This is another one of those common issues that, when I searched, all I found were a thread or two that said "adjusting the door is simple, all you do is.....1., 2., 3., etc".
While these are extremely helpful, I felt a couple of photos would help. I guess I am more visually oriented... or as my wife tells me... you like the books with pictures.... (let's all agree to leave that one alone!...
)...
So here's what I did. Again, not rocket science, but I think it might take the fear out of the process for a couple of folks and perhaps save them some money in the process. It's tedious work, but not difficult. What is tedious?.. simply the movements of a fraction of an inch to see a result. Try. Repeat. etc. Until the door closes perfectly. Here are the details and picks....
So first thing... get the gill panel off the car. You all saw this on my car if you read my radar detector install (8500ci in the GTS). Be sure to keep the shims in place. I simply put the bolts back in until I put the panel back. The shims will vary by car and will give you the right gap to the door panel.
Below is a tighter shot of the door hinge bolts. There are four. Two close to the center line of the hinge and slightly forward of the other (outer) two. You will loosen three and leave one "snug" but loose enough to allow the door to pivot. Which three? It varies based on what adjustment you need on the door. In my case the door was only sagging a small amount. Only hitting the weather strip on the lower back of the gap but not up the pillar/latch area. In short, I simply needed to raise the back of the door a hair. I would guess, this is the same issue most everyone has. However, check first, think it through.
Before you loosen anything you must support the door's weight. I went the floor jack route.
I placed the jack there and raised it a fraction of an inch more. I am talking about an 1/8 of an inch of upward pressure... no more. I then put some tape on the hinge as a reference point. By putting this there, as I moved the hinge up or down, I could see how the gap to the tape changed. This is how I taped it.
I then went onto loosening the bolts. In my case I needed to keep the door's front to back position the same. So I decided to pivot on the second bolt from the top. The bolt that would give me the best point to pivot while limiting the front to back movement is the second bolt because I wanted to keep the gap to the front taped mark as close as possible. This would be the vertical tape. I wanted to add a small gap to the lower (angled) tape line.
1) I loosened the two bottom bolts first and the topmost bolt last. These three I left tight enough that the door could move but snug enough to make sure the heads of the bolts contact the hinge.
2) I then slightly loosened the second bolt from the top. I want to keep some tension here. This way the door movement can be controlled.
3) I raised the jack a fraction of an inch. At best, 1/8 of an inch further up. I then go back and tightened the bolts.
4) Released the jack and test the door. SLOWLY close it to check for rubs, the latch, ect. If it does not work perfectly, bring the jack back, take the weight off the door (as mentioned above the photos), go back to the beginning and adjust the door again.
I basically keep doing this (sometimes going up, sometimes down) until I get it right. Check the tape constantly. It took me about 6 or 7 attempts to get it right. I did not have to adjust the window at all. In the end, the gap increased about 1/32" on the angled lower mark. On the vertical tape there is, obviously a tiny gap on the lower part and no gap at the top of the vertical tape. Yes, it is that little.
The bottom line... take your time. Make adjustments in very small increments. Test a great deal. Remember to check the window gap as well. Be patient and it's not a big deal.
Once you are done... make sure to double check the bolts to make sure they are tight, put the panels back, your done.
Again... hope the photos and descriptions help...
While these are extremely helpful, I felt a couple of photos would help. I guess I am more visually oriented... or as my wife tells me... you like the books with pictures.... (let's all agree to leave that one alone!...
)...So here's what I did. Again, not rocket science, but I think it might take the fear out of the process for a couple of folks and perhaps save them some money in the process. It's tedious work, but not difficult. What is tedious?.. simply the movements of a fraction of an inch to see a result. Try. Repeat. etc. Until the door closes perfectly. Here are the details and picks....
So first thing... get the gill panel off the car. You all saw this on my car if you read my radar detector install (8500ci in the GTS). Be sure to keep the shims in place. I simply put the bolts back in until I put the panel back. The shims will vary by car and will give you the right gap to the door panel.
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
Below is a tighter shot of the door hinge bolts. There are four. Two close to the center line of the hinge and slightly forward of the other (outer) two. You will loosen three and leave one "snug" but loose enough to allow the door to pivot. Which three? It varies based on what adjustment you need on the door. In my case the door was only sagging a small amount. Only hitting the weather strip on the lower back of the gap but not up the pillar/latch area. In short, I simply needed to raise the back of the door a hair. I would guess, this is the same issue most everyone has. However, check first, think it through.
You must be registered for see images attach
Before you loosen anything you must support the door's weight. I went the floor jack route.
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
I placed the jack there and raised it a fraction of an inch more. I am talking about an 1/8 of an inch of upward pressure... no more. I then put some tape on the hinge as a reference point. By putting this there, as I moved the hinge up or down, I could see how the gap to the tape changed. This is how I taped it.
You must be registered for see images attach
I then went onto loosening the bolts. In my case I needed to keep the door's front to back position the same. So I decided to pivot on the second bolt from the top. The bolt that would give me the best point to pivot while limiting the front to back movement is the second bolt because I wanted to keep the gap to the front taped mark as close as possible. This would be the vertical tape. I wanted to add a small gap to the lower (angled) tape line.
1) I loosened the two bottom bolts first and the topmost bolt last. These three I left tight enough that the door could move but snug enough to make sure the heads of the bolts contact the hinge.
2) I then slightly loosened the second bolt from the top. I want to keep some tension here. This way the door movement can be controlled.
3) I raised the jack a fraction of an inch. At best, 1/8 of an inch further up. I then go back and tightened the bolts.
4) Released the jack and test the door. SLOWLY close it to check for rubs, the latch, ect. If it does not work perfectly, bring the jack back, take the weight off the door (as mentioned above the photos), go back to the beginning and adjust the door again.
I basically keep doing this (sometimes going up, sometimes down) until I get it right. Check the tape constantly. It took me about 6 or 7 attempts to get it right. I did not have to adjust the window at all. In the end, the gap increased about 1/32" on the angled lower mark. On the vertical tape there is, obviously a tiny gap on the lower part and no gap at the top of the vertical tape. Yes, it is that little.
The bottom line... take your time. Make adjustments in very small increments. Test a great deal. Remember to check the window gap as well. Be patient and it's not a big deal.
Once you are done... make sure to double check the bolts to make sure they are tight, put the panels back, your done.
Again... hope the photos and descriptions help...
I moved the door more forward, and it still hits the weatherstripping at the lower rear portion....go figure. Oh well, keep at the trial and error i guess.
