MDD Gen 1 Broken Knee Joint

First post, hopefully I’m doing this right. I got a preowned Maria MDD from Mandarake already knowing that her leg was broken. However, all the resources on fixing knees have a little long part that just… isn’t attached to Maria’s knee. Here’s a picture of what the broken knee looks like:
From looking inside her thigh, I think the other part of the joint got stuck in there.

I was going to try and use a hair dryer to pull this piece out of the bottom of the thigh and then screw it onto the other part. I’d like to know if that seems like the right way to go about this? Her leg keeps falling off so I can’t imagine it would make things worse, but I really don’t want to break such a beautiful doll trying to fix it. Any help at all would be appreciated.

It's been a while since I had to fix an MDD knee but I think you're on the right path.  You definitely need to get the piece out of the though so you can reattach it.  You'll probably need either a bigger screw or an actual bolt and nut to hold it together properly.  That broken piece in the center in your first pic looks like it will have to come out of there.  If you can't pop it out by hand or with a small screwdriver then you'll have to drill it out and use a nut and bolt there.  I would also use some rubber or silicone washers in the joint to help keep it tight after you do the repair.  Those first generation MDD bodies are notorious for loose knees, ankles and shoulders.

Hopefully this helps you out.  Do let us know if you get her all fixed up! 

 

Billy