Door alignment/central locking problems, problems, problems...

[bbehn787]

Hello all,

First time poster here so go easy on me!

I'm in the process of converting a 2012 Peugeot Boxer L3H2, and something that I have been stumped by is the sliding door which requires a massive slam to engage the top catch at the rear of the door. The middle catch engages fine but I have to either pull the top of the door from the inside, or push the top of the door from the outside in order to engage the top catch. If I forget to do this then the door does not come into contact with the door seal and rainwater enters through a very visible crack. Even if I do manage to engage the upper catch, the back of the door protrudes from the chassis about 5mm and I have to lean on the door while pushing the lock button on the key to lock it. I believe that this is down to the misaligned door net making sound electrical contact.

And as if that wasn't enough I've got problems with the central locking. The van was previously owned by builders who added aftermarket key locks (lock when the door is closed and can only be reopened with a key) and disabled the central locking. The locks act in place of the exterior handle so they re-routed the metal cable from the handle to the lock. They've done the same to the rear doors. I would like to restore the central locking functions, so I thought I would try to convert it back. Oh boy is this where the problem starts. They disconnected the cable harnesses to the lock actuators in both side and rear doors so I reconnected the rear one (after doing some cable surgery!) but the doors wouldn't lock and would only open. I can hear the actuators clunking when I press unlock so I know they are getting power, but i am confused as to why when I plug in the harnesses the central locking won't work?!?!?

Sorry for the essay, but I am at a loss right now and have to manually move the actuator on the back door so that they lock and can't be opened from the outside. Can't go on like this for ever!

Any help/advice/kick in the shins greatly appreciated.

Bruce

 

[TheBig1]

builders van syndrome, the doors get abused and warped. You need somebody to show you how to carefully straighten the door by bending the top back corner inwards a bit at a time. A thick towel, a lump of 4x2 and some muscle. Then realign the door and the latches. When correctly aligned and lubricated, it should shut smooth and easy

 

[rolosroller]

 

[bbehn787]

builders van syndrome, the doors get abused and warped. You need somebody to show you how to carefully straighten the door by bending the top back corner inwards a bit at a time. A thick towel, a lump of 4x2 and some muscle. Then realign the door and the latches. When correctly aligned and lubricated, it should shut smooth and easy

Thanks for the tips, but do you reckon it is actually the case that the door is warped? There is a constant gap of about 5mm from the rear of the door to the van body, ie if you were to run your fingers from the sliding door handle towards the back of the van, you’d feel a step down of about 5mm.

 

[TheBig1]

Thanks for the tips, but do you reckon it is actually the case that the door is warped? There is a constant gap of about 5mm from the rear of the door to the van body, ie if you were to run your fingers from the sliding door handle towards the back of the van, you’d feel a step down of about 5mm.

if the gap is constant, then the latches need adjusting and lubricating

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[rosalan]

Doors can twist. Shutting with an obstruction blocking closure, high winds and a multitude of other possibilities. As they are mostly alloy, such damage can occur. The method already suggested is fairly standard procedure, in fact some Citroen cars used to have their door aligned with a fur covered boot I believe.
If however the door is out of alignment vertically, some hinges will allow adjustment but although I have done this adjustment on my garage doors, it was 'hit and miss' before getting it right.

 

[Terry]

If you cannot adjust the hinges then open the door at 90 degrees to the van,get onto a tressel/ step ladder,stick your knee onto the door mid point then pull the top towards you, little bits at a time bending into place Be careful and don't bend it to much in one go.