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Thread: '95 525i drivers door won't latch closed

  1. #1
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    '95 525i drivers door won't latch closed

    Ok - so, I replaced capacitors in my GM and now my car starts when its 10F out! At least so far it does!

    However, got in the car, started it up, and went to close the door and it bounced back open. Nothing blocking the door from closing. I can move the little latch part of the lock all the way but I noticed it doesn't "catch" like the other doors do.

    I have the car in the garage with the heat on and soaked the lock with WD40 but not sure it's going to fix it.

    Anyone have this issue before?

  2. #2
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    Same issue with mine when it's really cold out. It also closes with a different thud than the other doors. I'm doing windows and door actuators today so I'm going to replace the whole latch.
    demet

  3. #3
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    Probably just old hardened grease in the latch mechanism. You might need to open up the door to get at it better. I've had good success using PB Blaster to free these up, if you can tolerate the smell of it. Keep working the latch and cleaning it with the WD40, PB or whatever, it'll free up. White grease after. I have plenty of spare latches and actuators if yours is F'd, but I doubt it.

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  4. #4
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    Yeah, if temp related it seem like the mechanism in the door itself is a little cold and not free.

    If it's not that, then I had to muck about with mine when I first got it because the drivers door was 3mm too high (the rubber on the top edge was high and hitting the gutter and looked wrong). I dropped the door as much as I could but then had to adjust the latch in the door frame. Just get a torx bit and adjust the latch in the frame up/down - in/out so it closes when pushed shut normally, doesn't ride up or down as it hits the stricker, and closes flush as well.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by ross1 View Post
    Probably just old hardened grease in the latch mechanism. You might need to open up the door to get at it better. I've had good success using PB Blaster to free these up, if you can tolerate the smell of it. Keep working the latch and cleaning it with the WD40, PB or whatever, it'll free up. White grease after. I have plenty of spare latches and actuators if yours is F'd, but I doubt it.
    Thanks brought it inside got the garage up to 55 and it works. Sprayed it with wd40. Going to pull the latch once garage is at 65 because I'm a baby and check out the Grease and all

  6. #6
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    Happened to me last night lol. Not only that but when I go to unlock door in very cold the lock doesn’t have enough juice to go fully up so I have to go through the back door and pull it up by hand ugh


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmile46 View Post
    Happened to me last night lol. Not only that but when I go to unlock door in very cold the lock doesn’t have enough juice to go fully up so I have to go through the back door and pull it up by hand ugh


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    That sucks -

    Just pulled the mechanism out, sprayed it down with WD40 and PB Blaster, it activated ok once I brought the car into the heated garage. For good measure I hosed it down with more PB and then applied generous amounts of white lithium grease everywhere. Seems good now - we'll see how it does in the AM.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by 5mall5nail5 View Post
    That sucks -

    Just pulled the mechanism out, sprayed it down with WD40 and PB Blaster, it activated ok once I brought the car into the heated garage. For good measure I hosed it down with more PB and then applied generous amounts of white lithium grease everywhere. Seems good now - we'll see how it does in the AM.
    Good luck! But its kind of a pain lol

  9. #9
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    It's an absolute pain but that's why we own these old things lol

  10. #10
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    Jon- just had the same issue with my 540i -speed- (excellerated back and forth on 611 last summer near wegmans). The door felt like it was closing in a damn rock. Had to hold it closed and lock the door and once the weather cleared up last week (above 30 degrees) it stopped happening. I think it's the grease in the latch (make sense?)- I'm glad I'm not the only one this happened to - I was legit confused at first.

  11. #11
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    I had this problem with my 89 535i. I had a hair dryer that I would use to warm up the lock. Would work fine after 1 minute.


    Andy

    - - - Updated - - -

    I had this problem with my 89 535i. I had a hair dryer that I would use to warm up the lock. Would work fine after 1 minute.


    Andy

  12. #12
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    My driver's door won't properly latch much of the time, despite frequent lubrication as best done with the latch still inside the door. Temperature seems to be a factor, but sometimes it will latch pretty consistently, then may take 8 or 10 closings to finally catch, especially when closing from inside the car.

    The latch unit seems factory sealed, but is it better lubricated when off the car?

    I'm wondering if immersion into a sonic cleaner like jeweler's use for old clock works, etc. might work.

    Thoughts?

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dash01 View Post
    My driver's door won't properly latch much of the time, despite frequent lubrication as best done with the latch still inside the door. Temperature seems to be a factor, but sometimes it will latch pretty consistently, then may take 8 or 10 closings to finally catch, especially when closing from inside the car.

    The latch unit seems factory sealed, but is it better lubricated when off the car?

    I'm wondering if immersion into a sonic cleaner like jeweler's use for old clock works, etc. might work.

    Thoughts?
    I'll bet that would work great. If yours has the lock actuator motor attached('92 + up) make sure to remove that first.

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  14. #14
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    I removed it from the car, cleaned all with brake cleaner + kerosene to remove the old, hardened grease, then sprayed motorbike lube into it, works like a charm now even in winter. Here a DIY for the E32, but instead of drilling the system open, I cleaned it with kerosene and brake cleaner http://bmwe32.masscom.net/sean750/do...kMechanism.htm
    Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!

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