seabrooke

Hi,

I am having a problem with my drivers side door on my grand am. I have automatic door locks but everytime I try to lock/unlock the doors the drivers side will not completely lock or unlock all the way. I noticed that the problem was because the door's lock assembly seems to be unlevel to the striker. I also noticed that there is wear on the striker, as if the lock is hitting too low on the it. So I am assuming that the door must be a few degrees off? To my knowledge this is why maybe the automatic door lock is not functioning properly because when i use the automatic door opener when the door is open it functions just fine. Also the drivers side door is started to get hard to open and closed because the striker and the lock are not meeting up to one another. My door hinges are in good shape, no rust, and no loose bolts. I highly doubt that the problem is with the lock because it seems to be functioning properly as well. I bought a repair manual for the Grand Am but they do not show anything on how to repair this problem. (Note: There are two strikers. There is also another striker on the upper part of the door. It too does not meet flush with striking hinge that it goes into. This particular stickers seems to be adjustable by loosening it and moving it to a higher or lower position. Should I try doing this to see what happens? If I do loosen this striker to adjust it what precautions should I take? Should I use a certain torx when tightening it back on?



My question, "How do I adjust the drivers side door so the lock meets up flush with the striker? Do I just unbolt the stiker and then adjust it until the door meets up flush with it?

Any suggestions are welcomed, thanks!

xeroinfinity

those strikers wont move to much.
One question, when you lift the door up, is thier alot of play up and down?

The easiest way to adjust the bottm striker is the lock part on the door. I think thiers 3 torque screws, if you loosen them the lock will move up and down to adjust.

Hopfully that will fix the upper part, if not(which is likly) try and move the upper catch or the stricker if you arnt able to move the catch on the upper door try and move the upper striker.

And Welcome to AF seabrooke !

__________________
1999 Grand Am SS & Grand Am GT 3.4 OHV


Who'd ever thought the "G" in GM would stand for Government Motors.

seabrooke

Hi again,

Thanks for the info. I'll try doing that today and I'll get back to you with the results. I didn't know that the catch was also ajustable? Well we learn something new everyday. Oh and to answer your question, "there is not a lot of play with the door." I do notice that the pin holding the lower hinge on the door looks like it has raised about a 10mm. However when I try to move the door up and down to see how much play I have it really doesn't move all that much.

Any ways thanks again for the advise and I'll let you know if it works. Hopefully I will not have too much while doing it!

xeroinfinity

no prob!
ITs not to difficult to adjust the catch. Now when you mess with the hinges it a different story, they are heavy and easy to mess up the alignment.
It woulndnt hurt to probley oil the hinges, and the catchs', with some light wieght oil.
Dont use WD 40 type of spray , that will eat the grease out of the hinge and they start squeeking and wearing down faster.

__________________
1999 Grand Am SS & Grand Am GT 3.4 OHV


Who'd ever thought the "G" in GM would stand for Government Motors.