Door won't stay locked

[Napoleon Boot]

To add to the other headaches my Traveller is causing me, I just discovered to my horror that the driver's side door won't stay locked.
If you lock it, and then repeatedly pull the handle, it'll eventually open as far as the first catch, and then entirely. Likewise, slamming the passenger door will cause the driver's door to pop open to the first catch.

I've looked through older threads; I checked the striker plate on the door frame and the spring seems OK, so I think the issue is that the locking pin is worn and may be rotating as the handle is wiggled, or maybe the retaining spring clip has dropped out. Everything's a bit loose at the moment, there's also a locking lever which looks handmade and just rotates doing nothing.

Has anyone else had this problem? Entire new handle/lock assemblies are nearly £100, plus I'd have to swap the lock barrels over, so I'd rather refurb the original if I can. I can't seem to find the locking pin or retaining clip on ESM or Charles Ware's websites though...

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[ManyMinors]

The drivers side door handle shouldn't have a "locking lever" on the inside anyway. They were only fitted to the passenger side.
I'm not sure which part of the locking handle wears out - or if it can be replaced - but my old Traveller used to do exactly the same once the handle became worn. The only simple "cure" I came up with was to make a small spacer up and place it behind the striker plate. That way, the lock had a little more engagement in the striker so was less likely to pull out.

[Napoleon Boot]

The drivers side door handle shouldn't have a "locking lever" on the inside anyway. They were only fitted to the passenger side.
I'm not sure which part of the locking handle wears out - or if it can be replaced - but my old Traveller used to do exactly the same once the handle became worn. The only simple "cure" I came up with was to make a small spacer up and place it behind the striker plate. That way, the lock had a little more engagement in the striker so was less likely to pull out.

Thanks Many Minors, I might try and make up a spacer for peace of mind until I can get a new handle assembly. I've found one at the right price on a well known auction site so probably easiest to replace the whole thing.

I've always been baffled by the driver's side locking lever as everything I've read says that there shouldn't be one! The lever is home made, so I guess this was a previous owner's upgrade. It's never worked while I've owned the car.

Seb

[pgp001]

Allow yourself plenty of time to change a complete handle assembly, it is not just a couple of screws you have to remove, the rear upright part of the window frame has to be moved to get it out.
I have just totally stripped a pair of spare doors I obtained for my Traveller, and the door handles were one of the last things to come out.

Mine only has the little locking lever on the passenger door, I never use it though and prefer to walk round and use the key from outside.

Phil

[Napoleon Boot]

Allow yourself plenty of time to change a complete handle assembly, it is not just a couple of screws you have to remove, the rear upright part of the window frame has to be moved to get it out.
I have just totally stripped a pair of spare doors I obtained for my Traveller, and the door handles were one of the last things to come out.

Mine only has the little locking lever on the passenger door, I never use it though and prefer to walk round and use the key from outside.

Phil

Thanks Phil,

Yes, that's what I feared. I need to replace the driver's side quarterlight and the rubbers though so at least I can do it all in one go!

Just need to find something to use as a spacer in the meantime, I wonder if anyone would notice if I took a bit of the kitchen lino up?

Seb

[Napoleon Boot]

Quick question - when I pull the door handle, there's a good quarter-inch of play, locked or unlocked; ie the latch retracts about a quarter of an inch. Is this normal?

I had another look and the issue is that this quarter inch is enough to get the latch over the far edge of the striker plate, plus both latch and striker plate are worn. Once the latch is just on the sprung bit of the striker plate, one more tug is enough to open the door. I'm hoping that a door mechanism in better condition won't have any play when the door is locked!

Adding another spacer might solve the problem temporarily, judging the gap by eye. Except inevitably, the striker plate screws are knackered and the head is going to strip before they even start to budge, so I'll need to drill them out.

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Here's a photo of the locking lever in case anyone is interested; it looks pretty integrated into the assembly. Could this be a passenger door handle from a LHD model?

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[Napoleon Boot]

I fitted a new striker plate from ESM, together with an extra spacer that I cut from lino, and the door now shuts and locks as it ought to. I'll probably replace the handle mechanism at some point as the latch is also worn, but it'll do for now.

The only difficulty was removing the screws securing the original striker plate, as they were corroded into place. One came free with the aid of a can of Shock Unlock and a pair of mole grips, but the other has sheared off and will need drilling out with a finer drill bit than I currently have. One screw is enough to hold things together temporarily though.

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[oliver90owner]

Left handed drills are good for removing broken screws. I just bought a set for not too much money as the current ones I have were too big, by far. Small first and increase in size slowly is my method.

[Napoleon Boot]

Left handed drills are good for removing broken screws. I just bought a set for not too much money as the current ones I have were too big, by far. Small first and increase in size slowly is my method.

That's a good idea - I didn't know they existed! I have a screw remover set which works in a similar way but it just chews the screw head off. I'll see if I can find some small left handed bits to order on the internet, they're bound to come in handy!
Seb

[Napoleon Boot]

Allow yourself plenty of time to change a complete handle assembly, it is not just a couple of screws you have to remove, the rear upright part of the window frame has to be moved to get it out.

Wow Phil, you weren't kidding! Took me over four hours and a lot of headscratching! Swapping the lock was pretty simple, but removing the window frame wasn't. The manual says to wind the window up until it can be lifted off the quadrant arm, but the lip on the bottom of the window is firmly slotted inside the lifting quadrant arm, God knows how it comes off! In the end I managed to work around it but I hope I never have to replace the window glass! Getting the three bolts back into the side of the door is no picnic either; I worked out a method eventually but only after one of the bolts vanished forever inside the door. Securing the escutcheon plate was tricky as well, none of the spire clips I've bought fit onto the peg.

I replaced my rusty painted quarterlight with the proper chrome one, a job I've been dreading - I just managed to fit it in by removing the brass bush completely then replacing it once the window was in place, but it's such a tight fit that I snapped off most of the peg on the top hinge - it's only made of mazak and you really have to shove. There seems to be enough left to keep it in place - fingers crossed.

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