the dreaded slider door rattle

For years the passenger slider door has been getting steadily worse regarding rattling. I've fiddled with the rear sliding arm which rides in the track along the body of the van just below the window. All attempts have proven fruitless. Holding the door while sitting inside confirms that it's that hinge point that's loose, not the top or the bottom. Anyway, I was really fed up and tonight took it apart. What I learned was that the C shaped bracket that attaches to the door with the 2-10mm bolts has a pin at the top of the top and a bolt and nut at the bottom. These 2 act as an interface with the slider in the door track. I took the slider off and, low and behold, the top pin had elongated the hole it fits into allowing the door to rattle around regardless of how the C shaped bracket was orientated on the door.

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My fix was to remove the slider, weld the now oblong hole closed, and then re drill the hole to match the size of the pin. The pin seems to be made of very tough metal but the bracket was pretty soft. Anyway, half thinking the rattle was going to continue, upon reassembling everything and sliding the door shut the rattle is completely gone and the door is so quiet. Pretty good for a Thursday night fix! :runaround:

fwiw, my 2 cents

Piper -

Thanks for sharing this. I'll be checking this area on my '00.

Out of curiosity: What welder did you use? What welding training have you had? Any advice for a beginner what wants to learn?

Hi Phil

Yes, that rattle was a good find. My wife and kids were ready to scrap the van.

As for the welder, I actually have 2 My first one is a Lincoln 140C, the second is a Lincoln 256. I bought the 140C first but quickly realized its limitation. It'll weld reliably up to 3/16" steel and nothing thicker. It is a 110 volt welder and uses gas (I run a 75/25 argon/co2 mixture commonly called autoweld). It's easy enough to take this welder anywhere which is handy, tho I can only recall doing that once. My 256 will weld in a single pass 1/2 metal. Now I don't weld 1/2"or even 3/8" that often but when I do, I need that much umph. There's a pretty big cost difference ($800 vs $2400) and if I were to do it again, I'd skip right to the 256, it'll weld the thin stuff just as nice as the 140c. There are tons of arguments regarding type, if I were buying again I'd certainly recommend the Lincoln, tho Miller and Hobart are good as well. For me it's about service as you'll need consumables and parts. My local welding shop stocks all the Lincoln stuff and it's 3 miles from my home. I wouldn't buy any of the less popular brands as parts are going to break and need replacement - it's just a matter of time - and Harbor Freight or in Can Princess Auto don't stock parts for their welders.

As for learning, MIG welding is pretty easy, you just need to spend some time. Most local colleges/high schools have night courses which are excellent and will get you started. I did a bunch of tool and die in high school, lots of auto/machine shop so I haven't taken a course myself in ages. There are a lot of great resources at weldingweb.com for example. Recently I had the opportunity to provide technical assistance during the winter paraolympics in Vancouver Canada. I needed to learn tig welding so I approached my local machine shop and was lucky enough to be able to shadow their tig welder for several hours. It was fantastic training as it was 1 on 1. I don't tig weld a ton but it's a great skill to have.. and the welds are soo pretty!

The funny thing about welding is, once you get a welder and start to use it, you'll be surprised how much you do use it. Of course you'll get the regular calls from friends for various favours but it's all good. My most recent work are 4 utility trailers. I'll post a pic for ya'll to see.

I think this was trailer # 3

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Piper -

Thanks for sharing your story!

Yeah, I've been tempted by some of the cheap Harbor Freight wire-fed welder models. I'd glad to get your perspective on the realities of ownership.

Your utility trailer project looks great.

I suspect I'd pick up welding skills pretty quickly: I've spent a fair amount of time with a propane torch soldering copper plumbing fittings, and am aware of the need to pick up a "feel" for what the heat is doing to the metal.

ya welding is not particularly hard, you just need practice, clean metal, the right equipment, then more practice. I like welding as once I flip my helmet down, all I think about is welding - which is different from how most of my days are (multitasking) - it can become a bit zen-like in an odd way..

If you've done copper pipe or ox-acetylene, you're well on your way. My only advice is, buy the welder once. Go big or go home, make sure you've got the power needed. I run my 256 on a 40amp 220 volt. That's easy to do wiring-wise as you just drop the receptacle beside the panel and then buy the extension cord that you'll need. Sure it's another $75 but that way your welder can go anywhere in the garage space.

Worth every cent! Here's the 256

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-ca/Equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K3068-1

I planned ahead during a home renovation project some years ago: There's a 100A 240V panel in my garage that's still nearly empty (even then, I was hoping for a welder, and maybe someday an electric vehicle...).

A big purchase isn't in the cards soon - so meanwhile, I'll be cruising Craigslist for Lincoln welders...

Mine have been driving me nuts for a long time.. Just might give this a shot. Thanks for the post.

Wouldn't you know it? We just got bit by the rattling door as well. It sounds like it's coming from EXACTLY this spot, however when I press on the door myself (while it's open, holding the bracket with my other hand), I can't get it to happen.

Question - did yours LOOK fine until you pulled out the pin? Also, is it the bracket you welded (I hope!) or the arm from the door?

yep, when the hinge pin/bracket were on the door you couldn't see any problem with it. The part I welded was the bracket which easily slipped off the door. It looked like an rectangular "c" and it was the hole that the pin slipped into which had become elongated

yep, when the hinge pin/bracket were on the door you couldn't see any problem with it. The part I welded was the bracket which easily slipped off the door. It looked like an rectangular "c" and it was the hole that the pin slipped into which had become elongated

I'll give this a shot soon. Need to find a place that'll do the weld for me.

It LOOKS fine though and I can't reproduce the issue except for when actually driving.