Genesis Hinge Pin Snapped and Stuck


 
S

Stephen-NC

New member
Hello! I have a Genesis with a snapped hinge pin. I’ve been hitting it with PB Blaster but just wondering if anyone had any other advice. I don’t have access to a lot of tools.

Thanks!IMG_2339.jpegIMG_2338.jpegIMG_2337.jpeg
 
Plenty of PBlaster, grind off flat if you can. Get a small C clamp and a small socket maybe 8 or 9mm. Brace behind it and use another piece of pin with the C clamp to push out the remainder. A bit of heat will help but NOT on the pin itself but the surrounding casting. What ever you do resist the urge to pick up a hammer!
 
Scott Smith said:
Common joke on this forum is that now you have an excuse to go tool shopping.
Click to expand...
Yep, he needs to head right off to Hazard Fraught and spend a paycheck or 2 :D FWIW OP, the method I suggested should only put you out about $10 worth of tools. Hardly a big expenditure
 
Scroll down in the posts a little and find "removing frozen lid hinge pins". I just posted pictures there of the method Larry has described. As he said, you will need a little section of pin (or something else) to push on since your pin is flush with the ear. My pin was not broken off (but it sure was stuck).
 
Thanks for the advice. I picked up a couple of clamps and was able to get a socket on the grill end. The clamp I bought was too small to make it with a socket in the lid side 🙄. I don’t own a torch so other than a long necked lighter I don’t have any way to heat this thing. Will keep you guys posted. Thanks again!
 
I've had pins that I cannot free, even after a week of daily PB with a clamp pushing on it.

Some may advise against this. Support the lid or the cookbox so the pin is vertical, with a socket behind it and tap it out with a punch.

I used a 3/8" deep impact socket and supported the rest so it wasn't moving.

It took a couple of taps but came through. With the socket on the backside supporting the ear I had no concerns about breaking it off.
 
DanHoo said:
I've had pins that I cannot free, even after a week of daily PB with a clamp pushing on it.

Some may advise against this. Support the lid or the cookbox so the pin is vertical, with a socket behind it and tap it out with a punch.

I used a 3/8" deep impact socket and supported the rest so it wasn't moving.

It took a couple of taps but came through. With the socket on the backside supporting the ear I had no concerns about breaking it off.
Click to expand...
How do you manage that on a whole lid or cook box? Seems REALLY awkward. I have never seen anything that could not be pushed out. But them I don't work on nearly as many grills as other things.
 
I will just bow out on this one. But I will say this. If you wind up ruining the end cap, it is not the end of the world. There are thousands of Weber Genesis grills out there that have lids just like yours and they regularly sell for free or close to it. If necessary, you can grab one of those and canabalize the end caps (Maybe the entire lid if better than yours).
 
LMichaels said:
How do you manage that on a whole lid or cook box? Seems REALLY awkward. I have never seen anything that could not be pushed out. But them I don't work on nearly as many grills as other things.
Click to expand...

Getting it home was the hard part since I couldn't remove the lid. The part that was seized was in the end cap. After cutting the pin with a hacksaw,
I took the end cap off of the hood and it was pretty easy to handle. I cut the pin flush using a dremel set the ear on the impact socket ( impact sockets have thicker walls than regular sockets so it seemed like a good idea. A few taps with a punch and it was out.


edit: the original pic looks like it's snapped with part stuck in the lid and part stuck in the cookbox. I'd do the same thing but be a lot more careful with the cookbox. I'd remove the cookbox, stand it on its side with the ear down and a socket backing it and have a second set of hands to hold it.
 
Did you use a hammer on the punch?

BTW, I am not criticizing you Dan. I do that with all my stuck pivot pins, cook box bolts and manifold bolts. Only I am probably a bit more aggressive that most.
 
Just to add to the excellent comments above, the endcap is way more fragile than you may think. It is not designed to resist hammering. If you do hammer, support the little ear you are working on as well as possible to reduce the chance of it breaking off. Bruce is right that replacement caps are pretty easy to find. Then do come in lefts and rights, so you need the correct one.
 
First off, I need to correct a mis-statement above. I don't have a 3/8 impact socket, it was 10mm.

I used this flat tipped punch, and I did use a hammer.

20230916_160037.jpg
 
Bruce said:
Did you use a hammer on the punch?

BTW, I am not criticizing you Dan. I do that with all my stuck pivot pins, cook box bolts and manifold bolts. Only I am probably a bit more aggressive that most.
Click to expand...

Yeah I used a hammer. I was just being a smart a$$ with my reply. I've been more aggressive with end caps from x000 / silvers as I have spares. The one that I used the punch on was from an E330 and at the time I didn't have any extras.
 
LMichaels said:
Torch is optional. Patience and PBlaster are the 2 key ingredients
Click to expand...
Patience is a key. I had a friend that used to be into the hit and miss engines from way back when. He would get an old rusted one that was seized up and hang a weight from a long wrench attached to the crank shaft bolt. Penetrating oil was sprayed into the spark plug holes. He would wait patiently for the penetrating oil to work. Sometimes it took a looooong time, but it always worked.
In your case, I would use penetrating oil and heat. Get a propane torch and heat the metal around the pin to expand the hole. Spray with penetrating oil. repeat.

The other thing to do would be to start drilling. Start with a small drill bit and work your way up. The hard part is to center the drill in the pin. not that easy to do unless you can center punch before drilling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top