Bouncing doors

[oldwaterman]

Sometimes a door won't latch shut properly, just bounces back, a harder slam usually does it but..... Seems to affect the passenger door more than driver's side. Am wondering if this is a mechanical or electrical issue. When the door latches properly the window then loses up so electrics are involved, but in the initial latch close would I be right in thinking that to be wholly mechanical, so might just be a matter of lock mechanism lubrication?

 

[midlifecrisis]

Slowly close the door and check the mechanical alignment of the doors. Check that the door latch isn't in the 'closed' position.

Normally, when you go to open the door, you squeeze the handle slightly and the window should drop a few centrimetres, (or an inch in C of E). you then grip tight and pull the door open. The locking mechanism on the door has a lever and when open should be open and well to receive the bar on the chassis. If this is closed the bar on the chassis will not allow the door to close. Check that this is operating first. A squirt of WD40 or similar should loosen this up.

You can simulate this with a screwdriver shaft on the mechanism it should move freely, especially if lubricated. Let us know how you got on.

 

[Gazcw]

Clearly it used to happen to mine on both sides. But that was shutting the door on seatbelt clips.

A bit of wd40 to loosen it up and then wipe and spray of white grease should resolve the stickiness.. I assume your window is dropped properly?

 

[Zep]

Sometimes a door won't latch shut properly, just bounces back, a harder slam usually does it but..... Seems to affect the passenger door more than driver's side. Am wondering if this is a mechanical or electrical issue. When the door latches properly the window then loses up so electrics are involved, but in the initial latch close would I be right in thinking that to be wholly mechanical, so might just be a matter of lock mechanism lubrication?

It certainly sounds like the right place to start. The actual latching is mechanical, then the latching triggers a micro switch to move the window.

For the coupe, the process is as above for the GT but the handle is different.

 

[oldwaterman]

Thanks all. Liberal squirting with WD40 seems to have effected an improvement. Window dropping and closure all OK. I could see that the previous owner had the driver's door card off at some point and wondered if there was some hidden history.

This is all very minor stuff compared with my timing chain tensioner failure and consequences for the bottom end, oil pump etc etc. Guess I was rabbit in headlights at the time, getting over it now.

 

[midlifecrisis]

Thanks all. Liberal squirting with WD40 seems to have effected an improvement. Window dropping and closure all OK. I could see that the previous owner had the driver's door card off at some point and wondered if there was some hidden history.

This is all very minor stuff compared with my timing chain tensioner failure and consequences for the bottom end, oil pump etc etc. Guess I was rabbit in headlights at the time, getting over it now.

Good stuff. The door card was probably off for a window regulator, they have history of failing at some point. You might want to use the WD40 on the boot latch too.

 

[Oneball]

Thanks all. Liberal squirting with WD40 seems to have effected an improvement. Window dropping and closure all OK. I could see that the previous owner had the driver's door card off at some point and wondered if there was some hidden history.

This is all very minor stuff compared with my timing chain tensioner failure and consequences for the bottom end, oil pump etc etc. Guess I was rabbit in headlights at the time, getting over it now.

I must have missed that, Ive not heard of tensioners failing on a 4200 before?

 

[CatmanV2]

Worth checking the plastic sleeves over the striker bar are not damaged / worn. I recall this was an issue.

C

 

[oldwaterman]

I must have missed that, Ive not heard of tensioners failing on a 4200 before?

Was advised that the replacement's backing was made of better grade plastic than the original.

 

[Oneball]

Oooh very BMW M62, at least with those you don’t usually need to take the engine out.

Did it do any damage or just collecting bits of plastic?

 

[oldwaterman]

If it was just the tensioners then not an engine out job. Theory is that the plastic piece(s) broke off, gravity took over and on way to sump got wedged between piston skirt and little crankcase oil spray jets, they broke off, found their way past mesh filter(s) at oil pump and mangled it, braking its casing. This all happened a couple of miles from home, engine warming up, ticking over, stationary at traffic lights, unwelcome appearance of smoke and oil puddle on the road.

 

[Oneball]

Jeez, that’s about as unlucky as it gets!

 

[oldwaterman]

Indeed, an extremely rare failure mode, thought at first to be unique but seemingly I'm not the first, maybe the second.

 

[shabwon]

Indeed, an extremely rare failure mode, thought at first to be unique but seemingly I'm not the first, maybe the second.

What sort of mileage have these been failing at ?
Perhaps replace them beforehand if they are failing at similar mileage

 

[oldwaterman]

In my case only 30k, but as the particular consequence in my case was especially unusual I wouldn't be worrying about it.

 

[midlifecrisis]

This is a very rare occurrence, think of the 1000s of engines based on this architecture. From Ferrari 430 to 458s, from Maserati 4200 right up to today's GT and QPs. Even in V12 form, I bet they use the same tensioner. All high output engines, many thrashed on race tracks.