I've been having trouble charging my Dell Inspiron 5482 lately; the charging port seems misaligned and it tends to get dislocated where the charger connects, especially when I open the screen. I decided to open it up and noticed some issues. Thankfully, my sister has the exact same model, and hers looks fine (albeit a bit dusty). I think I spotted a golden piece screwed in correctly on her laptop, whereas mine seems to have a loose component because I had the motherboard replaced back in 2020. I'm worried that the golden part might have come loose during recent battery changes or traveling. There might also be a misplaced black plastic piece. I need to fix this without causing any more damage, as I really need my laptop working by tomorrow afternoon before a holiday in France. Any tips on how I can sort this out?
1 Answer
It sounds like the nut that should hold everything together is probably loose due to a broken plastic piece in the bottom cover. You’ll need to unscrew all the hinge screws and rotate it to access the area. After that, you can reposition the nut and use some hot glue to secure it—just be careful not to glue any other screws or holes. Remember to disconnect the battery first to prevent any short circuits while you’re working on it!
Rotating the hinge went terribly! I think I've broken another part of the hinge plastic. None of the golden bolts seem to be in the right place either. I'm really not sure I can fix this now.
I've disconnected the battery already. I haven't worked on my sister's yet, but do you think I should?