w124 rear door adjustments?
 

The rear drivers door on my 94 e320 makes a noise almost like its not shut all the way when I go over a bump or stop/accelerate sharply. I've looked at all the hinges, check strap, and mechanisms even comparing them to the passenger rear door. There is nothing loose and there is no free play in the door if I try to move it from the in/out side.

Is there some sort of adjustment that can be done or perhaps my door check is just worn out?

As I said it sounds as if its not shut all the way - like its only partially latched and the latch is clinking.

Thanks for any help!

Do you open/close this door a lot? If so, perhaps the weather seal has collapsed a bit and the door can move a bit when you drive. It is very easy to adjust the door's 'strike' located on the body. Slightly loosen the 2 torx head fasteners with a T40 socket (available at most auto parts places and at Sears). Attach masking tape to the door jamb along the top and bottom of the strike to mark the path, and move the 'strike' inward about 1/16", being careful to keep the 'strikes' top and bottom within the guide lines established by the tape. Tighten the T40s and see if this takes cars of the problem.
regards,
Mark

will try that...thanks

easy procedure...will report back later if it fixes the problem

Thanks!

If that doesn't do it, take a close look at the wood strip on the door. The nuts holding them on tend to loosen over time and that rattling wood strip can drive a person crazy. The fix for that is to pull the door panel and tighten the nuts from behind.

My former '90 300E had an irritating rattle knock that came from the vertical u-shaped channel that hides the seat belt. Just behind your left shoulder.

Steve

I have a similar problem having to do with the dr side rear and front door. The car was in a "fender bender", requiring the replacement of the rear dr side door. Before the repair, I drove the car for quite some time and never had a problem shutting the front door.

Now after they replaced the rear door with a new one (factory new), the front door has trouble closing when you shut it normally. I noticed the seal on the top rear right corner of the front door is rubbing with the rear door now. It seems the rear door would need alignment, but it seems to really close with no problem.

Any ideas on this issue? I am about to cut at that front door seal :( ... it would fix the "rubbing" but that is not a fix, lol...

thoughts?

Well..I moved the 'strike' inward about 1/16" of an inch and that didn't solve the problem. I paid a bit more attention to it and the noise is MOST prevalent on stop/go forces. In addition, it sounds like its coming from the front of the door rather than the rear - this leads me to believe that its the door check. I will check the door wood trim. I know its not the seat belt holder - I have heard this rattle on occasion, its def. the door.

I adjusted the striker and the door is still making "clunk" or "creak" noises. It seems to be a forward/backward motion (parallel to the wheels) rather than open/close of the door motion.

Could this be the door check? I'm tempted to replace it since its only a ~$16 part.

Thanks!

also the door strike may still be loose. i would try pushing it in from the outside and see if there is play in it.

tom w

theres no play in it. I moved it inward about 2 - 3 mm and made sure i tightened it in place good.

My RR door also makes creaking noises. I'm pretty sure it's the check strap on mine - the RR door is by far the least used, and I've noticed that the grease seems to dry up if it's not used on a semi-regular basis.

Does the door creak when you open it fully and close it?

I think it does, a little. If you replace the door check and it fixes it send me a pm. I'm going to be placing a parts order soon, I'll include that on there probably.

For those interested:

Adjusting the check was the problem. I thought about it some more and realized that since it only made the sound under acceleration/braking -- basically up and down motions -- that moving the striker in or out probably had no effect so I moved the striker downward about 1/16" and it hasn't made a peep since.

Thanks for the information here for the fix. It saved me the money and hassle of replacing the door check.