door trim

[RobCapper]

I can no longer open either of my doors on the plus 2! so saturday morning will be spent taking the trims off and sorting the rod out, which is presumably what's pbroken or popped out....?!

anyone else had to do this? any tips/advice on taking the trim off or putting it back?

thanks

[1964 S1]

Can you no longer open them from the inside? I had an inside plastic handle break and took the door panel off without much effort. Do you have a shop manual? If it's from the outside that you can't open the doors I suggest a little WD 40 squirted in around the push button.

[ElliottN]

I've had the mechanism on my drivers door go a couple of times - but for the inside only handle only (S4 is same as a +2). If it is inside only....

There is a short rod from the pull handle which is joined to a long rod which goes back to and operates the lock. The join is a nylon block - each rod hooks into it and is tensioned on by a spring, which should stop them popping out. But they get old and worn, the spring loses tension, and - one day you get a dead handle. The long rod on mine just kept working out of the nylon block. I solved it by locking a plastic cable tie around the nylon block & rod to keep the rod in.

Access is easy - three screws in the door pull handle (just pull handle back and you'll see them), and carefully pull the door trim away from the frame starting from the bottom. The locking clips (on the trim) pop out of their locators (on the door) and can be just pushed back in when you have finished.

[triumphelan]

I spent days trying to adjust my doors so that they opened and shut smoothly .I gave up ,on replacing the trim and just about to pack up tools I lubricated the lock mechanism Ureka

[thor]

Everything is completely easy after undoing the two bolts that hold the armrest/handle, and it slips off fairly easily. But NOT reassembling.. with the complete *&%"#&%"#&% job of pushing the door trim on around the bastard pull handles !! without damaging the door trim panels. BE VERY VERY CAREFUL. I struggled for AGES.

[1964 S1]

I left the interior door handle loose on the rods and slipped it sideways through the trim panel during reassembly, and then screwed it to the door after the panel had been secured.

[thor]

Smartass!

If only someone had given me this tip... I was a fool following the workshop handbook, with something like "the door panel will slip over the metal frame for the interior door handle", yeah right.

Suffice to say there was a lot of swearing involved..

[1964 S1]

I LOVE THIS Elan.net. A guy halfway around the world calls me a Smartass, a term no one's ever complimented me with before, and I think it's humorous!
ps; It took about three seconds to pass the handle through the door panel.

[thor]

hahahaha. We're big on irony in Norway..

Just me being really stupid believing the best way was to follow the workshop manual, thinking it wouldn't do any good to disconnect the door handle from the door.... As in many other cases I now feel silly for not thinking, but I'm not alone.

Even worse, after refitting the door panels (taken off to fit Ferrari Dino mirrors), the passenger electric window now only works with the drivers door open... go figure.

[john.p.clegg]

Thor

A broken wire in the loom where it passes from the body to the door,causing an intermittent break in certain positions?

John

[1964 S1]

I believe John is right, check the wires on the driver's side door hinge area. Wiggle them about while pushing the switch for the passenger side window.

[cdraper]

On my Elan+2 I found the problem of the interior door pull not wrking was flexing of the operating rod - it bent at both ends. A little local stiffening by welding on some stiffening - actually welding wire - got rid of the lost motion and they no wok perfectly.