How to Repair a Wobbly Display Hinge of the DELL Inspiron 6000 Laptop

I have a Dell Inspiron 6000. I have had to retighten the screws several times, but eventually the screws wouldn't tighten. The hinge and screws are steel, but the metal block behind (I assume) is aluminum - being softer, the thread was irrepairably damaged. I based my repair on this very good guide . Differences are:

(1) I only replaced one screw - that was enough and I was concerned about weakening the hinge plate, as the 4mm hole seemed large.

(2) I did not drill through the case - I would advise drilling the aluminium block very carefully, while still part of the frame - I removed it, but this was a mistake as the two parts are "pressed" together.

Display Hinge Tightening

I fixed it by removing the screen trim panel and the hinge cover. Then I redrilled (one of) the hinge holes - just the outside one, in case the hinge broke with the size of the new hole.

  I drilled with a 3mm drill, 3.5mm drill and finally a 4mm drill.

  I drilled the aluminium block with a 3mm drill, then retapped the hole with a m4x40 tap - this was quite difficult to hold the tap straight at first.

  I cut down a 4m steel screw to the correct length, leaving on a nut on and taking it off after cutting, to repair the thread on the end of the screw.

  I then rebuild the hinge with the new screw.

Final Remarks

I COULD have redone all the holes, but the repair was sound and I was nervous about the hinge breaking with further drilling - and the other screws were alright for now.

I was pleased to find the repair was excellent, the screen feels tight and better than it's ever been.

Other Resources

• repair guides for DELL laptops and notebooks
• repair guides for laptop and notebook displays

Disclaimer and Copyright

Warning: These instructions are given without any warranty. They don't have to be complete or correct. Don't do any of the following steps if you're not sure of what you're doing. You could damage your notebook and you WILL lose your warranty. Everything you do will be at your own risk.

All the pictures and explanations are a courtesy of Richard Thorp.