Question: Are these new door pins, and are they right? (Pic Heavy

[blainelocklair]

Are these new door pins, and are they right? (Pic Heavy)

Hello everyone,

While I'm waiting for the Dual Pole Arming Sensor for the airbag issue, I've been looking into the reasons my doors are difficult to close. Both will close all the way, but need a good push on the bottom half to get them to close properly.

I would think this is a door pin and busing issue, but the previous owner said they already had them replaced. Now, that doesn't really mean anything, and even if they were, it doesn't mean they were installed correctly.

I've got some pics of the pins and bushings as they stand right now. After looking at the pictures, does it look like these are replacements, or are they original? If they're original, I'll buy and install the replacements. If they're already replaced, I'm guessing there's a need to adjust the door.

Thanks for taking the time to look at and evaluate this issue!

Blaine

 

[boomdriver]

Am I reading this right????

50,000 miles and the doors have already been rebushed and may need it again?

Was the car wrecked? There is NO reason for those doors to be wearing out the hinges and bushings at that age/milage. Mine was hit on the passenger side and I replaced the whole door so that a repair would not be detectable...and it sometimes needs a bump to latch, BUT thats just adjustment at the striker..not a big deal, I just haven't got around to it.
My driver door closes like it should everytime. My chassis has over 280,000 miles and has spent time everywhere between L.A. & La. My biggest problem at the moment with doors is panels, and inside panel weather strip. THAT is most likely where your problem is.

That lower weather strip on the door seal likes to rot and swell up. As the rubber hardens and swells it gets fatter and does not compress when the door closes. That makes the door harder to latch.

IF that is the problem, use caution...once you start picking at the rotten weather strip it starts to domino and comes apart easily....The sash seal and sills may also need to be replaced since all these sections of weather strip are more exposed to the elements than others are and with rain draining down on and against the door seals they tend to go first.

 

[blainelocklair]

Am I reading this right????

50,000 miles and the doors have already been rebushed and may need it again?

Was the car wrecked? There is NO reason for those doors to be wearing out the hinges and bushings at that age/milage. Mine was hit on the passenger side and I replaced the whole door so that a repair would not be detectable...and it sometimes needs a bump to latch, BUT thats just adjustment at the striker..not a big deal, I just haven't got around to it.
My driver door closes like it should everytime. My chassis has over 280,000 miles and has spent time everywhere between L.A. & La. My biggest problem at the moment with doors is panels, and inside panel weather strip. THAT is most likely where your problem is.

That lower weather strip on the door seal likes to rot and swell up. As the rubber hardens and swells it gets fatter and does not compress when the door closes. That makes the door harder to latch.

IF that is the problem, use caution...once you start picking at the rotten weather strip it starts to domino and comes apart easily....The sash seal and sills may also need to be replaced since all these sections of weather strip are more exposed to the elements than others are and with rain draining down on and against the door seals they tend to go first.

Well, I'm not quite sure if the doors have been rebushed or not. I'm hoping that it will be evident to someone from looking at the photos.

You could be right about the weatherstripping. If it helps, it has been replaced all around the vehicle with new in the past six months. It's all crack-free and in good condition. It could be possible, however, that it wasn't lined up just right, and that could be an issue.

When I try to close the doors, they shut 1/2 way and need a nudge to get them all the way closed. If I close them by pushing then shut from the bottom 1/2 of the door, they tend to close much easier, which is why I suspect the pins/bushings/hinges. Also, I can feel the tension against the door near the hinges when they are almost closed. Meaning, when I push the door to the almost fully closed position, I can feel the tension near the hinges.

As always, I'm open to all ideas and suggestions. Thanks!

 

[boomdriver]

I am not going to believe that a car the quality of a C4 vette has worn out the door bushings that quickly !

This is a clearence issue from weather stripping. Almost ALL replacement weather strip has issues of this sort...its too firm, too thin, laid in place on top of old glue that makes it stand up higher than it should...etc. Dozens of things go wrong when weather strip is replaced because of the quality of the material and the install.

My driver door (the car with 280K) closes with a bump. I have replaced the upper weather strip and B pillar but not the inner door seal that is the most critical for closing and sealing, since I am waiting until I can paint and rebuild the door panels. So mine is not compressing the weather strip as it closes. Yours IS trying to compress the rubber since its new...but that rubber could be 3mm too tall and thats plenty to need a harder push to make the door latch.

You can TRY to adjust the striker pin. Get the correct torx bit, loosen the striker bolt, slide it in/out 1 or 2 mm and retighten. Check for ease of latching and readjust as necessary. Its a good idea to scribe the original position just in case...

I am not a believer of the worn bushing theory because of personal experience. I even took the spring off my driver door so I could get in/out easier wiothout the door trying to close or stay open when I had shoulder surgery on my left shoulder and could not reach out to hold it....so mine floats on the hinges freely, and closes and latches easily. Once in a great while will the driver door fail to grab the striker and latch. Like previously stated, my passenger side will do that only because its a complete replacement and I know that its not adjusted 100% right...(adjusting doors that have slots in every mount hole for every axis for every action is a PITA) and takes a floor jack, 3 friends (4 extra hands, cause 2 guys will be holding a beer making that hand useless) and a lot of patience.....

At this point I'd try the striker adjust and after some use the rubber weather strip will compress a bit and make it easiser, then you can tighten up the striker again for a firmer latch.

 

[blainelocklair]

Looks like you are right on the money! I've tracked the issue down to the weatherstripping. It's where the top inside weatherstripping of the door meets with the bottom weatherstripping of the A(?) pillar at the corner of the windshield. Every time I try to close the door, these two meet up, and the pressure between them is obvious.

Here are the pictures of the two pieces and a pic of how they look when they meet up:

Pillar:



Door:



Together:



For the life of me, I can't figure out how to get these two pieces to get along. Are they the right pieces? They would seem to be, since all of the weatherstripping is new. What's the trick to creating harmony here? Both doors have the same issue, so getting this solved will make both work great.

By the way, the door closes perfect with the weatherstripping removed.

Thanks!

 

[boomdriver]

Take the problem pieces apart. clean rubber well. Clean the mount/track VERY WELL...sterile well! Take tracks out and clean if necessary. I use a small wire wheel in a drill to clean all the glue scraps out of the mounting tracks & guides.
Use a plastic bondo 6" spreader to push rubber down into the track without tearing or pinching the rubber. Use mim amount of 3M glue. Use glue only hwere the rubber will not stay on its own.
Assy with a dry run (practice run) first to check the fit. If all is ok go back and assemble with glue at corners and ends..where ever it may need a drop. Less is more.
When installed ok, go to Leslies Pool supplies and buy tube of silicone pool seal silicone grease to wipe on all these seals...works better than what they sell us at a-zone.. OR some Armour-All it all GEL. Liberal coat to all rubber weather strip.

any questions? ask. I've done it successfully before. Most important parts is getting the tracks/rails clean so the rubber wont try to stand up too tall... On pillars install the ends first then work toward middle. Do not bunch up rubber to "make" it fit or stretch sections to get them in the tracks.

There are different quality weather strip on the market. Some fit like a glove, others are stiff and hard and do not seal well. I bought from Corvette America (lone-star supply) and for the most part am satisfied. I have the opposite problem as you. My seal at the leading edge of the window glass is a hair loose and will sometimes leak water in after a hard rain. I have to pull the rubber up and out of the track in that area.

Weather strip is about trial & error. Once you get it exact, then glue it. ONLY then.

Good Luck




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QUOTE=blainelocklair;1096160]Looks like you are right on the money! I've tracked the issue down to the weatherstripping. It's where the top inside weatherstripping of the door meets with the bottom weatherstripping of the A(?) pillar at the corner of the windshield. Every time I try to close the door, these two meet up, and the pressure between them is obvious.

Here are the pictures of the two pieces and a pic of how they look when they meet up:

Pillar:

View attachment 8081

Door:

View attachment 8083

Together:

View attachment 8084

For the life of me, I can't figure out how to get these two pieces to get along. Are they the right pieces? They would seem to be, since all of the weatherstripping is new. What's the trick to creating harmony here? Both doors have the same issue, so getting this solved will make both work great.

By the way, the door closes perfect with the weatherstripping removed.

Thanks![/QUOTE]