Putting door handles back in… locking from inside needs a really hard press, is that normal?

[tvmaster]

Just as the title says - after putting the door handles back in, I really have to press down hard to achieve a lock from inside using the interior lock. Locking with the key doesn’t seem to be a problem. Can the door lock button be adjusted somehow, or doesnthe pawl position matter, or is the door lock rubbing against something? Eyeballing the mechanism doesn’t appear to give any clues…or are they always a hard press to lock?

 

[Dr.Jeff]

It shouldn't be too hard to push down the interior lock button at the top rear corner of the door (if that's what you are referring to). Especially since the (exterior) key lock isn't difficult. If it is then I suspect something is not right and damage may quickly result (there's several fragile pieces in these mechanisms). Perhaps the first thing is to make sure everything is assembled correctly and aligned properly. When the whole assembly was out did it get thoroughly cleaned and inspected? Old dry grease will make stuff stiff to move. Something might be binding. Looking from the inside with the door card removed, do any of the rods bow when you activate things? They should not. Also make sure all of the connection/articulation points are well lubed. Closely check all of the plastic joint pieces; they get very hard, brittle and nasty.

 

[Dr.Jeff]

I also seem to recall you had issues with the little "pawl" on yours? The pawl is part of this mechanism, so if you did one of the modifications to repair a broken pawl then that might be binding.

 

[tvmaster]

I also seem to recall you had issues with the little "pawl" on yours? The pawl is part of this mechanism, so if you did one of the modifications to repair a broken pawl then that might be binding.

Amazingly, the interior rod/gear mechanism needed plenty o’lube. Once it was re-greased, and plunged up and down 30 times, everything started to free-up again. Solved

 

[tvmaster]

That was the passenger door. Now the driver’s door handle:
It needed a few tweaks of rotating the pawl socket so the locking mechanism would actually lock/open.
However, when opening the door, there isn’t a nice, definable “click”, with the door popping open on its own - the door has to be pulled open. I’ve been tweaking all day but can’t solve this one.
Any ideas? Key turns, locks, interior lock works fine too. Just seems like the ‘open’ mechanism is lacking thrust.

 

[kmead]

That was the passenger door. Now the driver’s door handle:
It needed a few tweaks of rotating the pawl socket so the locking mechanism would actually lock/open.
However, when opening the door, there isn’t a nice, definable “click”, with the door popping open on its own - the door has to be pulled open. I’ve been tweaking all day but can’t solve this one.
Any ideas? Key turns, locks, interior lock works fine too. Just seems like the ‘open’ mechanism is lacking thrust.

I suspect with the manipulation of the locks, the door card and the plastic insert the lock button rides in was misaligned causing friction. Your lubrication and repetitive motion wore them into each other or caused the subtle misalignments to to come back into alignment.

The ‘pop’ open is really a function of the interaction of the door to the seals. The rotating pawl if it is binding can hold the door closed which is what you are describing.

When you close or open the door is there vertical movement of the door relative to the opening? As in the rotating pawl is lifting the door end as you close it and the door end drops as you open it. There is a minor amount of adjustment of the lock in the door but much more adjustment of the pin in the door opening.

What are you seeing?

 

[Dr.Jeff]

I'm with Karl, the driver's door sounds more like a door alignment issue than a lock/handle issue. In addition to his excellent suggestions, make sure the hinges are clean, lubed, and aligned correctly. Also check that the weatherseal isn't causing too much (or too little) pressure against the door.

 

[tvmaster]

good ideas, thanks guys. The weatherstrip is the same in both doors. Hinges seem good, well anchored and lubed. Door is straight in frame, and doesn’t appear to drop when open. The interior latch, however, doesn’t seem to have the same spring as the passenger side does. Also, the part which keeps the door open isn’t very robust. What’s that called again?
As Carl said, the pawl‘s adjustment is very suspect in the driver’s door. I had to tweak it a few times just to get it to lock/unlock properly. And there’s only so many times you can mess with that thing before it grates in you. lol

 

[Dr.Jeff]

The open door holder is often called a "door check strap" or couple other terms. Look to see if the heavy wire part of it is bent, broken, or hanging up in the plastic block. And lube it. It might be possible that is getting caught up and keeping the door from operating properly.

If all else seems good then double check the latching mechanism portion of the door handle (the part that extends out the end of the door). Try latching and unlatching it with the door open; it is difficult to do so you might need the assistance of a tool to help lever it up and down. Compare it to the other door. It should move rather freely without sticking. Clean and lube it while you are in there. One more thing to look at is the plastic/metal receptacle that latch interfaces with on the door post. They also get beat up and could potentially cause an issue. Compare it to the other one. It's position is adjustable to align correctly with the latch on the door.

 

[tvmaster]

Figured it out. The door latch on the outside of the door was grabbing on the latch receptacle on the inside frame. Backed out the receptacle’s screws a few turns, and voila, the door opens easily. I’m going to need a couple of those metal shims that go behind the receptacle on the frame. I sat on the ground and slowly opened and closed the door, and could feel it grabbing, something I didn’t sense standing upright. A flashlight let me see the two pieces rubbing on each other. Solved
Also, when examined very, very closely, the door does ‘drop’ about 6mm when opened. The drop is inside the door frame behind the hinge, so not much can be done about that, correct?