Why does washing my car fix my door problem?

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 3:36 pm

Every once in a while, I get this problem with my driver's door. It gets so I can't open it with the handle inside the car. At first, it's just hard to open but if I push hard, and make sure it's unlocked first, it opens. Gradually it gets harder and harder until I just have to open the window, use the outside door handle (which works perfectly), and then close the window again.

Now here's the weird part: to fix the problem, I've been washing my car.

I just take it to the local wash-your-car-yourself carwash, and just rinse the car off. After that, the door works perfectly again! That is, it works for a while, until it slowly starts getting hard to open again.

The problem definitely has been getting worse. It used to be that it would work for months until the problem reappeared, but now it's shortening to what seems like days. And it used to mainly happen when it was relatively cold out, but now it happens even when it's mild.

Anybody have any clues? Why does washing the car temporarily fix it?

JasonGrahn · Post by **JasonGrahn** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:06 pm

Your car likes to be clean.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:18 pm

Dangit, I got all excited that someone had replied to the thread.

professor · Post by **professor** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:48 pm

there's a nylon part in there that softens up when soaked in water, then when it dries out, it returns to being much stiffer

water saturated nylon loses half its stiffness, but can return to normal when dry, and do it over and over again. nylon also has a lower coefficient of friction when saturated. the water isn't on the surface, it goes into the part and swells it up a bit, and can take weeks or months to fully dry back out.

in the cold, both the temp. and humidity would be low, so plastic parts would be stiffer than normal on both accounts

OK its a guess but what the hell...

another possibility is that the soap / fake wax shit they use in the carwash is lubing something up, temporarily.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 5:04 pm

Hmm. A nylon part, you say? That's somehow exposed enough to the elements that it gets wet when the car is washed? That sounds so plausible. I'll have to try to find some time to pop the door card off. Does anyone know part might be to blame?

It's not carwash chemicals because all I'm doing is rinsing with water.

Post by **Legacy777** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:25 pm

Yeah there's a nylon piece that connects into the latch mechanism with the push rod coming down from the door. The outside latch is also attached to the same mechanism.

I don't know exactly how it works, but I've battled with mine on occassions.

I'd say take the door panel off, and just spray some lube/grease in the door latch mess where all the rods go down to. Also make sure the rods are binding up in the guides along the door.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:35 pm

Cool, I'll check into that nylon piece and lube stuff up.

I guess the external handle just has more mechanical advantage or a longer throw or something, then?

Thanks for the help, guys.

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:47 pm

The external handle works on a different part of the mechanism. I'd put 5 bucks on lubing up the white nylon piece that is next to the B pillar. The handle rods have some degree of movement in there, youll spot it easily. Hitting that bugger with some wd-40 will prolly cure it. I bet the pressure from the pressure washer can penetrate the door seals and get to it via the lock mechanism.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:50 pm

Hmm. I don't use the high-pressure setting, but yeah, maybe it can. You're talking about the plastic part of the latch in the door, right?

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:56 pm

Yeah, you've got to rip off the door panel to get to it. It's not the 2 rod interior lock button. You might just try shooting some wd in the lock mechanism though as a low-effort solution.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 7:01 pm

Do you mean the external lock mechanism or the internal one? I did pull the little plastic plate out from behind the internal handle and spray some PB Garage Door Lube in there, but it had no effect.

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 7:09 pm

hmm, let me try to explain better. If you take off the door panel, squeezed up along the door next to the b pillar is a white plastic doohickey. You have to look inside the door at an angle to see it. This thing has rods conecting it to the door handles, the most notable one to me was the key cyl rod, as i really noticed all this junk when i replaced my lock cyl.

I wouldn't think that it would be the inside button as i can't see how that would be affected by washing.

As we're both online right now, if you IM me i can send ya a pic.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 7:17 pm

Okay, I understand what you're talking about. I don't have the ability to receive pictures via IM, but thanks anyway. I follow. I've had my door panel off before when I installed my keyless entry actuator. I was just getting confused because I usually think of the B-pillar as just the part on the car's chassis between the front and rear door windows.

Thanks for the help!

Post by **Legacy777** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:19 pm

Use something other then WD 40. It has no lubricating properties.

LaureltheQueen · Post by **LaureltheQueen** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 5:35 am

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 5:43 am

Yeah, what Laurel shows is the power lock solenoid. You may have to replace it. I had a similar problem with mine on the passenger side except it didn't work at all.

Steve

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:48 pm

That solenoid isn't stock. It was put in when her keyless entry was installed.

I have a similar one that I installed too.

But my problem isn't with the locks; it's with just opening and closing the door. It locks and unlocks fine.

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:01 pm

With mine, it was forcing the lock to stay locked.

Steve

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 5:53 pm

Thanks for all the help, everyone. I think you were all right. I popped the door panel off, peeled back the plastic cover, and looked over at that nylon linkage piece. It was covered with grit and grime. It looked liked maybe someone had sprayed it with WD-40 before, so passing dirt stuck.

I sprayed it down with brake cleaner while moving the internal and external handles back and forth, and then when it was clean I sprayed it down with GDL. It works like new now after just five minutes of work. Let's hope it stays that way.

It does look like water from the carwash would be able to gradually make its way onto that piece.

The throw of the lever caused by the external handle is much longer than that caused by the internal handle. It seems odd that it would be designed that way.

Anyway, thanks again.

LaureltheQueen · Post by **LaureltheQueen** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 12:39 am

that solenoid is stock. Stock keyless.

It has since been modified for my current alarm

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:43 am

It was dealer-installed, not factory-installed. So I guess it's debatable whether it's "stock" or not.

Post by **Legacy777** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:48 pm

not stock

LaureltheQueen · Post by **LaureltheQueen** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 7:39 pm

I would argue that they are. Are roof racks on forresters stock?

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Why does washing my car fix my door problem?

Why does washing my car fix my door problem?