Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:21:26 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Sliding Door Handle
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reply-type=original
hi,
I have two comments -
I have had those latch assemblies out of 84 and earlier vans and in my hands
several times . Usually to address that the sliding 'lock button' as lost a
spring or something, and it wants to fall into the locked position any time
you close the door.
And .....I agree with your assessment about how diabolical it appears to be.
I'd start with a known-bad one, take that apart to discover it's secrets,
then try to fix your good one.
the other comment is :
When opening the door, does the handle go nearly to the end of it's travel
before the door releases ?
like it's less than half an inch from the bottom of it's travel range before
the door releases to open ?
I find this quite commonly on 84's,
and I remove the door panel, spray lube EVERYTHING over and over, as it's
never been done since the van was built usually .........
and that can reduce the effort it takes to push the outside handle down a
lot,
AND there is a cable adjustment for when the outside handle makes the real
latch release.
Tighten that up, so it releases at a more normal spot, like half way down
the handle's arc of travel.
that might fix the 'floppy' when closed issue too.
I could use an early ( 80 to 84 ) outside door handle.......the longer ones,
or even a shorter one for 85 and on up,
if anyone has one.
thanks,
hope this helps some,
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Geo & Kathleen Hahn" <ahwahnee@CYBERTRAILS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 2:44 PM
Subject: Sliding Door Handle
The sliding door handle on by 84 Westy droops (about 30 degrees) when the
door is open -- as I recall it used to snap smartly back up into the level
postion after opening. It returns to level when the door is closed.
The screw on the backside of the handle shaft is tight. The handle itself
is not bent or broken, it is a replacement that has been on there for about
12 years but has no other issues. The usual assortment of gaskets &
escutcheon appear to be in place.
That said, I suspect the fault lies inside the latch mechanism itself which
is secured to the leading edge of the door by a pair of allen-head bolts
that are likely wicked tight.
Since the mechanism (what I can see of it) seems to be a combination of a
Swiss watch and a Claymore mine I am reluctant to start taking it apart
without a plan.
Am I likely to be able to fix this thing (perhaps a spring is broken or
unhooked)?
Or... is disasembly hopeless and I am better off to replace the unit with a
presumably good used part?
Or... should I just live with it?
My concern with doing nothing is that it is telling me that someday it will
fail completely. Another concern is that if the handle is not held level
whilst closing it gets abruptly jerked level as the door latches (that can't
be too good long term).
Any advice welcome. As you may have noticed, I am working thru a punch list
of issues, some arising on a recent trip, others just stuff I've been
putting off. Thanks to those who have helped me so far.
Geo Hahn
