Pella adjustable hinge defective

Hi, have a Pella patio door and one of the hinge adjusters never worked. It's not out of adjustment enough to affect the door operation but the gap at the top of door is obviously larger so would like to fix it. When I turn the torx the hinge plate does not move like the others.

I have not tried to unscrew the hinge on the door, is this something I can do to determine whats wrong? No idea what the mechanism inside there looks like. I will try turning the phillips screws by hand first and if too tight will use an impact to avoid stripping. I'm guessing those are actually machine screws.

Thanks

 

Have you contacted Pella? This might be warranteed.

 

Here's what Google found for me.
Adjust the reveal if needed. If the door panels have adjustable hinge leafs. Use a 1/8” Allen wrench to turn the center screws clockwise (+) to increase the space between the frame and the door panel. Turn the center screw counter-clockwise (-) to decrease the space between the frame and the door panel. DO NOT turn the screws more than a ¾ turn in either direction. In some cases it may be necessary to loosen and then tighten the top and bottom hinge screws to obtain full hinge adjustment. If necessary, loosen the top and bottom screws, and immediately re-tighten them. With the screws tightened, turn the adjustment hinge screw. If the hinge will not adjust any further then it is adjusted as far as it will go. If more clearance is needed adjust the shims between the frame and rough opening. Doors with Adjustable Hinges: 2N
Note: DO NOT adjust the hinge with the top and bottom screws loose; this could force the hinge to adjust beyond its design capability which can cause the hinge to bind, damage the hinge and/or pull out the screws. A ¾ turn of the center screw provides approximately 1/16” adjustment.

 

I have had several manufacturing defects with this door and contacting Pella is an exercise in frustration. It does have lifetime warranty but I installed it so its a gray area.

I should have called this in right after install almost 8 years ago but i had so many other issues with the door that it was in the noise at the time.

I'll see if those screws come out easily and take a look. I'm just being cautious because I dont want to damage anything.
Edit I called Pella and they sent instructions on how to remove the hinge. Apparently the hinge has to be slid upwards after you adjust it to clear the mortise but seems like I cant clear the mortise because the adjust does not work, arrggg. But I'll try giving a few taps from the back.

 

Ok, I figured this out in case anyone else runs into this issue. That torx screw is actually just a wood screw but the torx head is captive to the hinge plate. So when you screw the torx in or out you are raising or lowering the outside of the hinge plate. However, the effectiveness of this depends on how tight the other 2 hinge screws are. Pella made the countersinks for those screw heads "loose" so the hinge plate can rock but if those screws are tight the range is still limited.

So if the adjustment screw is not working or range is too limited loosen the 2 hinge screws, adjust the torx as necessary and then tighten the hinge screws (do not overtighten). Again note that the torx screw is a conventional wood screw so severe torque on the torx could strip the wood threads. Loosening the other hinge screws first releases the pressure.


This is similar to what Pilot Dane posted but the instructions seemed contradictory.