How to tell if door latch is bad?

[tucsonjwt]

My driver's side door is hard to shut - have to slam it. I replaced the strike pin and bushing on the door jamb, which helped line the door up properly, but it is still had to close. I have about 1/4" -1/2" of play up when I grab the door and work it up and down. I expect that I need new bushings and pins in the hinges, but when I took it to a body shop I was told that I also need a door latch. The body man pushed the latch to the lock position and then showed me that it moved about 3/8" up and down when in the locked position. Does this mean the latch is bad? My passenger side door latch does the same thing, and it closes fine. He wanted $175 to replace the hinge pins and bushings and install a new latch, if I furnished the latch (hard to find a latch, he says.)

[glock35ipsc]

You can get the hinge pins and bushings for just a few dollars at most any parts store in the "Help" section.

It's possible that the latch mechanism itself is worn out. You said you replaced the striker pin and bushing... by bushing, do you mean the plastic sleeve that fits around the pin?

Usually a new pin and rebuilding the hinges will do the trick. Sometimes you need to tweak the door with an alignment tool. Or as I like to call them, a "butta tool".

http://www.eastwood.com/e-z-store-do...ment-tool.html

[tucsonjwt]

I plan to replace the hinge pins and bushings, either by myself or have a shop do it. I just need to determine if the latch is bad. My uninformed take on this is if the latch holds the door securely when the door is closed, then it is working OK. Am I wrong on this? The OEM latch is expensive (+ labor?), so I don't want to replace it if I don't have to. If I have a shop do the job, I will need to have the latch in hand before I take the truck in, which is why I am trying to determine if I have a bad latch before I take it in. Thanks.

[tucsonjwt]

The bushing I replaced was the plastic bushing on the striker bolt on the door jamb, not the brass bushings in the hinges. This lined up the door properly, but the door still is difficult to close - have to slam it closed. I am planning on doing the hinge bushings and pins anyway - just trying to diagnose the condition of the latch in advance. Thanks.

[73chevyman]

my doors did the same thing all i did was adjust the door and it closes fine now

[mwooten92]

i bought 2 door latches for my truck from lmctruck and they are great. opens and closes with ease. no slam what so ever. i bought new strikers from LMC also and they come with the plastic bushing on them.

[tucsonjwt]

Thanks for the input. Just trying to determine how you identify a bad door latch. Both of mine look the same, but one (driver's door) must be slammed - the passenger door is O.K. with identical function/wear on latch.

[RandyP]

You said you had a lot of play, correct? If you grab the bottom of the door, on the back edge, you can lift it up and feel it wiggle? If that is correct, get your pins and bushings replaced and then see if you still have the "slam" issue. My guess is the pins and bushings will make the door close much easier.
You're having to slam the door now because the door is drooping and you're fighting the striker/latch alignment when you shut it, basically slamming it to get it raised up on the striker. If you do not do pins and bushings soon, you'll ruin your new striker or striker bushing. Latches usually only go bad after a long period of neglect and poor hinges, lube it up good and get the hinges overhauled.

Pins and bushings are very simple to do on these trucks, and it is a very cheap thing parts wise. The bushings and pins (even over sized bushings) are still available through GM, and are mere dollars. You should be able to get the parts for under $20. Any GM dealer that has been around a while will have them on the shelf I bet, if not find out which of your local GM dealerships is the warehouse, and go there.

[lester622]

Originally Posted by tucsonjwt

Thanks for the input. Just trying to determine how you identify a bad door latch. Both of mine look the same, but one (driver's door) must be slammed - the passenger door is O.K. with identical function/wear on latch.

Usually if the latch is bad you will not be able to open the door from either handle. The springs inside the latch get week and it lets one of the metal pieces inside kick out to where it jambs up against another moving part of the latch assembly. Only way to open it is take the door panel off and move it with a screw driver. This is the only latch problem I have ever hqad on these year trucks and it happened to me on 2 different trucks.

If its not shutting its either the door isnt adjusted right or the striker is worn out. Mine you would have to slam it to shut it i moved the striker out word and it now shuts by lightly pushing it closed.

[tucsonjwt]

That makes sense to me - the latch either holds the door closed and releases with either door handle or it doesn't. I don't think just moving the striker out on mine would work - when I tried it with mine the door would not line up flush with the cab. As RandyP says, I have to physically lift the door up when I close it to clear the striker - if I lower the striker the door does not fit the cab opening correctly and drags on the bottom rocker panel. I am only talking about maybe 1/4" + movement, but it makes a big difference on door closure. I think I will make a stand out of 2 x 4s and plywood to support the door to replace the pins on a one man operation.

[displacement4me]

When I bought my 76 K20 I had a problem with door sag and hard to close. From having a lift, the door was obviously used as a leverage point to bare the weight of the passengers and it actually cracked the door about 1/2 inch above the upper hinges. When the door was latched the lines were right on, but there was that play between the sag of hanging weaker and trying to close it.

[tucsonjwt]

Thanks. I will check for cracks in the door, but it looks fairly solid from what I saw - no movement in the hinge area. I know I need hinge bushings and pins, just trying to figure out how to do it solo - seems like I should be able to do it somehow without totally removing the door.

[RandyP]

Use a floor jack to help support the open door shell. You do not have to totally remove the door, just get it where you can slip the new bushings in place. Try to do one at a time, drive the pin out and see how much wiggle you got and if you can slip the new bushings in, worst case you have to drive the other pin out and have someone balance the door on the jack or have a way for it to rest against something.
Times like that, a door jack is worth the money you paid for it.

For giggles, I dug out my invoice where I just got pins and bushings:
Qty 8 Bushings $1.08 each #9721917
Qty 4 Pins $4.47 each #20046147
Strikers are discontinued by GM.
Granted I get 35% off those prices, but it gives you more exact information.