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Door hard to pull open

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

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5rivers
Posts: 533
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Year and Model: V70 1998 T5
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Door hard to pull open

Post by 5rivers »

Greetings all,

Am hoping someone has had this problem and can offer immediate solutions! My driver's side door is getting very hard to open. It locks and unlocks as it should, but it feels like the door is catching more on the latch than it should. There are marks, like scrapping marks, on the top of the latch that suggest that is where it is catching. From the outside, the door does not look like it is sagging, but it sure feels that way.
Are there leveling bolts on the door hinges that can adjust the up/down movement of the door? Or should I remove the door and hope that it will adjust itself when it is bolted back on?

Appreciate any suggestions!
5rivers
1998 V70 M56, silver/grey, has tranny issues, #?# owner, 330,xxx miles, a handy parts car
1998 V70 AT, nautical blue, 2nd owner, 260,000 miles, Sold
1998 V70 AT, T5, forest green, 3rd owner, 172,300 miles, Mimas 16" rims

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abscate
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Post by abscate »

Try putting a bit of pressure on the door while operating the handle..

Better?
Empty Nester
A Captain in a Sea of Estrogen
1999-V70-T5M56 2005-V70-M56 1999-S70 VW T4 XC90-in-Red
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volvolugnut
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Post by volvolugnut »

My experience with tight/binding doors is they have sagged or the hinge pins have worn. I suggest you do not try to remove the door or hinge bolts. These can very hard to get set correctly again and the doors are heavy.
Instead, try to adjust the door catch on the pillar. These usually have slotted adjustments if you loosen the fasteners. BUT FIRST mark the current position with a sharp pencil around the catch. Then loosen the screws slightly and tap the catch straight down maybe 1/32 inch at a time, retighten and try the door again. I have adjusted these for several old vehicles. It does take patience and small adjustments.
volvolugnut
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