> Hi again Experts,
Expert?
Defined.
EX= has been Spurt = a drip under pressure
Spmeone who learns more and more about less nad less until the4y know
everything about nothing.
> This time I'm back with a car door lock problem.
>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> to be strong. Again it releases when the door
> handle is pulled out.
It seems to me from your description that the latch is OK but your problem
could be either one of two things.
Either the strike has shifted inward a bit, or
Something (crud, loose gasket stray seat belt etc.) is preventing the door
from closing all the way.
Since you have attempted to adjust the strike, look to some reason the door
is not closing all the way.

Signature
Roger Shoaf
About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.
RF - 19 Sep 2008 18:41 GMT
>> Hi again Experts,
>
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> Since you have attempted to adjust the strike, look to some reason the door
> is not closing all the way.
Hi Roger,
I posted this problem a few days ago and, after a
few hours of thinking and working on it, I solved
it. Because there were no replies I deleted it.
I solved it by taking the striker plate off the
jamb and offering it to the door lock.
It would not fit i.e. the second catch would not
fit into the slot on the striker.
I spent about 10 mins filing the slot and then the
lock accepted it. Finally I replaced
the striker on the jamb and tightened the screws
slightly. Next I squeezed the
door into place and the second catch clicked into
place. I opened the door, tightened the screws and
then pushed the door shut to the sound of a very
healthy click.....
and they have lived happily ever since :-)
Thanks for your interest :-)
Tiger - 20 Sep 2008 01:35 GMT
You know what that sounds to me? You need a new door weatherstrip seal... it
is too rigid that is preventing you from being able to shut the door
properly.
I have changed one door seal on my older MB... a W126 and once I did, I
noticed the door shut much tighter... that when I opened the door... the
door would pop out.
In your case, I think it hardened so it can't be compressed properly so your
door latch will catch.
RF - 20 Sep 2008 18:32 GMT
> You know what that sounds to me? You need a new door weatherstrip seal... it
> is too rigid that is preventing you from being able to shut the door
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> In your case, I think it hardened so it can't be compressed properly so your
> door latch will catch.
Thanks for the suggestion Tiger but I don't
believe the seal was responsible.
This is because I took the striker off the jamb
and tried to force it into the lock
by hand. It just would not lock and the seal was
not involved here. I looked at the outer (as when
installed in the car) metal edge of the slot in
the striker and found it rounded off a bit. It may
be that the fit (catch in slot) was not very good
and for months I pushed the door harder when
closing - resulting in the corner being rounded
off. I filed the slot to lengthen it about 1/16"
or a little more and then, when I pushed the
striker against the lock, it snapped in place.
Finally I mounted it on the jamb again and it
worked great
Have a great weekend :-)
Roger Shoaf - 20 Sep 2008 21:46 GMT
> I posted this problem a few days ago and, after a
> few hours of thinking and working on it, I solved
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> healthy click.....
> and they have lived happily ever since :-)
OK, now all you need to do is to find out what caused the metal in the
strike to deform in the first place so it does not happen again.
I suspect you might have worn hinges and the door is drooping a bit, hence
the condition you describe.

Signature
Roger Shoaf
About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.
RF - 22 Sep 2008 04:43 GMT
>> I posted this problem a few days ago and, after a
>> few hours of thinking and working on it, I solved
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> I suspect you might have worn hinges and the door is drooping a bit, hence
> the condition you describe.
To be honest I am baffled by this situation. The
space around the driver's door
- on top to the gutter and to the front edge of
the rear door is virtually identical
and both slots are parallel. So the door is
definitely not sagging.
My best guess is that the rounding off of the edge
of the slot in the striker was
caused by the second "catch" in the door. The
first catch is like a bird's beak
and the second one is about 1/2" wide and rounded
off at each end. This
second one needs to be in the slot in the striker
for the door to be completely
shut. I can only suspect that the striker moved a
little and then the bumping
of the catch moved it further until the door
couldn't close.