Door handle opener, Need a pointer here.... Options

[jim_hoyland]

I’m helping SB914 get his passenger door handle to work. The interior pull works fine; the exterior pull will not work unless I push in on the door first.
Took the handle out; it’s ok
There’s not a lot of adjustment for the mechanism and i’m Trying to not remove it.
Anyone else had this problem ?

[Elliot Cannon]

I have always considered the 914 door handles to be a week link in the chain. Keeping in mind this was an "entry level" Porsche with a lot of VW parts. I'm not sure what adjustments can be done. This isn't a problem I have experienced. The only advice I can give as far as door handle parts would be to take some time and clean them up good, then make sure everything is lubricated well. I do this once a year just as a preventive measure.
Cheers, Elliot

[914_teener]

Jim,

The handle looks to be very dirty. It needs to be cleaned or otherwise it will stick.

The striker plate....shown on the door is adjustable via the large screws in the jamb.

Others will chime in.

[914werke]

its been rebuilt. Notice that one side is a philips head the other still has a rivet~? not stock

[jdamiano]

Your door looks like it needs to be adjusted. Sounds like the latch isn’t lining up and it is binding.

[jim_hoyland]

Thanks for those tips: I’ll clean the handle anyway. With the handle out of the door, I have push against the door to get the arm (?) on the mechanism to move and open the door.
Will try loosiening the screws that hold the mech. To the door and see if it helps.

[BENBRO02]

Thanks for those tips: I’ll clean the handle anyway. With the handle out of the door, I have push against the door to get the arm (?) on the mechanism to move and open the door.
Will try loosiening the screws that hold the mech. To the door and see if it helps.

Please post the solution when you figure it out. I have the same problem.

[SirAndy]

Your door looks like it needs to be adjusted. Sounds like the latch isn’t lining up and it is binding.

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Sounds like the plate that is on the door jamb needs adjusting.

That's the only thing that would explain why you have to push the door in before it opens.
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[TravisNeff]

The door gap sure looks tight. Also, the door could be moved up a couple of mm to match the rear quarter. That might give you a little bit of wiggle room.

[TheCabinetmaker]

Not the handle. The latch on the door is dirty

[jim_hoyland]

Loosened and reset the catch on the door jamb, working 90% better . Gonna take a closer look at the door height

[Tom_T]

Your door looks like it needs to be adjusted. Sounds like the latch isn’t lining up and it is binding.

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First adjust the door at the hinges so you've got a good edges alignment at the top & bottom, as well as even gaps at front & rear.

2nd clean the handle & make sure it's operating properly then reinstall it (you may want to make sure that phillips screw is tight - it may have been rebuilt, or maybe just the rivet popped-off/broke & the PO fixed with the screw, which may not hold properly & be causing the problem (see replacement options below)).

3rd your can tweak the adjustment at the striker, after the handles & linkages are all in & adjusted properly, & after the door itself is adjusted properly at #1 & #2 for the handle.

If it still isn't working properly after all adjustment ends up being a defective outside handle, then SB914 may want to get either a new genuine or repro handle - & it looks like a new resto/repaint - so IMHO go original, since they're better for the money.

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Tom
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[bbrock]

There is good info in the factory manual on adjusting the striker and it wasn't intuitive to me so might be worth a look. Here are some screen grabs. Maybe they will help? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[bbrock]

Your door looks like it needs to be adjusted. Sounds like the latch isn’t lining up and it is binding.

And... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) Looks like the whole door needs to be lifted at the hinges. That alone might cure the binding.

[jim_hoyland]

Thanks Tom; Is there a trick to loosening the door hinges so the door can be moved up 1 -2 mm ? Seems like the weight could result in the door moving downward ?

[TravisNeff]

Loosen the 6 bolts at the front hinges and move the door up. A helper is probably necessary

[Larmo63]

The inside of the door latches work SO much better (like butter) when you take them out and really soak them in a degreaser. I used gasoline because I had it handy.

The mechanisms are fairly bomb proof inside the door, they just get dirty and mucked up.

[SirAndy]

Thanks Tom; Is there a trick to loosening the door hinges so the door can be moved up 1 -2 mm ? Seems like the weight could result in the door moving downward ?

Don't loosen the door hinges ...

The best and easiest way to move the rear of the door up a few mm is to open it about 1/4, grab it at the lower rear end and slowly pull it upward until it rests in the desired location.

The only time you need to loosen the door hinges is if the front top of the door triangle does not fit in the top/windshield seal, either being too low or too high.

I bet your door is the correct height in the front but sagging in the rear (most of them do) and simply lifting it up in the rear (slowly) will bring it back to where it needs to be.
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[rhodyguy]

How hard is it to turn the latching piece by hand?

[SirAndy]

Where is the rubber block that should be on the latch plate? Is the block there on the other side? The plate assem itself looks dif than the one in the manual pictures.

The rubber block is on the jamb part, not the door part ...
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