Door Handle

[green_machine]

Hi, let me start off by saying that I am a proud owner of a 260z (my first car) over the last couple of days my passenger side door has been getting harder and harder to open. I should have probaly went inside the door to try to see what the problem is put was too busy/lazy. But anyways, now the door won't open at all. I'm about to get inside the door but decided that I should get a little bit advice on what to look for first. Also, I don't know if this has anything to do with what I just pointed out but, around the same time it bcame that the only way you can close the door good is by slamming it. Thanks for any help.

[Fun_in_my_z]

I don't know a lot about doors, But to me it sounds more like the jam then the handle. Try push down or pulling up on the door when your opening it.

If it opend the you need to adjust the striker plate i think.

[Ed]

Congratulations on your new car and welcome to the club. Your gonna find that there will always be someone here to help you. It sounds like your door could use some adjusting. It's not a difficult job just a long and tedious one.

If you haven't done so already your next best investment in your new car is the purchase of a shop manual. You can probably find a Haynes manual at your local automotive supply store. There are also year specific manuals around and you see them for sale every now and again on ebay.

When you do take your door apart, becareful removing the interior panel. They are fragile and you could damage the backing if you pull on it.

Good luck.

[CNIXZGO]

There's a rod inside the door that might have slipped off or even broken off, not allowing it to open. Best thing to do is remove the door panel carefully, dont worry about the worn plastic backing. You can replace that easily. roll the window so you can access the mechanism. you'll need some open ended and closed end wrenches and you'll scrape some knuckles but it's doable. this might be a good time to replace those old door handles. you can get thme on ebay for like 70 bucks a pair for brand new pair. good luck

Nick

[waynekarnes]

greetings ...

if the door opens fine from the inside ...

most likely no adjustments of the door are required ( i can't spell necessary, but if is could ... wouldn't have said required ).

from the outside ... when you pull on the door handle, does it kinda tip to one side, as if it has come loose on one end ?

if so ... there is a pot metal dog ear on either end of the handle.

the door handles for the passenger side and driver's side are the same part.

if the handle is tilting, tipping, feels loose on one side, most likely,

the dog ear has broken off.

there is a rod that comes up and goes through that dog ear. when you pull up on handle ... the rod moves and and released the door locking mechanism.

if the dog ear has broken off ... the door will not open, as the rod won't be moving.

that is the most common problem.

it is rare for the mechanism inside the door to fall off.

there is a plastic "plug" that goes over the rod and holds the rod to the handle.

if someone has been in there and replaced the door handle ...

then you might have trouble inside the door.

remove the arm rest. remove the screw holding the chrome dish under the inside door release handle. you will need a tool to pop the retaining clip off the window crank handle. be careful ... put a piece of heavy plastic ( cut from plastic bottle ), between crank handle and the door panel, and watch where the clip flies to.

carefully, pull the pegs that hold the panel to the door, freeing the panel from the door ( once again ... the tool that you use to remove the clip from the window crank, comes in handy ... slip it behind the door panel, use it as lever to gently pry door panel from door ). watch you don't tear the pegs out of the panel and leave em in the door.

remove the plastic sheet ... it keeps the rain out of the door. you need it ... if you tear it ... replace it with generic heavy duty plastic ... any color you want. seal it in all the same places.

put crank on ( no clip ). roll the window up ... look up at the door handle ... use a flash light ... you really can see it ...

now, you need to soak your hands in hot water ... so they shrink ... you need tiny hands ...

take a look and see if any thing is loose. you'll see it right off ... the release mechanism is fairly simple ... convoluted, but simple ...

look up at the door handle ... see if the dog ear is broken and the rod is hanging loose ...

if rod is loose and ear is not broken ... then the plastic clip is broken or fell off.

put rod back in place and find something to press on the end of the rod .. a plastic cap with a hole in it ... a metal press on washer ... one of those springy types ...

if dog ear is broken ...

two i think 8 mm nuts hold the handle on ...

buy new ones ... used ones usually look like crap ... and dog ears are cracked.

if you are on a shoe string budget ... remember the driver's and passenger side are the same ...

as only one dog ear gets used ... the other dog ear is like brand new ...

so, if more money than time ... and you feel ambitious ... swap the driver's side to the passenger side, put passenger side on driver's door.

or go to wreckers ... get side opposite the broken side. if passenger side is broken ... get driver's side from wreckers ... or ebay ...

but, if money is available ... they are around 25 bucks new per side ...

grease the inside mechanisms, use water proof grease ... things should be okay ...

good luck ...

[Bambikiller240]

Whew, have a glass of water, Wayne.

[waynekarnes]

opps missed the part about ... slamming the door ...

the bushings or the hinges may be worn ...

if previous owner had large friend that used the door as an assist to get out of the car ... leaned on the door in and out, when sitting or getting out ...

may have bent the hinges, the door frame, or wore the hinge pins ...

do a search ... door adjustment ... e scalon posted a really good write up on adjusting the door and replacing the hinge pins ...

Usually, when you remove the door and / or hinges you want to scribe the location of the hinge plates on both the body and the door. This makes it easier to replace them. When the occasion arises where you have no prior markings to work with you need to check a few things. In the case of the Z, the mounting locations of the hinges on the pillar and the door are fortunately flat and on the same plane. This makes it MUCH easier to replace them without markings. Mount the hinges to either the door or the pillar and adjust them so that they are roughly in line. Then get a piece of flat stock, or a level and make sure that the unmounted sides are then also on the same plane as each other. Make adjustments to one hinge or the other until the flat stock is perfectly flat on the mounting faces of both hinges. Then either mount the doors to the hinges or the hinges to the pillar. You'll still need to adjust the door to the opening but you'll know that the hinges are not binding against each other. Usually the biggest cause of hinges not being aligned with each other is due to the use of shims, warped panels (whether due to repair or a bent body) or because someone FORCED the hinge into that location. Just for the record, when the hinges are NOT on the same plane, then you determine the "center" of the adjusting limits and place both hinges as close to that location as possible. From what you mention, the bottom being further out, I would suspect either a shim or two behind the bottom hinge on the pillar or a bad adjustment on the door itself. Remember shim hinges on the pillar affect the door's location with reference to the skin of the door and the fenders. Shims on te door side affect front to back (and when used unevenly diagonal) placement of the door within the door opening. Hope this helps. Enrique Scanlon

Here's a primer on how to adjust the doors on your Z so that they fit properly and seal well. ADJUSTING THE Z DOORS: Unless the car has been in an accident and the door opening or door itself have been tweaked out of shape, most problems with the doors are due to misaligned latches, hinges, or worn components. Presuming that it is adjustment or bad parts and not bent items check the following. First perform a visual check of the door. Check to make sure that the door is aligned properly within the door opening. Check the spacing along the top part of the window frame, the spacing between the window frame and the quarter window, also the spacing between the door skin and the rear quarter panel. I also check the spacing on the front of the door, above the hinges and the front fender. All of these should be even, and consistent in width. The gap should not appear to be excessive one edge with it's opposite component, i.e. front of door to back of door; top edge by windshield cowl and lower edge, etc. If all these appear in order then you have an adjustment problem with the latch mechanism. If however, there is a problem with the alignment, before you go and loosen the hinge bolts behind the kick panels, first do the following: 1. Check if there is any vertical play to the door, that is, with the door open lift the door gently. If there is a noticeable movement up and down, then you may have a worn pin or pins that are causing the alignment problem. Check to make sure that the hinges are solidly affixed and if so, then you definitely have a worn hinge. Although it is difficult to find new hinges, you might need to replace one or both. On Chevy's it is a known problem and parts stores sell new hinge pin inserts to fix this. This is an often overlooked problem, so check this first before you dismount the door or start adjusting the latch etc. 2. If the hinges are in good condition and there is no vertical play, check your weatherstripping. I know of a case where a guy filled the cavity in his weatherstripping with silicone in order to get a "tight" seal. Unfortunately, it also increased the thickness of the gasket and made it almost impossible to close the door without a hydraulic ram. He finally replace the weatherstrip. Check to make sure that the weatherstripping is mounted properly on the lip of the door opening, also the rubber splash guard on the front part of the door just above the hinges. Check the lower weatherstrip on the under lip of the door. Any one of these could cause the door to shut hard. 3. If both the above are ok, check to see where the latch is striking the striker plate. The striker plate is on the door frame and the latch is on the door. Both must line up in order to catch. The latch on the door has countersunk screws and hence is fixed in position. The striker plate on the door is the major adjustment item. It can be positioned along the 4 axis on each of the screws. Close the door, if the door exterior is not flush with the rear quarter panel skin, then you need to move the striker plate in (towards the seat for a protruding door edge) and out (for a sunken door skin). If the door is difficult to close AND the handle is hard to operate, check the bottom of the striker plate to make sure that it isn't inclined too far inward in relation to the top of the plate. That is, the door latches, and the skin lines up, but it feels as you are forcing the door to close and forcing the handle to open, then the bottom part of the latch is stressing the latch, Loosen the screws, and WITHOUT moving the top part of the plate, adjust the lower portion of the plate outwards. Align and retry.

If the door latches but springs back when slammed the bottom of the striker plate is probably out too far. This appears to be a half-way latch, and only the safety position has been achieved. If when closing the door, there is a noticeable thunk, and when opening the door the door seems to "DROP", then the striker plate is set too high. The reverse occurs when the plate is too low, although in this instance the door usually will not latch. If you find that you have to move the door within it's opening, then it gets a little more complicated. In a nutshell; you need to remove the electrical components attached to the kick panels, remove the kick panels, and preferably with a jack supporting the door, or a friend, loosen the hinge bolts located behind the kick panels and adjust the door to fit. It makes it easier to remove the striker plate mechanism in order to ensure a good fit. DO NOT remove the hinges from the door, or loosen these bolts unless there is a problem with the hinge. The hinge pins must be PARALLEL and IN LINE to work properly, and it is too easy to get these out of line and introduce serious stress to the door. Sorry for the length, but hope it covered your question and options. Enrique Scanlon

i knew i had it saved some where ...

that Enrique is one smart guy ... heck of a nice guy too !!!

i take no credit for his sound advise ... just passing it along ...

if you find any of this advise helpful ...

thank Enrique, not me ... it's his hard work and advise not mine ...

regards and good luck, wayne

[waynekarnes]

Carl ... ha ha ... you know that i type two words a minute ....

i started the message a week ago .... ....

bumpers ??? job ??? meet me off line ..

[green_machine]

Thanks all for the information. Unfortunatly, I have not been able to take a look at it due to school, work, infinite amount of musquitos(due to the four hurricanes we got hit by), and good surf. But now the waves have died down and I have about 5 bottles of OFF! by my side so I am ready to go.I'll try to reply back once I take a quick look at it. Also, where would I be able to buy a new seal in case I do rip the exsisting one?

Thanks.

[green_machine]

Update: Well it seems like I am stuck in a rut. It looks like someone before me went inside the door but they stripped the middle screw on the armrest. It looks like they just barely got it on. So when I started to try and unscrew it it just stripped completely. It won't budge at all no matter what size screwdriver I use. So now I am just left here thinking.

[Ed]

Ahhh yes, the old stripped screw deal. Some of these screws were a combination 10mm hex head with the phillips others were just the phillips head. Sounds like you have just the phillips. Take a 1/4" or 3/8" drill bit and drill in the center of the screw. Becarful you only want to remove the head of the screw. Once the head comes off and you get the rest of the door disassembled you will be able to remove the rest of the screw with a either a pair of vice grips or pliers. Make sure when you buy a replacement that it's metric. I think it's a 6X1.00.

[Bambikiller240]

On the other hand, you can just remove the other screws that secure the armrest to the door. Then, while pulling (gently) on the armrest toward yourself with one hand, begin unscrewing the screw with a screwdriver held in the other hand.

More than likely it is the door itself that is stripped rather than the screw.