Maslow's revenge-- Front end noise problem finally solved!

[hberdan]

For the last two years more or less I've had intermittant, sometimes LOUD clunk sounds coming from the driver's front side of the car. I've checked the struts twice, had it aligned and even rechecked once, checked the ball joints, sway bar, etc. All OK, well, except for that sway bar incident last fall. Even pulled the plastic undercover on the fender and checked the fender for looseness or to see if something was rattling around underneath. No luck, noise was still there, driving me nuts...
Finally driving around in an empty parking lot one day I discovered that if I drove holding the drivers door open the noise...disappeared.
So, I checked the movement of the drivers door which I found to have a lot of up-down looseness and play on the hinges--called a body shop, found out they wanted $$$ to repair the problem. Said the hinges were worn and needed replacement, blah blah blah. At least a $200 job, maybe more.
My regular mechanic buddy said he could fix it, no problem. He pulled out a hand sledge hammer and a long 1/2" diameter steel punch, and gave the upper hinge a couple of hard whacks on the body side of the hinge. Presto! Tightened up the hinge. Noise is completely gone now. Completely, and the door works great.
He says to me, "you know, hammers can be really useful at times".

[ARCHINSTL]

XLNT resolution - I have a sagging DS hinge as well - gonna try it. Thanks!
Is the title a reference to Abraham?
Tom M.

[hberdan]

"If the only tool you have is a hammer you tend to see every problem as a nail"-- Abraham Maslow.

[ARCHINSTL]

AHA!
I actually used that line as part of my signature here for a while without knowing the attribution!
It is a favorite quote when helping my 12 year-old gson tackle mech questions (my son-in-law, bless his heart, is quite tool-challenged and, as a consequence, their house is tool-barren until I arrive). The gson is gradually learning the value of "the right tool for the right job."
Tom M.