Lenovo Hinge (Bottom left Monitor) Problem

Hello everyone. I've had my T430 for 2 years and for a while my bottom right of the monitor has been breaking more and more. I'm not sure how to explain too well in words, so I uploaded a picture. Please take a look at it. It gets worse as I open the computer more.

What part do I need to buy to fix this? Do I need to replace the whole monitor?

Thank you so much! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

View attachment 114804

 

Hard to tell from just that one picture, but it looks like the frame bezel is coming off, possibly because the connection between the hinge and lid is failing. Snapping the bezel back in place doesn't fix the issue?

 

Nope. It cracks open every time I open up the laptop. And even when it is open, it doesn't snap back in one place anymore.

 

No, probably just need to buy a new hinge for ~10$. It's a rather common part to fail on all laptops, regardless brand or type, hence the vast number of replacement offers on ebay (along with pcb power connectors).

It's a simple design flaw;
View attachment 114805

It takes quite a lot of force for it to pivot and the part where the screw(s) affix the hinge to the lcd proper are drilled out without compensating for the loss of 'meat' by thickening or widening the metal sheet. So those green parts are now its weakest point and tend to snap after extended use (metal fatigue). In your situation it might be the iffy cross section too (red arrow); looks a wee small there.

Anyway, you'll have to remove the front bezel first to be certain. That's the plastic thingy that's coming off now out of its own regard; the hinge is staying in place, but the lcd is not. You can gently pry it loose (look on youtube, if you want), after that you can see exactly where it's failing.

If it is the hinge, replacement is not a terribly difficult procedure; look for a single screw you can access from the bottom of the laptop. If you're not entirely confident about this you might look at the service manual first. Beware though; these things tend to operate according to some baffling law whereby you're required to remove the following items in a step-by-step procedure >>>

1. Battery pack
2. ExpressCard blank bezel
3. Serial Ultrabay Enhanced bay or blank bezel
4. Hard disk drive or solid-state drive
5. Memory module slot cover
6. Backup battery
7. Memory module (in the slot on the underside of the computer)
8. PCI Express Mini Card for wireless WAN or mSATA solid-state drive
9. Keyboard
10. Memory module (in the slot under the keyboard)
11. PCI Express MiniCard for wireless LAN/WiMAX
12. Keyboard bezel assembly, FPC cable, and bluetooth daughter card
13. Smart card reader
14. Speaker assembly
15. LCD unit
16. Thermal Fan assembly
17. Microprocessor
18. Base cover assembly and DC-in connector
19. Magnesium structure frame
20. System board assembly, ExpressCard slot, and I/O sub card
21. LCD bezel assembly
22. LED board
23. Integrated camera
24. LCD panel and LCD cable
25. LED and camera cable
26. Wireless antenna set
27. Hinges and LCD rear cover assembly

... before you're allowed to replace one of those rubber pads on the bottom of the laptop . . .

 

wow thank you so much!! I really appreciate it! Now I know why they charge 200 bucks for a fix like this. Im going to go in tomorrow and ask if it can be done for $150 bc I'll probably break my laptop even more trying to take apart everything. Thank you again!!

 

No-no-no, that last list was a joke . For the love of god, you only need to take out two screws!

Yikes, $200 is $190 overpriced, just buy this instead.

 

Hahah oops. Do you know of any tutorial or guide for replacing the hinges? I probably need a new bezel too which I found for 15 dollars.

 

You could check youtube, but remove the bezel first. You'll see soon enough how the hinge ought to function and why it fails.

If it really is failure of the hinge itself; it's attached to the lcd frame by one or two screws you can access when the bezel is removed. The hinge is affixed to the base itself by one screw you can access by flipping over the laptop:

View attachment 114818

Depending on the model these two holes could be for additional screws accessible form the top or (more common) they're simply sockets for matching pins on the base. In either case, it keeps the hinge from wobbling sideways:

View attachment 114819

You'll find out once you remove the single base screw; the whole lcd assembly becomes loose if that's the only thing that keeps it in place. If it's still firmly attached to the base you'll have those additional base screws to remove.