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Sometimes it isn't the latch but friction that limits how much acceleration one can put into the door while closing to overcome the considerable resistance the latch needs to flip into the closed position. Before looking for love with the latch mechanism I would detach the door stay and see if the reduced friction from this reduces the closing effort. If you do detach the door stay from the A-pillar be sure to have a fresh pivot pin on hand as reusing the old pin can result in a small amount of play causing a popping sound on closure. The other alternative is to detach the door side of the stay mechanism leaving the pin in place to test close the door. Years ago I disassembled the door stay and trimmed the rubber friction blocks in it to reduce forces on the A-pillar pivot. This was a preventative fix to avoid a failed A-pillar pivot mount weld, a known issue on all early 911. One of the consequences of this is I lost the intermediate stay position when opening the door requiring extra care when getting out of the car in a parking lot.
Andy
Thanks for all the good advice on how to correct this. I've tried pretty much everything, and concluded that the resistance is the clock spring on the latch mechanism inside the door, that must be overcome for the latch portion that extends from the B side of the door to rotate. All is correct inside the door, and is well lubricated. I'm going to chalk this issue up as closed. (Unless someone comes up with a better solution...)
Nope, my seals are from the factory, still soft and supple...thanks for the idea.
Originally Posted by glenn '88 944S
I remember reading here on Rennlist that when some folks have replaced the door seal with the 964 seal instead of the more expensive 993 seal, the doors are harder to close. Maybe your situation ??
When did this problem start? How long have you had the car? My brother recently bought a 97 C2S and the PO did replace the door seal with the 964 and the car has this issue.
Maybe remove the door seal and test just to eliminate it as a possible cause ?
I've had this car 15 years. The "problem" has existed probably since I bought it, but I've pretty much decided nothing is wrong, just a little variance in closing effort that I fixated on lately. Thanks for the suggestion.
..... I hold the door handle trigger and close the door, it encounters more resistance in the last 10-15mm of travel on the driver's door vs. passenger door. It's a springy feeling resistance. Everything appears lined up correctly, and the door fit is perfect when closed, not sunken or proud, just right.
Puzzled and perplexed, but persistently persevering.
Exactly how my driver's door behaves - "springy" feel in the last bit of travel before the latch - everything else normal. Been that way since I bought the car 2 years ago and always a nuisance. The driver's side seal was replaced over 3 years ago (with the correct part) so yesterday I removed it to see what would happen and, lo and behold, the door closes normally! The photos below show the seal in the drivers door compared to the passengers door with the original seal. I think the difference is that the section of the seal next to the lower hinge hasn't "flattened out" like the passenger side has. The seal is mainly a hollow, pliant tube, but right in that corner there's a 6-8" solid section that's less compressible, presumably to help it make the 90 deg bend without losing shape. I'm pretty sure that's where the springy feel is coming from on my car. Doesn't look like it's going to flatten out anytime soon so might just try a little "customization".
Thanks, that's very helpful. I have been focused on the clockspring in the latch inside the door, because the springiness comes on just as the lock toggle on the outside of the B pillar aspect of the door contacts the striker plate on the door sill, and increases as the door is pushed in. This is felt easier if one holds the door handle trigger depressed while pushing the door closed.
I haven't really made a more extended inspection of the door seals. Did you just pull yours and and replace them easily? Is there no adhesive involved?
I just looked up the price of new door seals--good thing I was sitting down!
I checked the door seals on my car, both appear the same as the one in your picture of your driver's side, smooth with no creases. Both do have a six-inch or so section that feels more solid, just in the 90 bend as you described. I'm not leaning toward this as the cause of my issue, because the seals on both doors seem identical, while the left door closes easy, right door closes harder...
Plus I'm reluctant to disturb the seals which cost $600 each.
Still mystified. Triple-square bit set arrived today, so I'm considering adjusting the striker plate.
Bobby I have the same thing on my car, but reversed. Have owned it over a decade and it's never been hit or taken apart. For no appreciable reason the passenger door is a little harder to close than the driver's. I've cleaned and lubricated everything. Maybe it's the door seal, who knows. I can live with it. It's part of the character of having a hand-built car, I like to think.
Thanks, that's very helpful. I have been focused on the clockspring in the latch inside the door, because the springiness comes on just as the lock toggle on the outside of the B pillar aspect of the door contacts the striker plate on the door sill, and increases as the door is pushed in. This is felt easier if one holds the door handle trigger depressed while pushing the door closed.
I haven't really made a more extended inspection of the door seals. Did you just pull yours and and replace them easily? Is there no adhesive involved?
I just looked up the price of new door seals--good thing I was sitting down!
Yes, there was adhesive, but very little so pulled right out. Maybe it's the same on yours. I was shocked at the price too, but get this.... that seal was purchased from Pelican Parts in Dec, 2015 for only $147!
Anyway, I'm going to put that section of the seal in a bench vice for a few days to see if I can flatten it a bit. Second option is to cut the corner out and fashion a new piece. It's that annoying.
BTW, before pulling the seal, I removed the door strap to see if that was causing the problem. Slightly easier to close the door with it removed but the "springyness" was still there.
Jay, the door strap on your driver side was welded back into place by prior owner in New York. That may account for some of the stiffness. The seal was replaced by me when I installed the stainless door sills. I’m pretty sure they’re OEM, but not genuine Porsche - you should have the receipt. I’m not sure if I used any glue at all for the seals. The car looks great, nice to see that it’s in good hands.
Jay, the door strap on your driver side was welded back into place by prior owner in New York. That may account for some of the stiffness. The seal was replaced by me when I installed the stainless door sills. I’m pretty sure they’re OEM, but not genuine Porsche - you should have the receipt. I’m not sure if I used any glue at all for the seals. The car looks great, nice to see that it’s in good hands.
Jim- Yeah, i checked the receipt - it's the right P/N and other than that stiff front corner, fits perfectly. I made a fixture yesterday to hold the seal in the vice and see if i could permanently flatten it section. Only problem is i had fight with the table saw and had to take an ambulance to the ER to get 2 fingers repaired, one of which was sawn almost completely thru. Kinda' ruined the day (won't be driving for a while either) .
Jim- Yeah, i checked the receipt - it's the right P/N and other than that stiff front corner, fits perfectly. I made a fixture yesterday to hold the seal in the vice and see if i could permanently flatten it section. Only problem is i had fight with the table saw and had to take an ambulance to the ER to get 2 fingers repaired, one of which was sawn almost completely thru. Kinda' ruined the day (won't be driving for a while either) .
Wow, very sorry to hear this Jay. Wishing you a full and speedy recovery Sir!
This morning I was at a cars and coffee, and discussed my door closing issue, that the driver door is harder to close than the passenger door, with a fellow 993 owner. He is a bit younger with better hearing, and observed that my passenger door makes the iconic Porsche door closing "thunk-ting" sound, with the "ting" being a high-pitched metallic tone following close on the heels of the "thunk". The closing sound of my driver door is absent the "ting".
The other difference we observed is that when the door handle trigger is held in, and the latch (shown below) is rotated by hand, the passenger side is smooth all the way, perhaps with a slight increase in tension as it is rotated. The driver door latch rotates the same until about 2/3 of its travel, when the tension increases by about 40 per cent in a step, at the point of rotation shown in the second picture.
Any ideas what might cause this difference, or how to correct it?
My next step may be to take the latch out of the door, clean and lubricate it, see what I can see...
05-04-2019, 11:28 AM
