Hard to close rear drivers door (1 Viewer)

[bajaphile]

Tried searching, didn't find much.

My rear drivers door for some reason is hard to shut. I'm used to putting a certain amount of force into it, and now it is almost double that amount. I keep thinking I close it only to realize its only it its latched position, and not fully closed. Generally have to park, get out and really lean into it.

It started happening after a long dusty offroad trip about 2 months ago. Any ideas on where to check? I replaced the door lock actuator about a year ago, I checked the 3 Philips screws that hold the latch mechanism, nothing seems loose. Tried lubing all the visible parts. It just feels sticky and something is off.

 

[nukegoat]

Tried searching, didn't find much.

My rear drivers door for some reason is hard to shut. I'm used to putting a certain amount of force into it, and now it is almost double that amount. I keep thinking I close it only to realize its only it its latched position, and not fully closed. Generally have to park, get out and really lean into it.

It started happening after a long dusty offroad trip about 2 months ago. Any ideas on where to check? I replaced the door lock actuator about a year ago, I checked the 3 Philips screws that hold the latch mechanism, nothing seems loose. Tried lubing all the visible parts. It just feels sticky and something is off.

Door hinges might be tweaked - just slam it

 

[cietom]

Tried searching, didn't find much.

My rear drivers door for some reason is hard to shut. I'm used to putting a certain amount of force into it, and now it is almost double that amount. I keep thinking I close it only to realize its only it its latched position, and not fully closed. Generally have to park, get out and really lean into it.

It started happening after a long dusty offroad trip about 2 months ago. Any ideas on where to check? I replaced the door lock actuator about a year ago, I checked the 3 Philips screws that hold the latch mechanism, nothing seems loose. Tried lubing all the visible parts. It just feels sticky and something is off.

I'm still new to 80s, but on any other vehicle the door latch itself inside the door is usually non-adjustable and has a fixed position, so I assume here it's the same way.

It's possible that there is some build-up in the door latch itself, but if you lubricated it should have free'd that up. Short of taking out the door latch and cleaning it even more thoroughly, you can try to adjust the striker in the door jam outwards a bit to see if that helps. Used to fix issues on new cars a lot that way in my dealership days.

Hope that helps, I'll be trying that on my 80 soon since I have this same issue with the driver's front.

 

[BILT4ME]

Hard to latch as in you have to push harder or as in just won't latch?

I think there's a plastic piece on the jaw inside the latch that has to be there to latch. Look at the one on the opposite side to confirm.