I did a quick search for the topic but did not find anything quickly so sorry if this has already been answered. I previously posted about an ongoing issue regarding air gap between passenger window and passenger-side quarter window and mostly believe that this can be dealt with by the various window adjustments. However I also noticed the closing of the passenger door has a different sound than the driver's door (basically the latch sound is much quieter and almost non-existent compared with the driver's side). I recall that someone (tberg?) once a time mentioned that they were able to improve the window closure situation by adjusting the door latch basically "pulling" the door more into the car.

I could not find such a latch adjustment in the JTIS and to me it is obvious you can move and adjust the striker piece that is bolted to the car body. I was thinking about doing this but are there any specific procedures and anything to beware of?

Thanks,

Doug

 

Before moving anything, you should determine whether the door has sagged or not.

If the latch has to ride up on the striker, the door has likely sagged.

The most likely cause would be worn hinge pins or bushings.

 

No obvious signs that there is any sag in the door. Seems to line up straight at least in the vertical sense when looking at the rear lines of the door versus lines of the body.

Doug

 

It's not obvious when the door is actually latched. What you feel for is the movement just as the striker raises the door in the final stages of closing the door. That's presuming there is a problem of course. Since the passenger door seems ok, you have a basis for comparison.

The other way is to feel for a drop just as the door comes away from the latch.

 

If you sit on the ground facing the door as you open and close it you will be able to see if it moves up or down as you open and close it. You could also measure it, but you should be able to see even a slight difference with your naked eye.

If the door is not sagging, then you need to do something with the window adjustment, not the door. Good luck.

 

^^

It becomes even more obvious if a piece of masking tape is laid horizontally across the gap then slit through the gap with a razor to allow the door to open without disturbing the tape.

 

Hey Doug,
I was able to close the gap a bit by moving the strike plate connected to the body (not the door) in toward the interior slightly so that when the door closes the "female" catch on the door is drawn in more tightly.

 

Hey Ted--that is precisely what I thought you had mentioned in another post some time in the past. I just wanted to make sure that the adjustment of the strike plate was relatively easy and fool proof.

Thanks,

Doug