Door latch repair....., The importance of maintenance Options

[billh1963]

This is old news to those who have been around 914's for a while. But, for the newer owners this might be useful:

Decided today was a good day to fix 914 door latches. Two cars had inoperative passenger outside door latches and the drivers door on one of them was getting harder to open. I knew at that rate it wouldn't be long and I would be locked out of the car!

Did the normal research (thread searches, reviewed the procedures in the Porsche workshop manual, etc) and figured I knew what to do. The plan was to replace the plastic cam pieces (I had purchased four new ones a couple of months ago) and clean/degrease the latch assemblies.

The first door I tackled (inoperative outside latch on passenger door) had a broken cam as suspected. The cam was black. Isn't that a replacement unit? The latch mechanism inside the door was very grungy. Experimentation between purple power, simply green , gunk engine degreaser and brake cleaner showed that the best results were obtained by spraying the mechanism with gunk engine degreaser (gel) and letting it sit for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off and follow up with brake cleaner. YMMV. I sprayed the moving pieces with white lihium grease before reassembly. I cannot explain how nicely the door operates now. Just a slight pull on the door handle and the door pops open.

The second door was the "good" drivers door. The cam looks to be original (white plastic) and in perfect shape. The door mechanism was very dirty and operated sluggishly. A good cleaning and the door now pops open with a light pull.

The main purpose of this post is a warning on what was found on the other car. On that car the passenger door was not opening with the outside handle and it took a lot of effort to open the drivers door with the outside handle. On both doors, the cam had deformed from all the pressure exerted trying to activate the sticking latch mechanism. The picture below is the drivers door. The passenger door cam was deformed even further and would not push the latch. If I had waited much longer I would have been "locked" out of the car!





I replaced the cams and after a thorough cleaning of the latch mechanisms (and new grease) the doors operate like new. This is a really simple project and I did four doors in about 3.5 hours. That was taking my time and doing other stuff while waiting for the degreaser to work.

So, if your door latches are sticking, don't put off this project. It's easy and very rewarding!

[stugray]

that was taking my time and doing other stuff while waiting for the degreaser to work.

Cmon, truthfully... how long did you spend just staring at the mechanical assembly.....?

I replaced one set and have yet to do the hanger queen in the driveway.
However it has a bungee holding the door from fully closing or I will be "locked out".

;-)

Stu

[bulitt]

I like to use diesel fuel. dunk them in and hit them with a toothbrush. It leaves a slight oil on all the internal parts and cheap.

[billh1963]

that was taking my time and doing other stuff while waiting for the degreaser to work.

Cmon, truthfully... how long did you spend just staring at the mechanical assembly.....?

I replaced one set and have yet to do the hanger queen in the driveway.
However it has a bungee holding the door from fully closing or I will be "locked out".

;-)

Stu

I admit that the latch mechanism is a heckuva a piece of engineering! It was too humid outside to sit around too long (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

It really is a fast process and didn't require any special skills (if it had I would be screwed) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

[JawjaPorsche]

Good Info! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[cary]

Gunk is the only thing I that I could find to cut the gunk.

[euro911]

Thanks for posting, Bill ... I need to perform this procedure on two cars as well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif)

[balljoint]

Where are the cams available new?

[billh1963]

Where are the cams available new?

AA has replacement nylon cams.

Bronze cams were made at some point and I would like to have tried those. I couldn't find those.

[euro911]

Are they available through 914rubber.com too?

[JawjaPorsche]

Are they available through 914rubber.com too?

Don't know if this is it because there is no picture.

http://shop.914rubber.com/door-cam-actuator-914DCA.htm

[JmuRiz]

Good info, I need to tackle this once my car is back in my garage. I'm sure all my old cars could use a latch/lock cleaning!

[Mikey914]

Are they available through 914rubber.com too?

Don't know if this is it because there is no picture.

http://shop.914rubber.com/door-cam-actuator-914DCA.htm

Yes,
I'll add the picture.
-Mark

[green914]

I should do this on mine too. Used to have a lot of problems with the cams when I lived in the snow country; the cams seem to be less of a problem in warmer weather.

[billh1963]

Are they available through 914rubber.com too?

Don't know if this is it because there is no picture.

http://shop.914rubber.com/door-cam-actuator-914DCA.htm

Yes,
I'll add the picture.
-Mark

Mark,
The one I posted a picture of did not have a lot of strength in the "two legs". From a compression perspective (I guess compression is the right term) the "legs" will need to be pretty stiff or they will deform like the one I have shown in the picture. How stiff are the "legs" on the ones you sell?

Bronze may be overkill; however, at least you won't have many worries about the "legs" deforming under pressure. You may break the tabs off the door handle but your cam won't break! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[euro911]

Mark, I'm pretty sure I'm going to need at least TWO of them. I'll add them to my existing order list and get the payment off to you ASAP.

[stugray]

While you are at it.......

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i366.photobucket.com-10819-1373920362.1.jpg)

Might as well!

For me the formula is 50/50 Simple Green & HOT water.
Anything that I have to do outside or with gloves is a PITA

Stu

[JmuRiz]

Wish I had a parts washer, what type of container do guys w/o parts washers use?

[billh1963]

Wish I had a parts washer, what type of container do guys w/o parts washers use?

just a car wash bucket

[euro911]

Wish I had a parts washer, what type of container do guys w/o parts washers use?

Typically, an oil drain pan. For carbs, I bought some rectangular stainless steel serving containers from a chef supply store (the kind you see being used in cafeterias). Bought the lids too, to keep the solvents from evaporating.