1997 Del Sol Door Alignment

Tiny
FLIPCOACH
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 HONDA DEL SOL
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
How can I align the doors on my 1997 Honda Del Sol? They don't close completely, causing the cabin light to stay on (unless manually turned off). I adjusted the door switches to their limit, but it's still not enough. There is a noticeable difference in surface height where the door meets the jamb.
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Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 AT 8:11 PM

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Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,815 POSTS
Check the door hinges for wear. With door slightly open, lift the door at lock side and if there is excessive movement, the hinges are worn resulting in the door drooping and not meeting the striker on body correctly.

You would have to adjust the door by loosening the holding bolts of the upper hinge to body, lift the door and tighten to specifications. If there is excessive wear to the hinges, they would have to be replaced as maximum adjustment might not be sufficient to get the door aligned.

Remove the fender inner liner and mudflaps to gain access to the hinges holding bolts. Space is tight and removing the fender lower holding bolts would allow you to gain additional working space.

Get an assistant to open the door slightly and lift it ( you can use a floor jack with a wooden block as support) while you loosen and tighten the upper hinge holding bolts. A few tries might be necessary to get the correct alignment.

When door is judged to be level when closed and the door striker is still out of alignment, marks the striker initial position for reference and loosen the 2 screws, they might be tight and an impact driver might be required to loosen (DO NOT use excessive force if using impact driver as it can damage the body). Adjust the striker to be aligned with the door lock slot and tighten. Test the door, if it is too far out, loosen striker and move it horizontally inwards and retighten.
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Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 AT 8:35 PM

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