Glove box doesn't want to stay closed (1 Viewer)

[Reckless]

I'm installing my new one later today so I'm selling my old one as well (dark grey color from 2009).

 

[umarali]

did you try to spray WD40 or degreaser in there? maybe just some dirt tainted the grease in there. From the picture someone posted when took apart i can tell dirt could be the culprit,

 

[cruiseroutfit]

In the interest of time I picked up a complete door too. If anyone needs a spare to test with, mine is for sale

Yeah, so that was a pain. Swapping the glove box door includes pulling the passenger lower airbag and a bunch of trim. They do have glove box lift assist

 

[cruiseroutfit]

My old door is going to go in the trash unless anyone would like it? You cover shipping and it's yours. Lmk

 

[DecreedIt]

Bump - happened to me today - 2008 was at the shop outside overnight got a bit cool/cold - the in-door latch mechanism got stuck open. Used the house key on my keychain to pry it back out, popped pretty easy, seems like the spring is old and weak and/or gummed up/dirty. Wondering if anyone had success with the repair or cleaning. Looking at the effort required to replace the door - not interested.

 

[CSteppe82]

@DecreedIt same year. Same problem. I have tried everything. I finally bought two sided Velcro and attached one side to back of door and the other to the glove compartment housing. It seems to hold and no longer opens on its own

 

[Ratchey]

I ended up drilling two holes in the back side of the door. One in the center over the bolt and one to the right over the spring.
I used compressed air and blew out everything I could. Then took some plastic safe spray cleaner (for electronics or something I had in my collection) and really sprayed it out trying to clean up the dust and lint that had collected on the center bolt mechanism and gummed it up. Then I sprayed silicon lubricant spray on the center section and a little bit around where the tabs are that hold the door shut. I pulled the spring out but it seemed fine. The door works a lot better and stays closed but I don't think it is a permanent fix.
I do carry a small pair of needle nosed pliers in the glove box in case the tabs get stuck again.

 

[ga12r1]

My mother is having the issue with the glovebox on her 09 LC. She ordered a new door and I'm going to replace it for her. Can anyone point me to the procedure for removal/replacmnet of the glovebox door? I've searched but come up with nothing. Thanks!

 

[c0leyjas0n]

I superglued slim magnets above the corner contact points. Gives it just little more oompfh to stay closed. Since these doors are pretty light it's held up.

 

[BamaAnt]

I have a 2009 LX570 and have been frustrated with this issue for quite some time. Thanks to the posts here I decided to dig a little further into this issue. My first thought was to disassemble the halves of the door and heavily lubricate, but the above post about heating up the door was a no go for me. So I decided to move on to the next option, a small discrete hole in the middle of the door. I used a 1/4 inch drill bit, directly in the middle of the inside panel of the door. Upon drilling the hole and looking inside I saw a Phillips screw head. I loosened the screw about 3 turns, pulled the stuck latch to the extended position and while pushing and pulling the latch continued losing the screw until it moved freely in and out on its on. Once I was able to get the latch moving freely I just slowly tightened the screw until I was satisfied with the resistance. Worked like an absolute charm. No expensive new door, no heat and just a small hole on the inside of the door that will never be noticed. I hope this helps anyone else with this issue. Total time, 10 minutes to perfect fix.

 

[BamaAnt]

A small hole in the middle and a philips screw driver can repair it. I bought a new door so I tore the old one apart.

This is the fix. I added to my post above showing the location of the screw. Your post gave me the information and confidence to try it. Thanks!

 

[golfer2000]

Tore apart a glove box door to find out the issue. Looks like lint and the old grease causes it to gum up. Can't disassemble unless you have lots of time and energy to heat the door up so the sonic weld would come apart.

View attachment 1380887

View attachment 1380888

Do you have any better pics of the mechanism in the center? Trying to figure out what's going on inside of there.

 

[ikoinu]

Netjunky (thread starter) posted this on the last page.

 

[golfer2000]

Netjunky (thread starter) posted this on the last page.
View attachment 3578458

Thanks. I guess what I was trying to figure out is what goes wrong with these?

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

I have a 2009 LX570 and have been frustrated with this issue for quite some time. Thanks to the posts here I decided to dig a little further into this issue. My first thought was to disassemble the halves of the door and heavily lubricate, but the above post about heating up the door was a no go for me. So I decided to move on to the next option, a small discrete hole in the middle of the door. I used a 1/4 inch drill bit, directly in the middle of the inside panel of the door. Upon drilling the hole and looking inside I saw a Phillips screw head. I loosened the screw about 3 turns, pulled the stuck latch to the extended position and while pushing and pulling the latch continued losing the screw until it moved freely in and out on its on. Once I was able to get the latch moving freely I just slowly tightened the screw until I was satisfied with the resistance. Worked like an absolute charm. No expensive new door, no heat and just a small hole on the inside of the door that will never be noticed. I hope this helps anyone else with this issue. Total time, 10 minutes to perfect fix.

View attachment 3498187

View attachment 3498188

View attachment 3498189

Thanks for this info. Having the door refuse to close during freezing temps has been a real pain.

To add to this thread - For anyone afraid of drilling a hole, no worries. Adding a small rubber grommet will make it look good as new afterward. I used a 3/8" drill and capped it off with a grommet from this assortment:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08CCVLG2Y

 

[08JDMCruiser]

Same issue just happened to mine, also a 2008.

Before I start drilling, just wondering how hard is everyone yanking at the plunger with their pliers? Mine doesn't seem to want to move at all, seems like it's caught on something internally. Not sure if I want to apply more pressure and risk breaking the mechanism inside. Thanks1

 

[jerji]

Same issue just happened to mine, also a 2008.

Before I start drilling, just wondering how hard is everyone yanking at the plunger with their pliers? Mine doesn't seem to want to move at all, seems like it's caught on something internally. Not sure if I want to apply more pressure and risk breaking the mechanism inside. Thanks1

This worked like a charm. 30 second fix. you only need a 6-8mm hole. Kudos to the people who worked this out

 

[08JDMCruiser]

This worked like a charm. 30 second fix. you only need a 6-8mm hole. Kudos to the people who worked this out

Thanks for confirming! I just ended up applying a bit of pressure with the needlenose pliers and they just came out. They work well enough as is..

 

[spencurai]

Just did the drill hole thing. Worked like a charm. Wife’s LX570 glovebox door is back functioning perfectly. Thank you Internet people!

 

[LCMemphis]

I ended up drilling two holes in the back side of the door. One in the center over the bolt and one to the right over the spring.
I used compressed air and blew out everything I could. Then took some plastic safe spray cleaner (for electronics or something I had in my collection) and really sprayed it out trying to clean up the dust and lint that had collected on the center bolt mechanism and gummed it up. Then I sprayed silicon lubricant spray on the center section and a little bit around where the tabs are that hold the door shut. I pulled the spring out but it seemed fine. The door works a lot better and stays closed but I don't think it is a permanent fix.
I do carry a small pair of needle nosed pliers in the glove box in case the tabs get stuck again.

Hey Ratchey..I tried drilling a hole as well in the midpoint, about 1" up from the edge but no luck finding the bolt. Can you kindly provide exact dimensions of where you located your drill hole? THanks...