Sliding door jammed

[samk]

Hi all.

I have an early slidingdoor and it's decided to stop opening. I've taken the cover off and had a look at rhe mechanism. The problem seems to be that it has stopped popping the back of the door to slide it open. Tried wd40 and a little elbow grease but it's not shifting? Any initial ideas? Will post pics when I can.

Thanks, sam

[stuffkez]

Of no help whatsoever but mine has started doing the same , if I adjust the remote cable for the rear latch behind the door card the door opens but I can't lock it so I've just left it as is and use the other sliding door . Not a problem this time of year but could do with getting it fixed .

[cygnak]

I had the same a while back, check the cable hasn't come out of the pin at the end of the cable. It's a bit of a fiddle to get back on and is held with a split pin, or in my case a paper clip at the moment.

[samk]

Hi all,

photos added. Firstly, apologies for the dirt and rust getting in the way! Can anyone tell me if something looks amiss here? the door can be forced open at the rear but it's stiff. There isnt anything wrong with the sliding function once the door os forced open. Has the arm or larch come disconnected from something?












thanks,

Sam

[Cruz]

try taking the door off, then the rear hinge, clean all the crap off and re-grease

[samk]

I'll give that a go next time it's not hammering down.

Does everything on the catch look like it's in the right place though according to people who've seen them loads?!

[Cruz]

The tension spring inside the middle hinge may have gone

See here for a breakdown (part 27)

http://www.vwheritage.com/vw_parts_Slid ... try_GB.htm

Or the catch (not the lock) or release rod may be malfunctioning and not releasing the catch properly

http://www.vwheritage.com/vw_act_page.r ... try_GB.htm

Just some thoughts.

[samk]

Thanks Cruz, very useful.

I'll have to take it off and have a closer look at some point. my fear is getting it off, realising alls not well buggering it up then i'm stuck with a van that's parked on the street without a sliding door!

it would really help me if someone has a photo of an early mechanism to compare mine against. it would be great to at least see if all on the outside is as it should be.

[Cruz]

Hi Sam

As far as I am aware the parts on the middle runner (in your pics) are there to lock the runner place (you can see the hook locate when the runner hits the rubber stop) when the door gets to the point where the U shaped arm swings inwards.

As you say the door isn't springing open to allow it to be slid open

If so I reckon it's something wrong with the hinge spring, catch mechanism or cable from the handle/lock to the catch.

When you turn the sliding door handle do you hear the catch disengage on the striker post? You can usually hear the catch make a loud click as it released from the striker post. Is the catch moving freely and not getting caught on the striker post even after it should have released?

When the door is open, close it really slowly then try to push the door in gently. Does it spring back out? If it does then the spring I mentioned above is probably still intact and it may be the catch sticking/catching on the striker post. You should even hear the spring make a boing sound.

Is the door aligned properly and isn't catching on the frame?

These are all things to check

[samk]

thanks again. I'll have to try those suggestions when I get the van back from the mechanic. He's fixing a faulty CV joint!

From how the door is behaving it seems like the most likely candidate is the spring. The door simply doesn't want to pop open and it's still when you pull it open manually. I think i'll order one and then take it apart. The challenge will be putting it back together again!

[Cruz]

Vw sell the spring for about £20.