Front drivers door not opening

[amebb]

Hi


I have a weird issue here.


On my bmw e53 x5 3.0 diesel (2004) i recently changed the door carrier and the cable to open the door from the inside.


The issue i was having is that i could not open the drivers door from the outside, unless i yankedthe door handle hard several times, then the door would open.


The drivers door carrier is new and it should not be faulty. I then checked the door actuator mechanisim to see if there is an issue with that.


So, i got a screw driver and pushed it in to the door mechanisim as if i was closing the door. The latch inside came down and it was like i have closed the door.


By putting my hand behind the actuator mechanisim and pulling up in the lever inside i can easily open the door.
I can also open the door from the inside too.


But the issue is when i replace the door card and shut the door, i can only open it a few times before i get to the point where the door cannot be opened from the outside or inside.


Would you say that i have a faulty door carrier? or a faulty actuator, or could the cable from the actuator be stretched etc?


Any help would be greatly appreciated.... As i am getting very fustrated with my car now lol



Thank you

[andrewwynn]

The symptoms describe a situation where either the DHC is defective in some way or the cable is not connected properly.

When DHC is working properly it will unlatch with a smooth slow pull. The "need to yank" is the #1 symptom of a failed axle on the DHC but I've seen this from the cable attached incorrectly.

There is another thing that can cause a similar hiccup, depends about the "yank": if it feels like dry fire but finally works that's usually from the inner cable binding somehow and not releasing completely. You can test this on another door to get the feel:

If the inner handle is pulled, it defeats the outer handle. If it only relaxes 95%, that's the same thing.

The theory of that causing your symptoms is that the yank on outside is shaking the DHC enough to reset the inside cable so the outside cable works.

If the outside handle works reliably with the door card off this is almost certainly the problem. Binding on the inner cable from a routing issue. It's also possible to be hooked on incorrectly so the cable is never fully relaxed.

If the outer handle feels like it's hard to pull vs. easy to pull that suggests the problem is tied to the outer handle/dhc/cable.

[amebb]

Thank you for your reply.

I have taken off the door carrier and noticed that the cable was slightly damaged and also the cable length ws shorter than the original cable.


My friend has a new carier that he is going to be dropping off later today. I will install that and hopefully the issue will go away..... lets hope it is simple as that lol



Thank you

[80stech]

The way you are describing it and that the problem happens only after the door card is installed, makes it more the problem is with the inner cable.

[amebb]

Originally Posted by 80stech

The way you are describing it and that the problem happens only after the door card is installed, makes it more the problem is with the inner cable.

Just wanted to give an update to say that i have fixed the issue.


A few months ago i purchased a door hndle carrier from ebay. The item came with a 5 year warranty etc and i was assured that this woud be sometiing suitable worth buying.


A few weeks ago the problems started to appear on my door where i could not open it from the outside without yanking the door handle hard and then last week the cable to the inside door handle broke.


So, i just assumed that the carrier wuld be fine as it is virtually new.


Wrong.... the carrier was at fault and the carrier cable was damaged and part of it was broken causing issues for me to open the door.


I replaced the carier with a new one and guess what, it all works well!


Thank you for everyone with their help, much appreciated!


Thank you

[andrewwynn]

When i use an off brand carrier i will swap over the OE/genuine cable if it's in good shape. I'll also lubricate it with some non liquid or low temp low gummy lubricant.

[amebb]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

When i use an off brand carrier i will swap over the OE/genuine cable if it's in good shape. I'll also lubricate it with some non liquid or low temp low gummy lubricant.

I agree with what you are saying. In my case the original carier and the cable were damaged so i could'nt swap the cable over.

I just assumed that a product with a 5 year warranty would be reliable and worth buying.


The main thing is that i have sorted the issue out, now to the next issue lol



Thank you

[andrewwynn]

New ≠ fixed unfortunately, you always have to follow the symptoms regardless if it points to the brand new part being defective at least you figured it out. I’m glad you got sorted and thanks for the update. Lotta times people never post when it’s finally fixed.

[amebb]

I just felt that the e53 community has really helped me so much in giving me advice in fixing issues on my car. So, it is only polite to say thank you and give an update to what i have done.

Hopefully, if anyone else has similar issues on their car like what i have had, then i can be of some help to them too.


It is all about sharing the knowledge and helping others.



Thank you