difficulty opening door (push button)

[rsefczek]

well if i try and open either door, it requires two hands and leaves the keyhole impression on my thumb. i thought that it must mean it was time to lube the mechanism but i don' see anypoints of lubrication in the repair manual (or visually). the entire mechanism seems to be sealed unless i drill out the rivet points. before i go that crazy, does anyone have any suggestions before i break my thumb trying to get in the car?

[namba209]

It isn't difficult to access the locking mechanism once the door skins are removed. One bolt on the outside of the window, in to the handle one in the door jam, plus disconnecting the linkage and you can lube the living daylights out of it.

[ungermm]

Originally Posted by rsefczek the entire mechanism seems to be sealed unless i drill out the rivet points. before i go that crazy, does anyone have any suggestions before i break my thumb trying to get in the car?

I don't know of any rivet points on the GT door. You have a couple areas to examine. I'll assume that pushing the button on the handle with the door open or closed is difficult. So, you will need to pull the door panel off to access the latching mechanism. There are two parts to the system. One is the handle with the button which has a nut accessible from inside the door and a bolt on the side of the door above the latch mechanism. The latch mechanism has 3 screws that hold it in place. Once you get the maneuver the 2 parts out of the door, you will be able to find out what the problem is. Then, clean and lube, Old grease plus dirt often turns to something like glue and makes things difficult to operate. Jerry

[GTJIM]

The GT doors are quite long and heavy enough to wear away the hinge pins ... which allows the door to drop and load up the latches thus making them harder to operate too.

Check how worn your hinge pins are by lifting the door by the rear edge when it is open to assess the wear. Pins can be replaced - and then greasing of the pins using the zerk fittings Opel put in there will slow down any further wear. Bet you did not know they were there! - and neither did any Previous Owners ......

[rsefczek]

i guess i wasn't very clear in the original post. i have the mechanism in hand but the large toothed gear, where most of the "sticking" seems to be, is permanently fixed to the plate and i can't really get in there to clear out any residual gunk. i'm tempted to risk the wrath of the wife and run it through the dishwasher but don't know that that would be very good for the unit....

bob

[GTJIM]

See how Carburettor Cleaner works - the spray can stuff or even the dip-the-whole-carb-in Kit that most Auto Supply Shops have.

If that does not work, search around and find a shop that does ultra-sonic cleaning ... but be sure to flush all the fluid out afterwards, first with hot water and then with CRC.

You could even try dangling them in a 'friendly' Automotive Machinist's "hot tank" - the one they use to clean and de-rust cylinder blocks and heads etc.

[newman27]

Originally Posted by GTJIM ...and then greasing of the pins using the zerk fittings Opel put in there will slow down any further wear. Bet you did not know they were there! - and neither did any Previous Owners...

I have a squeaky door and was just going to put some grease on the hinge until I came across this post. What and where are these "zerk fittings"?

Found this definition but still wondering exactly where these are and what type of grease to use now that I know they exist...

Thanks,

Matt

[BQS4]

Matt, they're up on the hinges themselves.