Door won't close

[x-driver]

For the last week there was a new problem with outer door handle that sometimes wouldn't open the door. I took the door apart and found out the bowden cable being damaged and rusted.
While waiting for the new bowden cable to arrive, a new problem appeared today - the door refuses to close, then after many tries it finally closes, needing a proper shut. Otherwise it just bounces back with an unpleasant sound from the lock mechanism. The visible moving part of the mechanism moves without resistance.
The final 2 door closings however went smoothly.

Any clue?

 

[enuff_zed]

Possibly the cable was still stuck after you pulled the handle to open it and took a few bangs before it slipped back to allow the lock to engage?

 

[x-driver]

I temporarilly tried to solve the first problem with a short piece of wire twisted around the cable. I hope this is the problem really...

 

[enuff_zed]

I temporarilly tried to solve the first problem with a short piece of wire twisted around the cable. I hope this is the problem really...

Ah yes, could well be you introduced a different fault.

 

[x-driver]

I find it hard to believe but I truly hope that's it that piece of wire I'd put in was like a (not even whole) 2 threaded spring. I had to shape it with pliers, although it wasn't the hardest wire there is. I tried to extend the bowden with it.

 

[MikeyH]

I find it hard to believe but I truly hope that's it that piece of wire I'd put in was like a (not even whole) 2 threaded spring. I had to shape it with pliers, although it wasn't the hardest wire there is. I tried to extend the bowden with it.

Interesting, do you have any photos please.

 

[x-driver]

Will provide some next week when the new bowden cable hopefully arrives
For now the door works just good back again on its own

I circled the problematic area on the picture. The bowden detached there and began to fall apart due to rust inside. The right length is crucial for operation, so with missing a few mm it became too short, leading the door handle to not open the door. The cable inside is intact however, shiny like new.

 

[smorris_12]

Not shutting is the cable snagged inside the sheath preventing the mechanism from going fully home. It's the same as trying to shut the door with the outside handle partially up.

Bloody silly hair trigger design. I bought some replacement cables that were slightly too long and spent ages fettling little spacers (roughly 3mm) to get it to work reliably. Quarter of a mm one way and it didn't open, quarter of a mm the other and it didn't shut

 

[x-driver]

Were your replacement cables OE?

 

[enuff_zed]

Not shutting is the cable snagged inside the sheath preventing the mechanism from going fully home. It's the same as trying to shut the door with the outside handle partially up.

Bloody silly hair trigger design. I bought some replacement cables that were slightly too long and spent ages fettling little spacers (roughly 3mm) to get it to work reliably. Quarter of a mm one way and it didn't open, quarter of a mm the other and it didn't shut

That’s what I was trying to say too

 

[smorris_12]

That’s what I was trying to say too

I'm compensating for being a day late by being unnecessarily verbose!

 

[smorris_12]

Were your replacement cables OE?

No, just an eBay special. It wasn't the sort of thing I thought would be problematic . One of very few pattern parts over the years I've had problems with.

 

[x-driver]

Since an OE bowden cable is just 20€ I didn't even think about aftermarket solutions and right now I'm glad I didn't.

 

[x-driver]

Still haven't got the new cable. Meanwhile a strange thing happened the other day.
Went for a topless drive with windows down. I learned to lock the door lately while driving since it opened once by itself.
So, I stopped and wanted to leave the car but the door won't open now from the inside. And nor from the outside as well.
Tried to lock, unlock, with button, with the little stick...nothing.
Then I lifted the window up and suddenly the door would open normally from both sides.

I do hear a tiny tick when the window travels up and down from the day I tried to repair the outer door handle bowden cable.

But it shouldn't bother the inside door handle, it works separately from the outside handle.

What the hell happened? Only once though, it worked fine even with window down after that day.

 

[enuff_zed]

If you were driving around topless then maybe the car was just protecting innocent passers-by from the shock.

 

[x-driver]

Only for those without sunglasses, I'm white as snow under that shirt

 

[smorris_12]

But it shouldn't bother the inside door handle, it works separately from the outside handle.

No, the two are intrinsically linked internally in the latch.

I had this with my E46. One day the door wouldn't shut. I kept slamming and slamming it and eventually it tripped the latch and shut. And then I couldn't open it from inside or out. The fault being the outer handle cable rusted, frayed and snagged in the sleeve. I think you must have got lucky when it happened to you and it released the cable in its sleeve.

Try it on the other side. Open the window, pull the outer handle not quite enough to release the door and you should find the inner handle won't work.

 

[x-driver]

Interesting theory, definitely calming

 

[x-driver]

Interesting, do you have any photos please.

Today I replaced that bowden cable.
Here are some pictures of the failed old bowden.
You can see the piece of wire that I added to compensate the rotten length, but I added too much, creating new problems I was mentioning in previous posts.
Hopefully I can mark this problem solved now.

 

[MikeyH]

Thank you