Doors don't shut unless slammed, any ideas?

[modmonster2008]

Hey guys, I noticed that the doors on my MK3 don't shut like any other mk3 supra i have ever driven or been in. Usually the doors just need a good push and it latches itself on the door striker piece, but my doors i have to slam them really well just for them to shut. Mind you not though I have good non-saggy hinges on my doors, and the alignment of the latch and the stiker are pretty straight and dont seem to cause any problems hitting when the doors close. can anybody shine some light on any adjustments or parts i may need to replace? thanks

 

[IndigoMKII]

Never really taken a good look at the door jams and such but is there rubber bump stops on the doors? Could have one of those adjusted out way too far.

 

[atmperformance]

does lifting up on your door negate the need to slam it?

 

[Nick M]

Well, you have a car that is more than 20 years old. And I have never had a Supra whose doors were lightweight and shut with minimal force.

 

[Silver MK3]

I guess I am used to my doors, but I have noticed that other people always seem to need a few tries to get the door to close all the way. Does the door close any easier with the window down?

 

[Doat]

I've noticed that it takes more force than modern cars to close my doors but I like closing the heavy door of an MK3 feels solid like a tank.

 

[hvyman]

The door is far heavier than a modern day door. Also longer as well.

My guess is it needs adjustment. Might be a little off. My 88 used to sag. Got better hinges and adjusted it and closed smoothly. Before is sucked. My 89 drivers door does not close as smooth as passengers. My 91 both doors close super easy. But it's low mikes and hasn't been driven in a long time.

 

[Doat]

I've noticed that it takes more force than modern cars to close my doors but I like closing the heavy door of an MK3 feels solid like a tank.

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

Check the alignment and placement of the striker. If the doors sag, there will be wear along the top of the striker. It's fairly easy to spot.

Also check that your door latch mechanism is well lubricated. Some white lithium grease in the door latch mechanism can help things out.

Both my cars now have doors that close easily. The '89 needed new hinges at one point. The doors are heavy. The little pegs that the targa models get really seems to help things in the door hinge department, since I tend to see door sag with hardtops more than with targas.

 

[modmonster2008]

My doors don't sag when they are opened, nor can I lift them up at the back end as the door hinges on both doors have already been replaced. the mechanism is aligned with the door striker it sits right in the middle of the opening so I know that it shouldn't be hitting against the striker when closing, Im really stumped here I know that it takes more force to shut the doors on these cars compared to the lighter doors on modern cars, but it should still close solid and not need another open and close with a heavy force to it :|

 

[modmonster2008]

Silver MK3: The door does shut reasonably easier when the windows are down. I am aware that with the windows up there is pressure build up in the cabin when the glass hits the seal, however there are times where I shut the doors, more likely the passenger door, and it will latch into the door striker, but will not fully lock onto it if that makes sense.

 

[MNBmk3T]

My 89 driver's door sags a bit. Though I have 320,000KMs on my car (~195,000 miles) so that may have something to do with it. My passenger door, however, is a lot better. Even then it does sag a tiny bit though.

I'm sure with new hinges and a bit of adjustment, this common problem on our cars can be fixed.

 

[supraguy@aol]

sounds to me like the actual latch mechanism isn't locking onto the door. do as stated above, and spray a liberal amount of lube inside the mechanism inside the rear edge of the doors.

 

[Silver MK3]

Silver MK3: The door does shut reasonably easier when the windows are down. I am aware that with the windows up there is pressure build up in the cabin when the glass hits the seal, however there are times where I shut the doors, more likely the passenger door, and it will latch into the door striker, but will not fully lock onto it if that makes sense.

Yeah I know what you mean. I was just thinking your window may be way out of alignment causing it to much harder to close. What everyone else is suggesting is much more likely though I believe.

 

[modmonster2008]

I checked the alignment on the window especially for the passenger side door, it seems like the top corner always hits the rubber seal first before the rest of the door starts to meet the striker, Ive done various adjustments to the window alignment but it seems like it never wants to sit straight closer to how the driver side glass meets the seal. is there a fix to this?

 

[Bmettie]

Sounds like you need to adjust your striker a tad closer to the door

Then make sure the glass is aligned