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The stuck door saga... (Read 357 times)
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:42pm

TacitBlue   Offline
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Saint Joseph, Missouri, USA

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I'm not looking for advice or even sympathy, no, I'm here to do a victory dance! I have a '91 Honda Accord, it's a pretty good car and I haven't had any major problems with it. For the most part it's pretty machanic freindly, as in it's easy to work on. But two weeks ago the drivers side door closed for the last time and would not open no matter what combination of swear words I uttered in it's direction. I began running through the different possible procedures I could use to open the door and replace the latch mechanism, everything from plasma cutters and die grinders to bulldozers and explosives ran through my head. Finally I decided to hit the junk yard up for a replacement latch first and then yank the door panel off. This is not an easy task with the door closed. Anyway once I gained acces to the latch it became clear to me that I need only cut off the mounting bolts from the inside and the latch would come apart, then it would be a simple matter of rolling the actual block of the latch to it's open position and pushing the door open. WRONG! After about 6 hours of drilling, cutting with my Demel tool, utilizing the "F" word the %$#*& latch still wouldn't budge. So in a last ditch effort I used the Dremel to cut the post that the latch attaches to when you close the door. This is the hardened steel loop that is mounted in the door frame. After another 20 minutes of cutting and a small fire from all of the heat and sparks I got it open. Th fire only burned for a few seconds and only damaged parts that were being removed anyway, so it was no big deal. So finally after two weeks of climbing over the passenger seat or out of the window I could open the door. All four of the posts (the one that I cut) are identical on this car so I swaped it with one on the back door and turned it around so that the side without the cut would engage the latch on that door. Then I was able to mount my new latch in the drivers door. All is well now and my door works perfectly. Why did I write this, you may be asking? because I simply cannot believe how much work, bruises and cuts to my poor hands it took to remove one part. I hope to God that I never have to do this again, in fact I think that this is one of the things that people are forced to do in Hell. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this, and if the door ever gets stuck on you'r Honda, don't bring it to me. Wink
 

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Aircraft are naturally beautiful because form follows function. -TB
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Reply #1 - May 27th, 2008 at 10:11pm

Jared   Offline
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Uniontown, Ohio

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lol, did you take pictures to document how you did it?

I'm sure someone else will go down the same road someday....it's enver fun with cars
 
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Reply #2 - May 28th, 2008 at 4:34am

Hagar   Offline
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Costa Geriatrica

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It's a tad late now but I think I would have asked for advice before tackling that job. Tongue Honda Accord Door Latch Problems
 

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Reply #3 - May 28th, 2008 at 10:05am

todayshorse   Offline
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England

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Door problems.......im not alone then!

Slightly different but similar experience...

I used to have a 1997 Ford Mondeo ST24 saloon. In the US you'd maybe know this car as a contour - almost the same -  Same quad cam V6 anyway

The 1997 mondeo is a mark 2, differing slightly from the mark 1 mondeo in appearance, and trim and stuff.

One night some 'jerks' in a ford fiesta did a handbrake turn outside our house on the road, they got it totaly wrong, and piled into what was my pride and joy, belting the drivers door and severly bending it.

They then drove off. As the damage was mainly cosmetic, i ventured to the scrap yard and obtained a drivers door for a mark 2 ford mondeo. Stripped mine down, and all that that entails. Then discoverd a lot of my stuff wouldnt fit on the new door - and indeed the door didnt fit on the car properly........the old door was bent so much it wouldnt lock and stuff.

Turned out, ford in there wisdom, had made some 'hybrids' or crossover models, of which mine was one, with mark one mondeo doors......

So im left with a car i need for work in bits with no door late in the evening on a sunday.....

Several days later i indeed got hold of a mark one mondeo door, and hey presto,everything fitted and it all went back together.

Later i got it professionaly resprayed and you really couldnt tell!
 

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