alfa gtv2000 - sticking door handle and door misalignment

[Clive Minchin]

Hi, Bit of a simple question - the door handles and locks on both sides are sticking and I' certain the doors are misaligned. I've tried some WD40 but its not helping. They also need a bit of a slam to close. The doors themselves look ok. Do you think this is a job for a panel beater or a mechanic?

[Victor Lee]

Hi Clive,

Assuming u mean Alfetta GTV? 

I had the same problem on my car...had to slam the door hard to get it to close. 

This should be a DIY job!   

Check the catch alignment on the B pillar:  Put some grease onto the catch and slam the door shut.  Then look at the catch.  Is the grease missing from the top or bottom of the catch?  If top, then that catch has to be moved downwards (and vice versa).  With a hex key (can't remember the size sorry), loosen the catch and move in required direction and tighten again.

I hope that helps!

Victor

[Clive Minchin]

Thanks Victor. You're right. I should have a go. I just bought the car so hands on stuff is a frontier. 

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Hi Clive,
You should also check the door hinge bolts are tight.
Some other things to try.  Check the door aperture seals.  Ensure they are well seated in their mounting channels.  New rubber seals can also cause the doors to bind when closing.  These can be treated with graphite powder.
Considering the door handles are stiff, Victor's suggestion is definitely the first thing to look at.
Cheers,

[Clive Minchin]

HI
Thanks for the advice. I applied some grease to check alignment. on the side of the door the catch mechanism as curved half loop metal bits on the top and bottom of it and these seem to be intended to go into a groove on the top and bottom of the door catch on the B pillar. In my case they do not they go onto the outer edge of the door catch which I think is forcing the door upwards when it it closed.

Should the curved metal half loops go into the grooves on the door catch?

[Clive Minchin]

a picture of the b pillar catch...

[Victor Lee]

Hi Clive,

You picture dosn't look like an Alfetta GTV 2000.  It look likes a more modern GTV...do you mean it's a year 2000 GTV?  If yes, then what I posted earlier may not work as they are different door mechanisms!

However, the same principles should apply. There should be some adjustment on the B Pillar, so undo the bolts, screws, whatever that holds the mechanism onto the B Pillar and move up/down accordingly.

Cheers

Victor

[Justin Jacobs]

Its a 105 !

[Clive Minchin]

yeah sorry. It is a 1974 105 2000GTV. Is that the right model description?

These model names are a bit confusing to a person new to the marque.

[Gary Pearce]

The 105 sprint doors are very very tricky to get right. I've spent many hours carrying out micro adjustments, sometimes with only marginal improvement.
1) First of all door hinges must be perfect! That is perfectly tight. Open door out wide and lift from the bottom to check for any free play. Any free play is no good.
2) Doors seals (weather strips) can sometimes be too plump, particularly if they have been replaced. Some careful reducing of their bulk in certain areas might be necessary. Use chalk powder to find the tight spots.
3) The door trim too can be the cause for doors catching (or sticking) particularly against the door seals. This can be a product of the door hinges if they're not perfect, but sometimes might simply be the trim card not fitted squarely on the door as a result of some earlier work on the door or window mechanism.
4) Next make sure the glass is not fouling against the top of the door seal, or at the rear (top) edge of the glass when it is closed. Easy to check if this is a cause of your problem by simply dropping the window a bit or fully to see if it fixes your issue.
5) only then, when all of the above is safely taken care of, should you (or someone capable) start tampering with the door striker, or manipulation of the door alignment at the hinges. A panel beater is usually the most skilled at this point.

[Victor Lee]

Oops 

Looked easier on an Alfetta GTV!

[Clive Minchin]

thanks guys. There does not seem to be any free play in the doors so perhaps a panel beater is the next step. Thanks for your help Victor! The grease on the door latch was a big help in assessing the problem.