Door catch adjustment

Christopher

Christopher

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I'm going to dedicate my weekend to getting my drivers door to shut with less effort.

It shuts fine with a slam. I'm going to take my time to try gentle adjustments to the catch to see if it will shut snugly with just a gentle push. However, thinking it though, if it does shut with a slam, what kind of adjustment should i be looking at ? Maybe it's not the postition of the catch after all ? Perhaps the door seal plays a part, or a little lubriction somewhere i've not thought of ?

I've got the plastic caps on my lock mechanism already, so discount that. Can anyone chime in with areas to consider ?
 
How new is the weatherstripping around the door opening? If it's new it will take a while to loosen up, the door will shut firmly with the corresponding sound then.
 
Hi Chris, take the latch off the B post (4 screws) then open and close the door to see if it lines up with quarter panel lines without a lot of pressure, if that is the case put the latch back in and adjust till the desired position is achieved.
remember the latch has a backing plate, make sure you leave one screw in the backing plate so it wont fall into the rocker panel, the latch adjusts four ways (in, out, up and down)
If that is not the case then the hinges could be the issue
 
autowerks said:
Hi Chris, take the latch off the B post (4 screws) then open and close the door to see if it lines up with quarter panel lines without a lot of pressure, if that is the case put the latch back in and adjust till the desired position is achieved.
remember the latch has a backing plate, make sure you leave one screw in the backing plate so it wont fall into the rocker panel, the latch adjusts four ways (in, out, up and down)
If that is not the case then the hinges could be the issue
Click to expand...

I am eagerly awaiting result of Chris's attempt. I have the exact same problem of a drivers door that needs a slam to close (the passenger door is perfect thought).

I was told the alignment is out because of my front hinges and they need to be replaced at a cost of $1200+ (although my door panel is 100% aligned with quarter panel and bottom sill and perfectly straight to body and I also can not detect any bending or problem with front door hinges myself)

If simply moving around the the door latch striker panel is how the door alignment is done for the E9, I would also like to attempt that myself too rather than paying so much money to a body workshop who tell me it is a major job and new hinges needed.

Could you tell me which screws adjust in/out/up/down? (mine is a RHD E9)
 
Mal if it is all lined up properly then I would suspect if you have new door rubbers that they are the problem.
I fitted new rubbers and after that had problems closing the door without having to slam them really hard, this was 12 months after fitting the rubbers, but before removing them for a repainted, after painting the doors closed with little to no pressure but equally with no rubber fitted....
My solution was to remove some of the bulk of the rubber seal by hand sanding with 40 grit on the inside of the seal that runs up the front of the door opening, the joining piece I carved out some of the back to again reduce some bulk and to make it more sqidgy, better but still not perfect but equally not visible, drivers door now good, passenger door less so.

Cheers. John
 
Also check that the latching mechanism in the door is not gummed up and moves freely. With the door open, rotate the latch (with the rubber cap), and then release with the door handle. Mine moved very slow because of the hardened 40-year old grease. The door was much easier to close once I cleaned and re-lubed the mechanism in the door.
 
inovermyhead said:
Mal if it is all lined up properly then I would suspect if you have new door rubbers that they are the problem.
I fitted new rubbers and after that had problems closing the door without having to slam them really hard, this was 12 months after fitting the rubbers, but before removing them for a repainted, after painting the doors closed with little to no pressure but equally with no rubber fitted....
My solution was to remove some of the bulk of the rubber seal by hand sanding with 40 grit on the inside of the seal that runs up the front of the door opening, the joining piece I carved out some of the back to again reduce some bulk and to make it more sqidgy, better but still not perfect but equally not visible, drivers door now good, passenger door less so.

Cheers. John
Click to expand...

Thanks John,

Will give that a try as the rubbers are also quite new on my car.

Although I think my issue is more alignment related as actually when I slightly 'lift' or pull up on my drivers door when closing is clicks in smoothly. But it's rather an awkward procedure: with the window down pulling up on the door top with one hand while closing with the other :(
 
all four bolts have to be a bit loose to adjust the latch, if you have play in your hinge pin ( wore out hinge) This could result in door being out of adjustment, if the door closed perfect before the seal was installed the latch has to be adjusted in to allow the seal to form
 
Mal I think the hinge is the problem with your door, with open door lift as you look at the hinge pin to see which one moves, that would be your bad hinge
 
Christopher,

Tried to 'phone. I found that the "sloppiness" in the door-catch is one of the obstacles to good door shutting action. The short shaft which carries the bear's claw at one end (inside) and the striker with rubber cap on the other (outside) wears badly inside the steel bush. It is steel - to -steel action and always in the same spot.

I chanced upon some door catches off an e3 (I think) and cannibalised with them. I also welded the bear's claw to the end of the shaft instead of it being just a press fit. The action is so much more precise with these slight modifications. It would also be possible to bush out the steel bush with a brass liner bush but you would probably need access to a milling machine for this.This is probably going a bit far but it was the route I was going to go down if I could not find any similar catches for transplant purposes.

Please ring if this is not clear 07860515049

Best wishes, John
 
It was worth spending time with the stiker plate adjustment. It's a simple enought job, and if you mark your original position you can't go far wrong.
I'm pretty happy with the improvement, but there's definately some give to be had from the newish seal still. Time will tell.
I'm interested to hear of your suggestion for the lock mechanism John, as there might be some further improvement to be hadfrom that. I need to get a good close up on the mechanism to visualise what you mean but will report back once i've done so.
 
Mal CSL 3.0 said:
Thanks John,

Will give that a try as the rubbers are also quite new on my car.

Although I think my issue is more alignment related as actually when I slightly 'lift' or pull up on my drivers door when closing is clicks in smoothly. But it's rather an awkward procedure: with the window down pulling up on the door top with one hand while closing with the other :(
Click to expand...

CSL door hinges are made of Alu, which over the years 'stretch' and can cause sagging of the doors. If that is the problem and one or more hinges are causing the problem, brand new Alu hinges are available, NMNA, on German eBay.
 
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