Is my HP laptop hinge acting up?
Is my HP laptop hinge acting up?
I'm looking at a laptop for my family member. It's an HP 17-by-1053dx. On one side, the hinge is broken. I took off the lid and found only one screw there that was loose. But this isn't the whole deal. There are actually two other screws in the hinge that go into a plastic piece attached to the laptop. It looks like that plastic piece has come off. It doesn't look easy to replace because it's part of the main shell. If I just put the missing screw back, it feels better but I'm not sure how long it will stay that way. Only one screw holding it won't do much. Trying to see if there is any other choice. The laptop opens a lot easier when the missing screw is fixed, but I still don't know how long it'll last.
If you look down at the bottom of this picture, there are gold inserts in the other screw holes. That is what's missing from the two red circles you marked. These pieces add extra support to the hinge and the base. Your best choice right now is to swap the bottom shell or palmrest and put a new one on instead. You can find a similar part on eBay, or contact HP for one, but be ready because it might cost more than you expect. If you don't fix the hinge since it was made that way, opening and closing the screen puts too much stress on the plastic near the hinge. That could lead to serious damage like cracks or pieces breaking off easily.
Checked eBay for the top cover and it looks like they are about $90. I'll have to figure out what she needs next. If she wants a replacement, I might need some help taking things off. A quick Google search didn't show any videos for this exact model. In that picture, I can put a screw in the hole on the right side of the metal hinge/bracket and it opens better. But I'm guessing it won't last long and putting more pressure there will probably mess up the other part eventually.
I've seen this mess happen all too often on my laptops over the years. I learned that if you take a screen hinge off and don't put every single screw back in place, the problem gets worse. When you try to open or close the lid without those screws, it can crack the plastic around the metal threads. If you find any of those broken plastic pieces with metal inserts, you could glue them back together before screwing the hinges on again. This sometimes works, but often it just breaks right back down. Otherwise, that's your best bet to make sure everything stays fixed.
If you found those small pieces or broken bits, you could use JBWeld to glue the gold back together. But this fix probably won't last long because I've seen similar things happen with laptops I fixed before. It's just a temporary fix and not as good for your peace of mind as putting in a new shell is.
You could use two-part epoxy or even regular super glue for this job.
I tried super glue, but it did not hold up well. It actually cracked my laptop's hinge instead, ruining its structure. I will definitely take apart and fix the housing later if I have to deal with annoying headaches when trying to get screws out using sticky stuff.
I saw some bits, all of them were missing their fancy gold parts, so they're just scraps now lol.
Have you ever seen them for $40 on eBay? Do you have a link to that? I actually looked and saw them around $90. I will also need to figure out how to replace it. Hopefully I can find a video or something. I think this is the exact part I need. What does PTP touchpad mean? Most of the ones I checked are not PTP touchpads. How can I tell for sure if I need PTP or non-PTP?