Adjust Car Door Strike Plate

Verify that the door shuts and seals tight between the seal and the cab.

Adjust car door strike plate. Need to drill a new hole really close to the original one. 6 fill the gap between the strike plate and the door jamb with wood. File off enough metal to allow the latch to catch inside the plate and secure the door. Thankfully the door latches and knobs don t have to be moved to correct these problems.

Use this mark to judge whether the striker plate needs to be slightly raised or lowered to give the door a close fit. Beginning to make sure the door will latch properly the problem of a door not latching is commonly caused by a misaligned strike plate so the first thing you have to do is to check the strike plate first for alignment. For minor adjustments you may be able to loosen the plate and tap it in the direction you need. Step 4 add cardboard shims between the hinges and the frame on either the top or the bottom depending on whether you need to raise or lower the door.

Tighten the screws on the hinge plate that holds the door onto the frame. Adjust the striker plate so that the door lock striker enters it centrally without running the sides. Insert either a triangular file or a flat file that s small enough to fit inside the strike plate. Screw the strike plate to the jamb then re bend the tab into the latch pocket by tapping it with a screwdriver and hammer.

To adjust the striker plate open the door and mark on the door pillar with a pencil the height at which the lock passes it. Have a door out of alignment due to settling. If your filing action is shaking the strike plate remove the plate and secure it in a vise for your repair. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screws slightly.

Luckily this is an easy fix and all that you need is a screwdriver small chisel hammer and a pencil or marker. Tighten the top hinge to make the latch hit higher on the strike plate or the bottom hinge to make it hit lower. Latches that don t fit properly into these plates will allow doors to rattle or prevent them from closing. To snug the door up you would move the strike plate toward the center of the door jamb.

Then reinstall the plate with longer screws. If the door is loose loosen the door striker plate move it a little and tighten it back up. Adjusting the strike plates will align latches. Check again to see if the door shuts tightly.