Striker Bolt Question...

[spdy0001]

So last night I bought the replacement bushing for my drivers side striker bolt. Took the bolt out and put the bushing on and put the bolt back in the door jam. However the door would no longer close. I forgot that there is adjustment in this so I forgot to mark where it was originally. After about 50 adjustments I got the door to where it will at least turn the dome light off but when driving I still hear lots of wind and road noise and you can see it isn't shut correct from outside.
How do the adjustments work? move the bolt in to move the door in? Also can raising or lowering the bolt move the door up and down?

I think im gonna take some measurements from my passenger side one tonight for a starting point

 

[Brock94]

If your door is sagging you should check the bushings on the hinges. I think there's a repair kit available for that-- it might be what you need to tighten things up.

 

[vrytired]

put the window down stand outside the vehicle and grab the door and try and lift it up and down, if theres play in it deal with that first.

 

[l1k2gadd]

Yes. If you open the door to it's full OR half open position take one hand on the bottom of the door and lift UP on the door. The door shouldn't move up or down as you apply and remove upward opressure on the door. HOWEVER, the striker bolt WILL also cause the door not to shut completely if you didn't get it back in the place it was originally. When the bushings break off of the strikers the doors will still close but they can rattle when closed because there is play between the latch and the striker (the small amount that the bushing takes up in there).
After checking the hinge pin for wear open the door. Kneel down and EYEBALL the latch as the door is closing. Compare it to where the striker is sitting in the door jamb. The entire striker (bushing and all) should be lined up with and as close as DEAD CENTER to the latch as the door approaches it. I just ran downstairs and looked at my daughter's 1993 Limited and I could see this on her Explorer. The striker will cause the door to go up, down, too far out or too far in. If the striker looks like it is lined up with the center of the latch measure the passenger door striker distance from the back of the door jamb closest to the seat.
I ran downstairs again and measured my daughter's 1993 4 Door Limited, a 1993 4 Door Limited parts Explorer we have, a 1993 Eddie Bauer parts truck we have and ALL of the strikers fall between 1 & 3/4" to 1 & 7/8" from the back end of the door jamb (the part that is parallel to the hook-shaped steel folded catch-guard on the striker assembly. I hope this helps.

 

[handymantim]

Yes the striker adjusts, however, I'll bet the problem was the replacement bushings that come in the kit sold by the parts stores. It's advertised as a "door striker bushing kit" but the bushings only work on the rear hatch.

Here is a very cheap solution for the doors (assuming the door isn't sagging):

Go buy a 5' length of 3/8" PEX tubing at HD/Lowes....about $2. The 3/8" PEX tubing is too small to just slide on. Get youself a glove, some Vise Grips, and a source of heat (torch, heat gun, gas cooktop flame, candle). Use a knive or deburring tool to create a chamfer on the inside lip of the PEX. Remove some of the shoulder on the striker bolt where the bushing ends and the threads begin. These 2 things will help the PEX slide on easier. Grab the head of the striker bolt with the Vise Grips. Use your gloved hand to hold the PEX and heat the last 1" of the PEX and also heat the striker bolt. With a twisting motion, shove the PEX onto the striker bolt. If it doesn't go on, continue to add heat until it does. The PEX will accept a large amount of heat. However, if you heat too far up the PEX tube, it will lose its rigidty and then folds/twists. Only heat the last 1" or so. Simple math tells me one could make 60 striker bushings for about $2.

Those Help/Doorman bushings are a SCAM! I can't believe they get away with advertising them as "Door Striker Bushings." As previously said, they only work on the rear tailgate strikers. $4 for 4 pieces of plastic that don't even work for what we are led to believe they will work for. Can you imagine how many of those have been sold......and ALL for nothing! What a rip-off!

 

[digitalman218]

Yes the striker adjusts, however, I'll bet the problem was the replacement bushings that come in the kit sold by the parts stores. It's advertised as a "door striker bushing kit" but the bushings only work on the rear hatch.

Here is a very cheap solution for the doors (assuming the door isn't sagging):

Go buy a 5' length of 3/8" PEX tubing at HD/Lowes....about $2. The 3/8" PEX tubing is too small to just slide on. Get youself a glove, some Vise Grips, and a source of heat (torch, heat gun, gas cooktop flame, candle). Use a knive or deburring tool to create a chamfer on the inside lip of the PEX. Remove some of the shoulder on the striker bolt where the bushing ends and the threads begin. These 2 things will help the PEX slide on easier. Grab the head of the striker bolt with the Vise Grips. Use your gloved hand to hold the PEX and heat the last 1" of the PEX and also heat the striker bolt. With a twisting motion, shove the PEX onto the striker bolt. If it doesn't go on, continue to add heat until it does. The PEX will accept a large amount of heat. However, if you heat too far up the PEX tube, it will lose its rigidty and then folds/twists. Only heat the last 1" or so. Simple math tells me one could make 60 striker bushings for about $2.

Those Help/Doorman bushings are a SCAM! I can't believe they get away with advertising them as "Door Striker Bushings." As previously said, they only work on the rear tailgate strikers. $4 for 4 pieces of plastic that don't even work for what we are led to believe they will work for. Can you imagine how many of those have been sold......and ALL for nothing! What a rip-off!

Ya I bought those too and they were too thick, so I took the old Dremel and sanded them thin, they work, but seem a lot thinner than the bushings I had to use on my ex-gf....

 

[ChildIdenticant]

Ya I bought those too and they were too thick, so I took the old Dremel and sanded them thin, they work, but seem a lot thinner than the bushings I had to use on my ex-gf....

Welcome to explorerforum digitalman218. You replied to an old thread. If you are looking for bushings that will fit, a seller on ebay makes them available FORD ,LINCOLN ,MERCURY DOOR STRIKER BUSHING SET OF 2 IN BLACK | eBay

 

[digitalman218]

Welcome to explorerforum digitalman218. You replied to an old thread. If you are looking for bushings that will fit, a seller on ebay makes them available FORD ,LINCOLN ,MERCURY DOOR STRIKER BUSHING SET OF 2 IN BLACK | eBay

Ya I should've stated that I was aware when posting. However I just recently screwed up and took dr side striker off without marking it. Finally figured to make a template on other door of where the striker was located between the two ribs, on paper and transfered that to Dr door and then after 3 tries, it shuts like it should (boy, I was way off eyeballing it!)
Thanks for letting me on, but the god awful advertising is running me away..!!
Have a good life.