1996 850 - car door won't shut.

jetlag · Post by **jetlag** » 08 Sep 2015, 19:04

Umm.. so I may be a bit dumb.

I just purchased a parts car and it was on an incline. I put it in neutral to let it coast back to the street so we could load it on a trailer. Unfortunately, the door caught the mailbox.

Now, for some reason the door will not shut.

I used a screwdriver and worked the latch back and forth and it will close and open. But when I tried to shut the door, the strike plate will not move the latch up.

Tips? Ideas? Suggestions?

850TurboTurtle · Post by **850TurboTurtle** » 08 Sep 2015, 19:32

Does it not shut at all, or just not latch when shut? It sounds like the hinge has been sprung backwards and bent outward so it is preventing the door from closing enough for the latch to connect. So, does the door exterior close enough to be flush with the rest of the car, or have an uneven appearance?

jetlag · Post by **jetlag** » 08 Sep 2015, 19:50

850TurboTurtle wrote:Does it not shut at all, or just not latch when shut? It sounds like the hinge has been sprung backwards and bent outward so it is preventing the door from closing enough for the latch to connect. So, does the door exterior close enough to be flush with the rest of the car, or have an uneven appearance?

EDIT: Ok, I definitely messed up something in the hinge. I took the striker plate thing off and the door still doesn't want to shut. The hinge bar piece has bent the door jamb area on the door itself.
Hello. It doesn't close at all. The latch is lined up with the strike plate, but then the the latch just "bounces off" the strike plate. I can move the latch freely with a screwdriver so it doesn't seem stuck, but the strike plate just bounces it off. So now my door is left open and probably letting a ton of bugs in

I may have messed up the hinge. I'll check on it.