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I recently purchased an LG Fridge (Model LRDCS2603S/00) and am attempting to reverse the door (so it opens from right to left instead of left to right). I have been following along in the manual how to do so and have come to a snag. When attempting to switch the center assembly hinge, I am unable to loosen the pin. The manual says

Use a 1/4 in. hex socket wrench to loosen the hinge pin (1) and remove it.

See the image of the step: Manual Image

But when I attempt to do so, it doesn't budge at all - not even a turn or anything. I attempted a normal hex screwdriver, a socket wrench, and I even used my drill with 1/4 in. attachment - I ended up marring the pin head so bad it was no longer able to be grabbed with the wrench. I decided to purchase a new assembly thinking there was something wrong with my part, but the new one has the same issue. Here is an image of my new part: Hinge assembly

Has anyone gotten past this issue before and have suggestions on how to proceed? I know links are frowned upon, but if it helps, here is the link to the refrigerator owner's manual and a youtube video showing how it is done.

EDIT

As per requested by Criggie, here is a view from the underside: Underside

And a close up of the pin (the little marks around it are where I was trying to hit at it with a hammer and flathead): Close up

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    I think one important thing from the video is that the threads appear to be "normal" where you would loosen to the left. Heating the bracket with a small torch could help. Penetrating oil is a good go-to for stuck bolts, but usually not needed on something this new and clean.
    – JPhi1618
    Nov 2, 2021 at 18:03
  • @JPhi1618 Just for clarity (and maybe I'm misunderstanding), I tried to turn the piece both directions (I tried left first) and no movement.
    – PartyHatPanda
    Nov 2, 2021 at 18:05
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    I'm just saying that the bolt/pin should loosen by turning it counter-clockwise like normal. Some rotating parts will have "left hand threads" where you have to turn them clockwise to loosen, but thats not the case here.
    – JPhi1618
    Nov 2, 2021 at 18:08
  • Before completely destroying the hinge and not being able to return it, have you contacted LG customer service to ask them how you're supposed to do this? Based on your new pics, it does not look to me like this pin unscrews.
    – FreeMan
    Nov 3, 2021 at 14:34
  • Hmm. I wonder regardless of what the manual says they are not really reversible but you must get a new assembly that is reversed from the maker.
    – Micah Montoya
    Nov 3, 2021 at 17:34

3 Answers 3

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Based on this reddit post, you're not the only one to have this issue. The OP as well as a few commenters say they have had a stuck pin.

The general advice is to try some kind of penetrant, but that's normally for rusty/corroded fasteners and yours are new. A comment says that was not helpful.

Another idea that I commented about above would be to heat up the bracket and then try to loosen. A commenter said that worked, and they left the bracket in place. I can't recommend that, but if you can remove the bracket and apply heat with a small kitchen torch or even a lighter, you may have luck cracking it loose. If you remove the bracket, you protect the fridge, but you do have to hold both the bracket and the pin in order to loosen it.

The idea behind heat is that you cause the bracket to expand slightly and loosen its grip on the pin. If you heat the pin and bracket slowly at the same time, they will both expand and it might not be as effective. The idea is to heat the bracket relatively quickly so it expands more than the pin.

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  • Thanks for the suggestions - I only have a basic lighter and when I tried that I don't think I got it focused enough to localize the heat. I think I will go to my hardware store and see if they can undo it, or at least pick up a penetrant and give that a go.
    – PartyHatPanda
    Nov 2, 2021 at 19:25
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    Yea, that could be a problem with the basic flame on the lighter. A small torch gives a hotter more concentrated flame. Sorry you're having such a hard time, it should be a simple thing if it wasn't so tight.
    – JPhi1618
    Nov 2, 2021 at 19:27
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    FWIW, heating both can work, because as both parts expand, the gap between them, perhaps counterintuitively, expands as well. Worth a shot putting the whole thing in the oven, or over the stovetop if you have a gas one, as it might just work.
    – Vladimir Cravero
    Nov 3, 2021 at 8:08
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as you have two hinges above and under the door they both have a pin towards the door. possibly you can switch them around without changing the pin:

use the bottom left hinge at right top and top left at right bottom.

rotate the hinges according to the door:

before     after
+----a     q----+
|door|     |    |
|    |     |ɹoop|
+----b     ɐ----+
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  • The video example isn't exactly the same as mine - I don't have a two sided pin. I will upload a picture of the other side shortly.
    – PartyHatPanda
    Nov 3, 2021 at 12:51
  • in the video you can see a middle hinge. as your shown hinge is only one sided I assumed that you have only one door. I also assumed that the hinge above and under the door are constructed the same way, so you can exchange them. with a two doored fridge you might exchange the top fringe with the bottom fringe only changing the pin of the middle fringe.
    – Bernd Wilke πφ
    Nov 3, 2021 at 13:21
  • Ah thanks for clarifying your assumptions - no, the top and bottom hinges are different so I can't swap them.
    – PartyHatPanda
    Nov 3, 2021 at 14:08
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I realized I never posted an update for this. The end all solution was using brute force. Thankfully it was under warranty, so I had an engineer come and swap the bracket. He was able to switch both the new and the old with a pair of wrenches on each piece to provide additional torque. So there wasn't anything wrong AFAIK with the original piece, I just didn't put enough strength to turn it enough and was afraid of breaking it.

All this said, this is a silly (albeit correct) answer - if you are visiting this I would encourage you to upvote JPhi's answer as well b/c of the thorough research they provided.

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