To Solo 5300: Why was it necessary to remove the keyboard? Is the 5300 configured differently from the 5350? I've got a 5350, and I was able to remove the bezel (plastic cover) around the screen and the hinge covers and get to the hinges. (Instructions below.) I'm a newbie to this DIY, and I've got the same problem as someone else who posted a problem about their hinges losing tension. So I found a YouTube film that shows a kid troubleshooting the hinges on a Dell Inspiron. From that, I was able to remove the bezel around the screen of my 5350 and determine that the hingepins must've broken inside the barrel of the hinges, because they remain static when I move the screen. (If they were still all one piece, I'd be able to see the end of the hingepin move with the screen--that's my reasoning, anyway. Being mechanically inclined under general circumstances, that's what makes sense to me.)
The right way is to replace the hinges. To gateway 5350: What's that site where you found the hinges, and how much are they? Then, to anyone: How do you remove the old and install the new?
I was considering jerry-rigging it by squeezing a few drops of LocTite into the hingepin barrels to get them to tighten up. I have some Permanent Red 771--but that would freeze it shut permanently, and I wouldn't be able to open the lid ever. Not a good solution. So I was thinking about getting some of the Removable Blue 372, listed on the package. Anyone know if that will allow enough play in the hinges so the lid will actually open?
Here's a link to that video where the kid removes the bezel to examine the hinges and tighten the screws. (I tried that; my screws were tight--although based on my LocTite idea, you may think I've got a couple of screws loose elsewhere.....):
Also I found another video under "How to repair laptop hinges."
1. You'll need a tiny (jeweler's) slotted (straight-edged)and Phillips (cross-edged) screwdrivers, and a lot of time and patience so you don't crack the bezel.
2. Lay the notebook open flat on a table w/plenty of room.
3. Pull off the round rubber screw covers in the bottom corners.
4. Unscrew these two screws and the two in the upper corners--4 total. (Phillips.)
5. GENTLY pry off the bezel--the plastic cover that goes around the frame of the screen--by inserting the slotted screwdriver into the crack anywhere you can at the BOTTOM. (The kid on YouTube said do the bottom first, otherwise you'll crack the bezel and have to glue it--Hey, I've got some LocTite if you wanna borrow it!) Then work your way around the bottom along the edge, GENTLY prying the screwdriver UP (away from you) until you see and hear the bezel snap open little by little. It makes a loud snap--don't worry. DON'T STICK THE DRIVER IN TOO DEEP OR YOU COULD DAMAGE SOMETHING. Remove the bezel.
6. Take your Phillips and test the 2 screws in each corner for tightness.
7. Lift up the plastic hinge covers and test the screw under them for tightness.
8. If all screws are tight, you need new hinges, like I do. Most likely, the hingepins have snapped in half, which is why the lid no longer has any tension. (If someone knows differently, please tell me.)
Also, if you're in St. Louis, I know a crackerjack PC repairman who will do it for $40. I can't afford that; so for now, I'm going to put it all back together and continue to prop it up on a magazine rack like I've been doing.
Good luck.
