Broken Gas Door Hinge Fix

[MrAl]

I've seen people on Youtube pull the pins, but my concern would be if the part on the hinge that flares out is now broken off. It's possible a nylon screw and nut would work to fix it, but it might not fit well and consequently not locate the hinge all that well. I would not use anything too strong as it would likely hurt the sheetmetal if the door were to hang up on something.

I think the best bet would be to replace the hinge. I would go OEM Volvo. I tried an aftermarket latch and it was a waste of time/money. When I bought the Volvo part it fit and worked perfectly. I don't normally say "OEM Volvo only", but in this case I don't think going aftermarket is a good idea.

Edit: Make sure you order the right hinge for the year... my 96 and 99 use different hinges because the fuel door operation is a bit different.

Hi,

What do you mean nylon screw and nut? Where does the nut go?

[MrAl]

To save the door you might want to remove it completely so as not to lose it. Part is not too horrendous, but shipping makes it more so.

You will need a long punch or a small round nail to push the pin through.

Neil.

Hi,

Yes i got it off and in the house for examination.

The problem is the pin holes in the plastic part (see photo with red arrows pointing to the two holes that were being used, the green arrows with red outline are extra holes i guess) are much smaller diameter than the holes in the sheet metal body. So i cant use the right size screws to mount it because they wont bit into the sheet metal.
I'd have to drill out the hinge to fit larger screws or something but i dont like doing that either.

The parts that mushroom out inside the hole are all broken off. I think the way it is normally mounted is the thing is placed onto the sheet metal with the mushroom things sticking into the holes and then the pins are forced into the holes in the mushroom things and that opens them up inside the holes and that holes the whole thing here, just like a Molley bolt kind of.

Any other ideas?

[454cid]

I've seen people on Youtube pull the pins, but my concern would be if the part on the hinge that flares out is now broken off. It's possible a nylon screw and nut would work to fix it, but it might not fit well and consequently not locate the hinge all that well. I would not use anything too strong as it would likely hurt the sheetmetal if the door were to hang up on something.

I think the best bet would be to replace the hinge. I would go OEM Volvo. I tried an aftermarket latch and it was a waste of time/money. When I bought the Volvo part it fit and worked perfectly. I don't normally say "OEM Volvo only", but in this case I don't think going aftermarket is a good idea.

Edit: Make sure you order the right hinge for the year... my 96 and 99 use different hinges because the fuel door operation is a bit different.

Hi,

What do you mean nylon screw and nut? Where does the nut go?

Assuming a hole in the hinge and a hole in the car body, I was thinking that a nylon machine screw and nut may work to hold it all together. I suspect that the hole in the body is larger than the hole in the hinge, so the nylon hardware may not locate the hinge well.

While the selection won't be great compared to steel, hardware stores usually have some nylon in stock.

[scot850]

The problem is accessing the back of the hinge. That is why Volvo made it this way. You cannot access from the rear as there is sheet metal in the way.

You need those mushroom connectors that came wit hit. You can't bu them separately. A new part is probably in the $15 range. Aftermarket ones can work but the plastic tends to be flimsy. IPD currently has an aftermarket one on sale this weekend for around $3.

https://www.ipdusa.com/products/6174/Fu ... gJJiPD_BwE


Neil.

[454cid]

The problem is accessing the back of the hinge. That is why Volvo made it this way. You cannot access from the rear as there is sheet metal in the way.

Oh, I did not realize that. I never have had a reason to look. I think a new OEM hinge is the best answer for this.

[MrAl]

The problem is accessing the back of the hinge. That is why Volvo made it this way. You cannot access from the rear as there is sheet metal in the way.

Oh, I did not realize that. I never have had a reason to look. I think a new OEM hinge is the best answer for this.

Yes i am starting to think that too. Thanks.

[MrAl]

The problem is accessing the back of the hinge. That is why Volvo made it this way. You cannot access from the rear as there is sheet metal in the way.

You need those mushroom connectors that came wit hit. You can't bu them separately. A new part is probably in the $15 range. Aftermarket ones can work but the plastic tends to be flimsy. IPD currently has an aftermarket one on sale this weekend for around $3.

https://www.ipdusa.com/products/6174/Fu ... gJJiPD_BwE


Neil.

Hi Neil,

I was assuming that but didnt even think about it until you mentioned it.
I dont know if i would want to do it that way anyway, but i remember someone saying you could get to the control solenoid that releases the gas door if the electrical button on the inside of the car doesnt work for some reason. Any truth to that? Maybe that is separate from the rest of the gas door access?

You know i think this car ran for $30k when new. My old Hyundai was probably $5k when new. The old Hyundai had a METAL hinge and lock right on the hatch door. The metal hinge never had a problem. Strangely though someone stole the locking mechanism so it did not lock after that.

[scot850]

So simple answer to your first question. No there is not a manual over-ride on a 98 on P80 sedan or wagon. 850's had a thin metal wire that ran to the back of the car and could be accesses by opening a flap in the rear inner liner panel by the rear light on the RHS.

This was dropped for some inexplicable reason in 98. Probably to cut costs.

I took the rod from a 850 and adapted it for my friends 98 V70 as the lock mechanism gets cranky in cold temperatures so she needed a way to open the flap. It took me maybe an hour mostly to remove the inner panel on her V70 on the Rear RHS to give access to the latch solenoid. To remove that you have to remove 2 x T25? Torx screws on the outside of the car at the rear of the fuel flap opening. Note, when re-fitting this it is handy to have a second person as it is a long stretch on a wagon, but possibly doable on a sedan.

I bent the end of the wire at the solenoid end as the V/S70 solenoid has a thicker actuator rod than an 850. All it actually does is pull the rod rearwards when you pull on it to release. With her car, I replaced the solenoid with a known good one, lubed it and still got the same issue when cold. Checked the door switch and it was fine as well. The only 2 things left are the relay which is on a circuit board according to Dr. Abscate which operates the door locks. I now have 2 of those units if needed, or it is possibly the wiring harness between the front edge of the LHF driver's door and the A pillar. Wires in that bundle can break with age. So I also have a door wire harness as a back up. Naturally since doing this mod, the flap has worked fine but we have had limited really extended cold periods this year.

There is a plastic clip on the wire that snaps into a pre-drilled hole on the rear inner panels of the 850. That hole is also on a V70 but have not checked an S70. Problem is the clip breaks when you remove it and I can't find a replacement any longer. So I drilled a new hole and made up a simple slider bracket and screwed it onto the inner panel brace near where it would fit on an 850 to hold it in place. IT works well but been needed in over a year now but it gives piece of mind.

Option 2 is to remove the solenoid all together or the clip and run without it. It is hard to get gas out of a P80 fuel tank. Only reason to leave the latch in place is to stop jerks breaking them off.

Neil.

[abscate]

The plastic catch on the V70 gas cap is really cheap, so if it is stuck closed you can snap it open with your fingers and replace the catch for a whopping $4.20

It is considered poor form to ask FCP for a warranty replacement on each fillup

[454cid]

...but i remember someone saying you could get to the control solenoid that releases the gas door if the electrical button on the inside of the car doesnt work for some reason. Any truth to that? Maybe that is separate from the rest of the gas door access?

Yes, I do it every time I get gas with the S70. When I bought the car the latch was broken, so the door would just flap. I got a new latch, but the release mechanism doesn't work. The interior trunk panel was already pulled away, so I'm thinking that a previous owner possibly broke the latch purposely after getting tired of reaching into the trunk.

The interior panel mostly flops back into place, so when I need to, I just pull it out enough to get my hand in, and manually pull the mechanism back.

I'll probably be doing this tonight after work, as I need gas again.

Edit: There are some plastic retainers that need to be removed to initially pull the interior panel out. Mine were already removed when I bought the car.