, obtain a new replacement hinge from an auto parts store. The only tool required would be possibly a screwdriver.
- The next step is to remove the broken hinge from the glove box door. Use a screwdriver and pry out the old part by using small motions at the screws holding it in place.
- After removing the old hinge, take the new one and slide it into place.
- Finally, close your glove box door slowly to ensure proper hinge placement. You may have to wiggle the door a bit until it properly connects with the hinge.
That’s all there is to do!
How Does The Lock Mechanism Of Your Glove Box Work?
A glovebox lock secures the contents of the glove box, such as documents, bags, and other valuables. You cannot open the lid from the outside except by breaking it or damaging its locking mechanism when closed.
Internal Locking Mechanism
The internal locking mechanism is usually a metal rod that slides into a bracket and locks into place. It is located on the inside of the glove box and is easy to open if you know how.
To release the internal locking mechanism, press down on a small button or catch at one end of your cane. If there’s no such feature, use an indention to insert a screwdriver into the slot and unlock the clasp!
External Locking Mechanism
It consists of a bar fix with a catch at one end and a mounting bolt on the other. You’ll need to remove the bolt with a tool such as a plier before sliding out the rod to open it.
A glove box lock is also used in your car’s boot. The boot lock bar sits parallel to the rear of the vehicle. It has a ring at one end and a pin that locks into place and prevents it from sliding out. To unlock it, release the latch by inserting a thin rod such as a screwdriver into the pilot holes at the top of it.
What Happens When Your Glove Box Lock Is Broken?
Some glove box locks are for keeping pop-up trunks closed. At the same time, others are to slow down kids from raiding their goodies. Either way, there’s a pretty good chance that the lock on your glove box is useless if it breaks.
The glove box is usually locked for a reason. In the case of the factory, the glove box may contain sensitive electronic components that are prone to damage. Or cause your car to crash if you jar them too much during travel.
If you can’t open that glove box because the lock is broken, then you’re not going to be able to get anything out of it. There’s no point in having all that stuff inside if you can’t use it when you need it!
The glove box button that you push to open the lock can break if it is hit with enough force over a long time. It should be fine if the button is only occasionally hit when the car hits a bump. However, if the glove box is frequently opened and shut with too much force, then you may have a serious problem.
How To Keep A Broken Glove Box Closed?
It happens to all of us. We get out of our cars, and as we do, the glove box door pops open like a foot from a trap. You can easily re-attach it by following this 5-minute tutorial:
- Open your glove box and locate the latch attached to the end of your glove box door.
- A rod on the end of the latch should be inserted into your glove box door. Grab this with your fingers or pliers.
- Pull on this rod to separate it from the catch of your glove box door.
- Once you have pulled it out as far as possible, slide this piece back into your car by inserting it on the opposite side of the vehicle.
- Line up the rod with its original hole and push it down to re-engage your glove box door.
Your glove box should now be closed and ready for use!
FAQs
A Glove Box Damper: What Is It?
Glove boxes that people use for safe experiments with volatile chemicals need automatic control to regulate the concentration inside the chamber.
The glove box damper is a perfect device for fan regulation in glove boxes. It has two modes of operation – “normal” and “wash down.” It also includes an automatic mode when it runs in normal mode. If the automatic mode detects no chemicals inside the chamber, it switches to wash-down mode.
What is the function of a glove box damper?
A glove box damper is used to reduce the airflow through a GMC (General Motors Corporation) glove box. It reduces the amount of dust entering the vehicle in an unclean environment that damages the components.
In the past, glove boxes were not standard equipment in most vehicles. In today’s modern world, a glove box is a piece of optional or standard equipment in many models.
What is the correct term for a glove box?
A glove box, also known as a “glove compartment,” is the most common name for the storage space in a car. There are other names, such as:
– Grab bag
– Glove bag
– Glovebox
How much does it cost to repair a glove box?
A new glove compartment can cost anywhere from a couple hundred to a thousand dollars. It basically depends on where you go and what type of car you have. For example, it’ll be cheaper to fix the glove box of an American car such as Ford, Chrysler, or Chevrolet than a foreign brand such as BMW, Toyota, or Honda.
Your car’s material will also play a large part in determining how much it costs to fix its glove compartment. For instance, if you have a metallic glove box, it will cost you more because this material is often expensive.
Remember that some cars require professional installation, which will cost you more money. However, without consultations or glove compartment installation, it will cost about $150 to $250 to get everything up and running again. This is simply replacing the broken box with a new one which you can buy at any automotive supply store.
Final Considerations
Now, you can replace a broken glove box hinge without spending money on repairs. All you have to do is follow our step-by-step tutorial, and you will be ready to go.
Also, suppose you want to replace the hinge. In that case, you can easily find various size hinges in the market and buy the most suitable one for your car. Plus, most parts come with an easy installation manual, which will help you install the hinge by yourself.
