Home
My XJ (current)
84-86 Specs
Roll-on Paint Job
Hinge Issues
Tailight Mod
Headlight Mod
Front Bumper Fab
Rear Bumper Fab
Roof Rack Fab
Bedliner Application
Engine Rebuild 2.8
Engine Rebuild 350/5.7
Speedo Gears
Clutch Slave Door
Steering Box Swap
V8 Engine Swap
Electronics
Axles
Longarm Fab
Notes
Contact Me

Hinge Pin wear is a common issue with Cherokee's. If you close the door about 2/3rd's of the way you should be able to feel some play in the door as you lift it and visually see movement in the hinges.

Another issue you may have is the weld where the hinge attaches to the body. Look closely at this as it is a pretty common problem. There is a good write-up on how to fix this issue here.

If there is no play in the hinges then the door itself needs to be aligned which can be done by first removing the striker bolt. With this done you can work on aligning the door with the lines on the body by using shims or washers where the hinge connects to the door. The first step is to draw an outline around the hinges with a paint pen, then loosen the bolts of the the upper hinge and remove it's shim and tighten the bolts, this will lift the handle side of the door a little. If the door is still sagging too much then loosen the bolts on the bottom hinge and add the shim from the top hinge and tighten the bolts. If it still isn't enough the you can add some fender washers as additional shims (just cut some slots in them).

If you need to raise the front portion of the door loosen the bolts and use a jack to lift the door slightly using the drawn outline around the hinge as a guide and retighten the bolts.

Note also that the door over the years could have become twisted, you never know what a previous owner has done to the door. You can try twisting the door by putting a scrap piece of 2x4 wrapped in a towel between the door and jamb and lightly tweak the door, try not to push too hard on the window frame as you might break the weld.

Now you can put the striker bolt back in and align that. Now the door should open and close better than ever before.