I just put in a brand new latch on the drivers side, and I did grease it up with white grease. Still have the same problem of door not completely going to a closed and latched position. Tonight I go to open the door and I cannot get it open. The latch piece is up in the housing and the tumbler piece is in the position it is supposed to be in when the door is closed. How do I get the door open? I cannot move the window channel and cannot get to all the screws that hold the latch in place. I had to walk away before I did any real damage. This door does slightly rock up and down which causes it to drag pretty bad across the lower part of the striker. Could it be a remote adjustment? Your advise will be greatly appreciated.
i HAVE FOUND THAT THE LATCH SAVERS HELP IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS. aDJUST THE DOOR SO THAT YOU FIND A HAPPY MEDIUM BETWEEN FIT AND NOT DRAGGING ON THE LATCH. yOU MAY HAVE TO DRILL OUT THE HOLES FOR THE LATCH MOUNT A LITLE BIGGER IN ORDER TO MOVE IT MORE...i HAVE HAD TO REVERT TO THIS BEFORE.
I'm not sure how to get your door open , maybe raising the rear edge of it whilst a helper works the inside release ? . The latch may be just hanging up on the striker . It is critical to get the hinges sorted out before attempting to adjust the latch , a door that sags , isn't ever going to close correctly . I had zero luck with Chinese latches , I am told there's several different manufacturer's and at least one makes good repop latches but none that I had , worked correctly when I test fitted them to the striker plate _before_ installing them into the door . I wound up buying N.O.S. door latches and they fit perfectly and are still working correctly years later .
Got it open with a pry bar from the outside. No damage. I admit I am a newbe what are the latch saves and where can they be purchased? and What does N.O.S. stand for?
I got my NOS latches from a juy called" MotherTrucker " who's over on The Stovebolt Page , he's been buying up old stock from dealers for 30 years and is now selling it all off . ' NOS ' means new , original parts , never used but made by the original manufacturer ~ sometimes you may find shelf wea or cosmetic issues on NOS parts but they'll always fit and work right . ' NORS ' however , is a whole 'nother animal as is means New Old replacement Stock , or in other words , replacement parts made not by the original manufacturer . sometimes this makes no differance , sometimes it means it's a crappy part ,once in a great while it means it's a better than original part . I occasionally see NOS door latches on E-Bay too , you have to really learn how to search out stuff on E-Bay because simply putting " latch " in the search box , won't get you every auction with the word " latch " in it......
latch savers are a little bit of spring steel that clips on over the tumbler on your latch. Sometimes it is just enough to allow the latch to catch like it is supposed to.
