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Sun Apr 30, 2017 10:23 am

I'd use a small chisel and work counter clockwise till the screw begins to turn then follow it with a fat Phillips head screw driver...

Sun Apr 30, 2017 11:26 am

the right screwdriver and patience is the key to preventing this situation from happening.

the nice thing about these machine screws is that the driver hole--if you will-- is nice and centered for you.
get a drill bit on that and start a pilot hole.
progressively get bigger and bigger until the head is either gone or can be dug out with another tool.
once the head is off and the latch removed, the threaded portion should come out fairly easily.

do not attempt to drill out the threaded portion or use an easy out.
when you break the drill bit or easy out off inside the fastener, then you're in a world of shit.

Wed Dec 27, 2017 4:58 pm

For my door (1986 vanagon) that wouldn't close all the way, it was the frame post.
In my case the post had somehow worked its way outward (in the direction away from the center of the van). I had to move the post inward about 3/16" and viola, closes almost perfectly, but certainly good enough.

Tue Dec 04, 2018 1:58 pm

The file did the trick for me after everything else failed, and it's a lot cheaper than a new/used latch if you could even find one!

My sliding door was way past the point of just popping open, that latch would not even hold for more than second unless I jammed a flat head screw driver into it from inside

I just filed the tooth/tip of the top jaw a little, not as much as I thought I would have to, and now it stays latched even if I push the door really hard from the inside with my shoulder

Interesting to note that the bottom jaw has 2 teeth that could hold the top jaw in place, not sure why 2, to catch the inner one I had to move the bolt on the door frame all the way to the outside, but that would only work when pushing the door from the outside while closing and that tooth is obviously very worn and unevenly so and will not hold very well. The outer tooth is not nearly so worn though I have to move the frame bolt all the way to inside to get it to hold the door all the way closed and that's the one that wouldn't stay latched at all until I filed the top jaw as I mentioned. I feel like the inner tooth on the lower jaw is the one that it's really supposed to use but the outer one is working very well now and I'm sick of messing with it and it's supposed to start raining again today and not getting much warmer around here until March maybe so I'm happy, now back to other issues...

Thu Dec 10, 2020 2:21 pm

Old thread, but reviving to share my experience. My 91 Syncro Westy starting doing the no-latch routine. Where I was at, I had limited tools and resources, so I tried spraying the latch mechanism (still installed on the door) with WD 40. It instantly started working.

I plan on removing to clean and examine, but it got me going again, so FYI for anyone that runs into it

Thu Dec 10, 2020 3:17 pm

It must be going around. My ‘87 westy slider just started bouncing off of the latch rather than catching sometimes. I just sprayed the lock mechanism and all the rollers with triflow. Smooth operator and latches all the time now.

Mon Mar 07, 2022 8:22 am

For those that don't know, GoWesty put out a kit to replace the latching mechanism. Typically the latch jaw gets rounded and no longer holds in place very well. Some pressure or a bump and pop, the door is ajar... Eketel diagnosed it properly. I've used this kit a few times and it works great.

https://www.gowesty.com/product/lock-latch/25454/sliding-door-latch-full-rebuild-bundle?v=

$30 and a little time and your door will be closing as it should.

Mon Mar 07, 2022 10:25 am

drenner01 wrote: For those that don't know, GoWesty put out a kit to replace the latching mechanism. Typically the latch jaw gets rounded and no longer holds in place very well. Some pressure or a bump and pop, the door is ajar... Eketel diagnosed it properly. I've used this kit a few times and it works great.

https://www.gowesty.com/product/lock-latch/25454/sliding-door-latch-full-rebuild-bundle?v=

$30 and a little time and your door will be closing as it should.

I just installed the full kit. A lot of parts for $30! Thanks GoWesty.

Works great.

Sun Aug 14, 2022 8:26 am

So its the mechanism at the forward end of the sliding door that does the closing of the door and keeping it closed .... NOT anything at the handle end.

Over the years since new, over lubricating/greasing the mechanism attracts contaminants .. dirt and suchlike. Eventually, choked up with too much lubricant and collected gunk, the mechanism can no longer do its closing/hold closed function as it once reliably did.

On a case by case basis, agreed that individual doors may have other issues as well such as being out of adjustment/alignment, but the starting point ALWAYS is, give the door mechanism a chance to do its job reliably by THOROUGHLY degreasing and degunking it.

My VW mechanic fixed my similar door closing/opening problem. He opened the door and in the narrow space available at the mechanism end, he used a combination of compressed jet air and picking tools to thoroughly remove all traces of excessive lubricant and gunk.

Voila! The door now works reliably again. No parts were replaced. Mechanism just needed some TLC.

Try to keep lubrication way down to a minimum, otherwise the problem of gunk buildup/contamination followed by malfunction will reoccur. Hope this helps someone. :roll: :P

Sun Aug 14, 2022 11:35 am

Sigh... I'm back to this problem.

The door closes, and doesn't bounce open. Hit a hard bump, though, and the darn latch releases by one of the two notches.

Lessons learned (?) so far...

The striker pin really does belong in the middle of its adjustment range. The opening into the latch is a C or V on its side. With a little effort, it's possible to see the pin enter the opening, and see it when the door's closed by one (out of two) clicks. If the opening in the latch housing is not touching the pin, top or bottom, the pin's location is correct. At least as far as moving the pin vertically.

When in doubt, the pin's better off closer to the outside, not interior of the van. Too far in, and the chances of getting even on click in the latch aren't good. The door does not have to be slammed shut!

It's already been mentioned, but I'll repeat the GW latch repair kit link. The star washers serve as nuts for the screws that take a hex bit. GW lost one of the washers (can't decide is the box was opened and robbed at some point, or the bag opened in shipping at a wash slid out of the box). Finding a replacement was a PITA - GW sent new washers when I asked for them.

My plan is to give the springs an extra turn, if possible.

"More news at eleven - stay tuned!"

Sun Aug 14, 2022 4:14 pm

The springs won't permit an additional twist - forget that Idea.

With the interior trim strip, at the back of the door opening, removed, it's easy to see the latch. Slide the door shut, everything looks tickety-boo, and POING!! the "second click" catch releases on its own.

I tried using a metal rod, about the size of the striker pin, to see how the latch closes and how it looks when closed, Using the real pin gives the same result.

What, then, lets at least the "second click" latch let go? As far as I can tell, the latch pull rod (between the door handle and door latch) doesn't move or tug on the release arm.

I can't come up with what lets the latch partially release.

Sun Aug 14, 2022 5:08 pm

Quote: RB Emerson - The door closes, and doesn't bounce open. Hit a hard bump though and the darn latch releases by one of the two notches.

So first things first:
Have you already THOROUGHLY completed the TLC procedure on the front end door mechanism I suggested previously?

If so, please describe the process you followed ok.

Sun Aug 14, 2022 6:03 pm

My apologies, but I'm drawing a complete blank on "procedure on the front end door mechanism".

I've fiddled with the door latches to the point I'm getting a hazy notion that somehow the door latch is opening itself, or something like it. That is, the striker pin isn't just pulling through the latch pieces. Otherwise, I simply can't see how the darn door pops open on a whim.

The screws for the latch housing at the back of the door (GW uses counter-sunk machine screws that take a hex, not Phillips, driver) get torqued to 17 ft/lb, ditto for the hardware for the front lower and upper roller arms. I can't find the torque spec for the striker pin. I currently use 17 ft/lb, but maybe it should be more?

[EDIT: Corrected typos around the striker pin torque spec question]

Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:00 am

OK, I sorted out what procedure unclekenz was referring to - I was thinking in terms of wrench twisting, not degreasing. Oops.

Anyway, I rebuilt the latch with the GW kit - new pivots, springs, and catches. And, of course, everything's been degreased.

Not a lot of help for drilling out a screw, but GW changed the screws to something taking a 6 mm [CORRECTION: 5 mm] hex bit.

Related to being forced to drill out a screw, it's possible to remove the back of the door without removing the rear arm. Look over the top of the roller track, and there's a groove in the body sheet metal. This gives enough room to lift the roller off the track and pull it away from the body.

BTW GW sells a replacement arm. For that matter, they also have a roller kit that's worth considering.

DISCLAIMER: I don't work for GW, I don't have "a deal" with GW. I send them money, they send me stuff. That's it. :)

Mon Aug 15, 2022 3:11 pm

The more time I spend on this problem, the less I understand.

I enlisted an observer to watch the latch while driving down the road. Long story short, the door tries to open itself after hitting a bump. That is, nothing moves around or otherwise looks "that's not right". It's a matter of the bottom piece in the latch drops down, as it does when the door latch handle's pulled on.

Thinking the front latch mechanism was somehow tugging on the release, we tried disconnecting the linkage rod. That made no difference; the door popped open whie driving.

}>:[

Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:40 am

Sigh... nothing I try keeps the door from popping open eventually.

Popping open is defined as "still latched, but only at the first, not second, click".

I've moved the striker pin through most of its range of adjustment. The only obvious change is how easily, or not, the door closes. Moved to an extreme end of the adjustment, it only delays how long it takes the door to pop open.

I talked to GW about the problem - nothing gained, but a request for pictures. The guy I talked to said he'd never heard of the problem. Huh?

I found the the designer of the SDL kit - Oren Klein - here's his account of designing the kit.

I finally found the spec for torqueing down the striker pin: 36 +/-3.something ft/lb. I went for the upper end of the range, 40 ft/lb, thinking just maybe the pin's been moving slightly. No improvement.

The door pops when I hit a significant bump, turn a corner with some ...um... gusto, or accelerate hard. All of these events are almost certainly moving the body slightly.

I'm out of ideas.