How to fix faulty hinges?

[AlphaDogg]

My friend upgraded from his late 2008 15" MacBook Pro. For those who don't know, this is the first unibody MacBook Pro. He sold it to me for a really low price. There's a problem with the hinges. They can't hold the screen up properly, so if I pick up the computer by the base, the screen flips back to about a 175º angle. The screen will stay upright at about 90º, and if I am using the computer in bed and have it on my knees at an angle, the screen flips down onto the keyboard and my hands. It's really annoying.

How would I go about removing the glass to gain access to the hinges? I'm not willing to put more than $50 into this computer, so please don't recommend I just get a new display assembly.

 

[AlphaDogg]

I just took the screen assembly off the computer, and took off the clutch cover. I then took off the hinge clutches and it seems like the coils slipped in the past because the tension was so low that I was able to rotate the shaft without any sort of a lever.

I think this is what I need. Can anyone verify this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110986340429

 

[AlphaDogg]

**** it, I ordered them.

I figured out that the clutches are broken (nothing wrong with the springs). The metal just broke. I tried gluing the parts back together with no success.

I think the new clutches will fix it.

 

[AlphaDogg]

Finally received them and they fixed the problem!