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I was on here a week or so ago with a rear door latch switch that showed door closed all the time. I found out why and it's fixed now. Here's the scoop:
I had pulled the latchworks entirely out of the door, so I could fully free up every part of it that was stiff. (Lock button wouldn't even go up and down.)
I'd recommend pulling apart to get at it, as you can really move the parts through their paces while freely lubing with penetrant. Then lube up with something substantial that won't evaporate or drain or wash away quickly. But it is kind of elaborate, and things can go wrong, as follows:
The first time, I didn't have my eyes open enough and made a mistake on reassembly. There's a little finger out of the latch strike plate that moves in an arc, and it should run in an arc-shaped slot in a spring-loaded nylon arm in the latch itself. That nylon arm has a magnet on its end. That magnet tells the blue reed switch if the latch is open or closed.
When I bolted the strike plate back on the door I failed to get that long finger into the slot in the nylon arm, and the arm was staying put.
To disassemble door you need a good quality T-40 Torx to pull the three big bolts on the strike plate. (They are expensive, another reason to just spray lube while all is assembled and skip this post.) There's a tiny Torx screw under the strike plate that holds the latch works in, and also a 10mm headed bolt down on the inside of the door. (You need the inner door upholstery panel off first of course, and the foam plastic liner cut free of its urethane glue where it's attached to the door.)
You also un-clip the plastic clip holding the lock button linkage to the latch works, and pull the link out. And a similar clip up inside the door holding the interior latch handle's link rod to the latch. Also, two electrical connectors, one for the said latch sensor switch, one for the lock-unlock actuator.
You can leave the outer door handle on the car if you properly engage with it on reassembly. But it also has lubing needs, mainly the nylon roller that pulls on the latch works. It comes off with two 10mm headed bolts, one in end of door, one (or maybe that's a nut?) inside the door.
All above undone, the latch works twists and comes out, actuator still attached.
The latch mechanism has several high-friction moving parts with lots of sliding action. And even where the action is rotational, the bearing faces are broad and on both sides. All was of phosphate-finished steel, somewhat corroded, though not exactly rusty; most of it was very stiff. This isn't exactly quality design in my book as it's guaranteed to need serious maintenance input late in life.
Once I thought everything was free enough with the usual spray lubes, I ended up as final lube using chain saw bar-and-chain lube, which is sticky and tenacious, sort of between motor oil and STP in consistency. And I worked every joint a lot to make sure it was getting into things.
On putting it back together you first put the latch works back in, little screw at tip, M6 bolt at bottom. If you didn't pull the outer door handle, make sure it engages correctly with the latch works. Then you pretty much need to tip the latch jaw fully closed, on the strike plate piece. This moves the little pin I mentioned up to the top of its arc. Then as you put it onto the door you might need to reach in and move the little nylon arm just a tad (not easy), to make sure the pin from the latch goes into the top of its slot. (Make sure before closing the door that you unlatch the latch works, and AT SAME TIME pry the latching jaw down to fully open again.)
Not noticing the need to fit the pin into the nylon arm the first time I tackled this, the pin had sort of mangled the nylon, but it wasn't broken and I reshaped it to work fine.
I also reached in and spread SAE 30 motor oil on the friction faces on the center rib where the window raising mechanism slides up and down, plus wiped it liberally onto the window raising cable. Then I ran the window thru its paces several times. I haven't put the inner panel back on yet and I'm considering doing as someone suggested on here, putting silicone on the window felt channels. But I'm a little leery of silicone getting out onto the glass. Guess it's easy enough to clean if so.
I didn't consider popping window motor out and lubing it - - should I?
posted by 71.241.200...
, Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:16:06
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