Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: peter the butcher on 01 February 2017, 14:29:09

Title: Drivers door catch
Post by: peter the butcher on 01 February 2017, 14:29:09
I have had a frightening experience this past week.... shut the door, drove off and after a couple of miles or so, the door swung opened  :-\ and have greased it with proper grease, and use WD40 on it. The catch IS catching, but somehow un catched. Have noticed it happens on a roundabout, drive up to it, no problem, then as the centrifugal force comes on when exiting said roundabout ( or very sharp corner) their is a wind noise from outside, and the door swings open, IF I let it. No matter how hard I slam the door shut, it happens, even with the door lock down.... is it possible to take the latch to bits, regrease and reasemble, to see if it cures the problem?
It may cause an accident one day, and is always on the mind when driving the car now
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: Andy B on 01 February 2017, 17:44:43
[quote author=peter the butcher link=topic=138565.msg1785300#msg1785300 date=1485959349 ........
is it possible to take the latch to bits, regrease and reasemble, to see if it cures the problem?
 ....[/quote]

quite possibly  ..... far easier to fit AN Other  :y
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: MonzaGSE on 01 February 2017, 18:00:47
Yep. No point trying to fix the old one. Should be plenty of cheap used ones around since in my experience they are generaly very reliable. At least i have never heard of one failing before.
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: GastronomicKleptomaniac on 01 February 2017, 18:23:08
Ive had one stick so I couldn't close the door once... greased and jiggled with a screwdriver and fixed it.

I've heard of it happening once,  on an Omega I had just sold...!
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 02 February 2017, 07:22:11
If the body is flexing enough to pop the doors I would be concerned about the integrity of the sills :-\
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 02 February 2017, 09:02:55
It cant be body flex given the door aperture tolerance and the method in which the latch locks

It could be a sticking actuator rod from a door handle or maybe a very rare worn latch.

Easy enough to replace, the guide for repairing the central locking motor refers to the procedures needed for extraction and refit.

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90642.0

Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: Tony H on 02 February 2017, 18:12:44
Had the same problem a few months ago it became a reflex action to grab hold of the door on a left hand bend :o!!! Tried adjustment of a catch and heavy lubrication but to avail. Ended up buying a catch off a seller on the forum cost twenty quid, bit of a fiddle to fit especially if you hands like bunches of bananas like mine, all good now though sorted :y
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: Carfix on 03 February 2017, 23:17:55
This has also happened to me a year or so ago. Very frightening.  :o

I thought it was probably a one off event and perhaps I had not shut the door properly but it kept happening again.

My instinct was to take the door card off and examine and lubricate the internal and external parts of the lock mechanism but this did not work.

In the end I bought a new lock mechanism from my local dealer and once fitted it has not happened since.

I did notice that once the old lock was off the car that a large section of plastic around the actual catch had snapped off.
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: johnnydog on 03 February 2017, 23:49:34
You probably sh** yourself as much as I did when a bonnet flew up and smacked the windscreen of a Rover 216 I was driving many years ago. Did I crap myself - probably the surprise as much as the heavy bonnet flying towards you at speed, smashing the windscreen and coming to rest about about 12" from your face.....
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 04 February 2017, 18:40:57
You probably sh** yourself as much as I did when a bonnet flew up and smacked the windscreen of a Rover 216 I was driving many years ago. Did I crap myself - probably the surprise as much as the heavy bonnet flying towards you at speed, smashing the windscreen and coming to rest about about 12" from your face.....
Done that with a Renault 25... wouldn't sit right after a front end bump, but one overtaking lorry later, and the windscreen went dark... no fun on a dual carriageway  :o the kicker was that it closed perfectly afterwards ::)
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: Nick W on 04 February 2017, 18:47:48
Bonnets flying open(due to faulty catches) and hitting the windscreen header rail is common on Renaults. Especially clits. Yet another reason not to own one.


The other car we used to see with faulty bonnet catches were Rover 75s. But they used to seize solid so that you broke the release cable.
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 04 February 2017, 19:10:08
Ironic given that they're not well known for reliability  ;D
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: Andy H on 04 February 2017, 19:28:50
My front passenger door did this once - the interior release handle action was sticky and it hadn't returned to it's normal position after the door had been opened from the inside.
Title: Re: Drivers door catch
Post by: peter the butcher on 08 February 2017, 15:35:33
Had the same problem a few months ago it became a reflex action to grab hold of the door on a left hand bend :o!!! Tried adjustment of a catch and heavy lubrication but to avail. Ended up buying a catch off a seller on the forum cost twenty quid, bit of a fiddle to fit especially if you hands like bunches of bananas like mine, all good now though sorted :y
I will need one, if anyone has one they do not need. Yes, it is a bit "scary", especiall in town traffic. I automatically hold the door when going round roundabouts, slowly like