Driver's Door Sticking on my '95 Cutlass Supreme Convertible

[Human]

This used to happen infrequently, but it's becoming more of a regular thing. I unlock the car and pull the driver's door handle, and nothing happens. The door doesn't open. I can try it repeatedly, and it will finally open very easily. I can also open it easily with the inside door handle. It's most annoying, especially because I don't understand what's going on. Is the door just sagging on its hinges to the point that it's sticking, or is there something wrong with the latch mechanism. I'm afraid of pulling too hard on the handle and breaking it, because they're hard to come by these days. Any insights are welcome. Thanks.

[94 olds vert]

Grease everything up. Make sure the linkage on the door handle is properly adjusted.

Then see what happens. 

[Schurkey]

1 hour ago, 94 olds vert said:

Grease everything up. Make sure the linkage on the door handle is properly adjusted.

Then see what happens. 

"Linkage adjustment" generally involves bending the linkage back to the shape it was supposed to be.  The linkage rods are not strong enough, they bend.  As they bend, the handle has to be lifted more and more to actually open the latch.  When the handle reaches the limit of it's travel...you pull a little harder and the handle breaks.

LOOK at the striker on the body.  Is it wearing on top?  If so, the hinges need to be re-bushed or adjusted.

Lube everything...but lube is for "prevention", generally not for "cure".

[Human]

15 hours ago, Schurkey said:

"Linkage adjustment" generally involves bending the linkage back to the shape it was supposed to be.  The linkage rods are not strong enough, they bend.  As they bend, the handle has to be lifted more and more to actually open the latch.  When the handle reaches the limit of it's travel...you pull a little harder and the handle breaks.

LOOK at the striker on the body.  Is it wearing on top?  If so, the hinges need to be re-bushed or adjusted.

Lube everything...but lube is for "prevention", generally not for "cure".

Yes, there is wear on the cylindrical striker.

[pshojo]

I sort of have this issue as well, however when I shut the door it appears the door moves upward, almost like striker is not properly aligned, but I do t see any alignment available to adjust. Then when I open the door, the handle hangs up

[Robbie]

I've had to repair the door handle linkages three or more times on my Regal, and I've had to realign/reseat the door latch on a few GMs after they've either stopped engaging properly, or have started hitting the receiver (not sure what it's properly called, but the nub in the door jam that catches and holds the door-end of the latching mechanism)

You might be able to loosen some of the bolts that hold the latch itself, and you can usually wiggle it around a little to realign.

Check for sagging on door itself, as well. Eliminate the possibility that there's any up/down play as you open/close. Sometimes there's a little bit of travel on the hinges themselves. I had a 2-door cavalier with saggy doors, once. It ended up being a question of loosening a few bolts and playing around with seating. Trial and error.
 

[Robbie]

1 minute ago, Robbie said:

I've had to repair the door handle linkages three or more times on my Regal, and I've had to realign/reseat the door latch on a few GMs after they've either stopped engaging properly, or have started hitting the receiver (not sure what it's properly called, but the nub in the door jam that catches and holds the door-end of the latching mechanism)

You might be able to loosen some of the bolts that hold the latch itself, and you can usually wiggle it around a little to realign.

Check for sagging on door itself, as well. Eliminate the possibility that there's any up/down play as you open/close. Sometimes there's a little bit of travel on the hinges themselves. I had a 2-door cavalier with saggy doors, once. It ended up being a question of loosening a few bolts and playing around with seating. Trial and error.
 

The main failure point on W body door handle action, just to be clear, is the metal rod between the door handle and the latching mechanism itself. It stretches and bends with use. After three or four times of taking apart my door panels and screwing around, bending, having the rod break, etc, I've started adopting the practice of never pulling the door by the handle anymore. Gentle on the handle for releasing the latch, grabbing the top of the door and pulling it open from there instead.

[Human]

So, time and weather converged this afternoon and I decided to take a look at the driver's door latch mechanism. I took the plate on the edge of the door that covers from the back of the door handle, down to the latch mechanism and discovered that one of the rods looked to be bent in an odd way. I went and got a "persuader" (aka a hammer), tapped it on the bend a few times, and then opened and closed the door several times in succession. It seems to be working now. How long that caveman fix lasts remains to be seen, but the problem is solved, at least for the moment.

[GTP091]

On 3/7/2023 at 8:37 PM, Schurkey said:

"Linkage adjustment" generally involves bending the linkage back to the shape it was supposed to be. 

Beat on it with a hammer.  If only it was always that easy. 

[rich_e777]

Vice grip pliers get the job done in a bit more controllable manner.

Leave the cover off and watch the movement when pulling the outer handle, where the pivoting brass piece makes contact and then slides up and down the lever section. Rounding off the edge of that pivoting brass piece helps keep the cheap pot metal from wearing down over time as well. 

Some knowledgeable engineering  oriented individual could probably come up with a wheel or bearing to mount there to prevent that sliding motion and let the doors open up smooth like a Cadillac. But GM went with this design and here we are. 

[Human]

1 hour ago, rich_e777 said:

Vice grip pliers get the job done in a bit more controllable manner.

Leave the cover off and watch the movement when pulling the outer handle, where the pivoting brass piece makes contact and then slides up and down the lever section. Rounding off the edge of that pivoting brass piece helps keep the cheap pot metal from wearing down over time as well. 

Some knowledgeable engineering  oriented individual could probably come up with a wheel or bearing to mount there to prevent that sliding motion and let the doors open up smooth like a Cadillac. But GM went with this design and here we are. 

Yeah, Vice Grips would have made more sense, but the hammer was a bit more satisfying. If I have to go back in and do it again, pliers will be the way to go. I'm also going to take the cover off of the passenger door to compare the rod over there with the one on the driver's side to understand how deformed it really is.

[Human]

Well, it's just one thing after another with this car. Today was just absolutely PERFECT convertible weather, so I took the convertible out to run some errands and the first place I stopped, the driver's door handle broke! I can pull the handle back and see where the pot metal snapped. I immediately looked at Rock Auto and found two passenger side handles listed for good prices, but no driver's side handles. Looking on eBay was a little more productive. There were several hundred listings, with prices starting at about $47 with free shipping. They all appear to be aftermarket, made of the finest chinesium, but what do you expect? Are there any brands that are better than others? The best prices seem to be for Brock, but there's no sense getting one of those if it's just going to break in a few months. Also, they seem to come in different finishes. Some say 'textured' finish, and I know I don't want that because that's not what the car has now. I seem to recall that my '91 Cutlass Supreme coupe had the textured finish door handles that had a brushed metal look. Others say they have a 'paint-to-match' finish, which I assume means it's just got primer on it. The ones with a gloss black finish, of course are more expensive. Interestingly, eBay's fitment guide for most of the handles, especially the less expensive ones with paint-to-match finish, show they fit both the coupe and convertible, but some of them fit only the coupe. Is there a difference? Yeah, I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I just want to get the right thing.