300SDL Door Problem

Feb 23, 2006 6 Replies
G

The left-rear door of my '87 300SDL started making a "graunching" sort of noise when I closed it awhile back. It sounded like the hinges needed to be greased. I figured I'd get to it in due course. It wasn't terribly urgent, I reasoned, because I rarely carry passengers in that car.



The other day something seized up inside the door, and it appeared for a moment that I wouldn't be able to get it closed. The door was fully open, and wouldn't swing more than a few degrees toward the "closed" position before bouncing right back. It would've been awkward trying to get home that way.



There's a sheetmetal bar extending into the forward surface of the door from the B-pillar which engages the detent that holds the door open, and that seems to be what's binding up. Is there any way to fix this without removing the interior trim panel of the door?


Geoff



'91 300D 2.5 95K '87 300SDL 256K


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H

You need a new door check (that sheet metal thing hanging out of the door). I don't know the chassis well enough to know if it can be replaced without removing the interior trim panel. Sometines they can and sometimes they can't, but it does need to be replaced, or at least removed if it is doing that.

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R

Leave it closed. Don't open and close it again, it can screw up badly. You need a new "door check strap" and it'll be fine.

Not a hard DIY repair, I could do it in 2 hours at a very leasurly pace, a dealer should be able to do it in one.

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R

Not having one is not an option. I can't see how you'd replace it withoutreplacing the panel since it's inside the door.

Taking the pane off os hard - the first time. I could so it in

10 minutes these days. The onlygotcha is removing it when all the attachments are off. It has 4 plastic tabe that hold it on. Break one and you'll hate life and will probbaly have to get a new panel which will probably never match correctly.

You pull up, not out and whent's off you'll see little J shapes hooks with the long axis of the J perpendicular tothe door panel.

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G

Thanks a lot, guys. I'll have my mechanic take a gander at it next week.

Geoff

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S

I had the same problem on my 300SD .I added a bit of *door ease* Its a product sold here in Canada and problem is now fixed!

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W

Is that product something like a standard wheel bearing grease?

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