ATX LTT HAD TROUBLE REMOVING NOSE GEAR PIN BEFORE TAXI. ON NEXT LNDG APCH THE NOSE GEAR WARNING STAYED ON AFTER GEAR EXTENSION. GEAR WAS CONFIRMED DOWN AND LOCKED BY SECONDARY MEANS AND LNDG WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT INCIDENT.

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I WAS PERFORMING MY PREFLT CHKS IN THE COCKPIT TO ORIGINATE FLT AT FNT WHEN I HEARD BANGING AROUND THE NOSE SECTION OF THE ACFT. MY F/O ADVISED ME THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE THE GEAR PIN FROM THE NOSE STRUT DURING THE WALKAROUND AND THAT MAINT PERSONNEL WERE TRYING TO REMOVE THE PIN. IT IS MY COMPANY'S POLICY THAT THE GEAR PINS BE INSTALLED IN ALL OVERNIGHTING ACFT. I WAS THEN ADVISED THAT MAINT WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE THE PIN AND THAT THEY WOULD RETURN IN A FEW MINS WITH SOME 'TOOLS.' SEVERAL MINS LATER THE MAINT PEOPLE RETURNED PROUDLY DISPLAYING A HAMMER! THE PIN WAS PROMPTLY REMOVED AND WE DEPARTED FOR DTW. DURING APCH TO RWY 21R AT DTW; WE WERE UNABLE TO GET A POSITIVE INDICATION OF THE NOSE GEAR BEING DOWN AND LOCKED. A GO AROUND WAS EXECUTED AND I PERFORMED THE EMER CHKLIST AS MY F/O WAS THE PF. THE LNDG GEAR WAS CONFIRMED DOWN VISUALLY BY THE TWR AND DOWN AND LOCKED BY SECONDARY MEANS IN THE COCKPIT. THE LNDG WAS MADE W/O INCIDENT ON RWY 21L AT DTW; AND THE GEAR PIN WAS INSTALLED PRIOR TO TAXI TO THE GATE. THE WX AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT WAS GOOD VFR (CLR AND 12 MI VIS) BUT EXTREMELY COLD TEMPS (2 DEGS F). THE COMBINATION OF BITTER COLD TEMPS AND MAINT'S PROC IN REMOVING THE GEAR PIN IN FNT WERE MAJOR FACTORS IN THIS INCIDENT.