door latching problem?

[Greg White]

My driver side door is having a problem latching. Which side do I adjust to fix, door or boby? Thanks in advance, Greg White
(1984 911)

[Greg White]

Caution, always spell before posting. that should have been Door or BODY side. Thanks again, Greg White

[JMPRO]

Greg, you most likly need to adjust the catch on the body, but first make sure all you need is to lube the latch on the door . The catch on the door frame can be loosened with an allen wrench but you should really use the torks bit as the allen wrench will most likely strip out the bolt head. mark around the catch where it is now so you have a referance as to how far you move it. A little goes a long way, so move small amounts at a time. When you tighten the catch down you really have to lean on the wrench so that the door does'nt bump it out of place after a few slams. good luck
Jerry

[Greg White]

Thanks Jerry, I was afraid of that, because the bolts already looked striped. I may have to drill them out. Where can I get replacement bolts? Any Ideas? Greg

[fred cook]

Greg,

Before you go ballistic on the door striker bolts, check the large phillips head screws that hold the latch to the door. If they are loose, you will have trouble closing the door. Use a large phillips head bit in a socket/ratchet and snug them down "firmly".

Good Luck!

Fred Cook
'80 911SC Coupe

[JMPRO]

Greg,
they may just look stripped because they are a 12 point allen type head. Get a 8mm 12 point internal wrench{s/b avail at local pep boys or such} and give it a try.New bolts s/b avail from local porsche dealer or check w/ our host. Many of those bolts got abused by not using the proper wrench. Good luck.
Jerry

[crashmy911]

Mine wasn't closing right so I took the door apart, and went to the dealer and asked how much for a new latch. I think it was around 200 bucks. So I took the latch soaked it in oil and put it back in and it worked fine. Make sure it just dose'nt need to be lubricated. By the way to get to the latch you have to take the whole door apart what a pain!!!

[Greg White]

Thanks for the help! I'm on my way to pep boys for a tool purchase. Greg

[Sean Hamilton]

Hmm, from my experience door latching issues on older cars are a symptom - the actual cause is usually the hinges (worn) - not the latch.
You could end up chasing your tail - realigning the latch to an out of whack door fit?
I'd check the hinges first - door fit panel gaps - has the door dropped a wee bit? Does it move up and down on the hinge pins?
A temp fix is to pack between the hinge plate and door with gasket paper to elevate the door back up to realign with the latch.
I think Wayne may have covered this topic more or less in his 101 book?

[rs6er]

Originally posted by fred cook
Greg,

Before you go ballistic on the door striker bolts, check the large phillips head screws that hold the latch to the door. If they are loose, you will have trouble closing the door. Use a large phillips head bit in a socket/ratchet and snug them down "firmly".

Good Luck!

Fred Cook
'80 911SC Coupe

My Phillips bolts keep loosening. Is it possible that the part they screw into is stripped? If so, what do I need to replace?
John
81 911 SC Coupe

[ianc]

My Phillips bolts keep loosening.

You really need an impact driver to get those babies tight. A simple Phillips head screwdriver is not going to cut it...

ianc

[rs6er]

What about Loctite?