E53: Trouble with Front Right Door Carrier
 

Hello Forum Members:

The door carrier (front right, passenger side) on my 2000 X5 recently broke. I first order an aftermarket replacement (Febi) and installed it. It was a close fit. When I closed the door, it got locked up and wouldn't open either from inside or outside. Fortunately, I had not closed the door panel. After some fiddling I pulled out the grey ball socket which was attached to the actuator. After that I was able to open from inside.

Thinking that Febi may be slightly off, I ordered a Genuine BMW part. It worked a little better and I am able to open the door from outside. However, after I lock using the central locking, I am not able to open either from inside or outside.

I noticed that the bowden cable on the carrier is a little short on both Febi and Genuine BMW and I have to move the part on actuator a bit up so the grey ball socket can be pushed. I also replaced it with the cable from the broken carrier (the cable is still good), but to no avail.

What else I can do? Has anyone faced this issue?

To me it looks like the cable is not letting the actuator go back to its neutral position, so it remains locked. The actuator is also kind of new and is Genuine BMW.

I would really appreciate any tips.

Thanks

Sounds like you clipped the cable in the wrong slot their are two. "Cable length issues" are a myth. They don't stretch etc but the knock off DHC have crappy cables and should be swapped as you did. The end of the cable has two grooves if the cable is too tight you need to clip into the second groove from the end.

Are you mounting the clip before the ball socket in the correct location? The u-shaped one.


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Thank you, @mr_robot and @andrewwynn.

I am using the top-groove, second from the ball socket, of the cable to clip it in.

I may have clipped it first and then pushed the ball socket. I can try it in the reverse order in the evening.

Yea it should be the top:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d5bb88320a.jpg


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Thanks for the picture, @mr_robot. This is how my cable also looks. However, I have not been able to try pushing the ball socket before clipping in the top groove. It's been raining incessantly here :)

Good luck on the re-try. If it helps, I used Febi door handle carriers on all 4 doors of my 2001 3.0i, with no problems installing or since then. Links for all 4 Febi parts are below. BTW, I have no affiliation with Febi or RM European, other than that I buy a lot of their parts.

BMW part numbers:
51-21-8-243-615 front left door handle carrier
https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/...615-MFG36.aspx
Here's the link for the rear:
https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/...635-MFG36.aspx

51-21-8-243-616 front right door handle carrier
https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/...616-MFG36.aspx
Here's the link for the rear:
https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/...636-MFG36.aspx

I've read of a few people having fitment issues with the Febi's, in addition to cable issues. But I believe all of those can be worked out, and there is nothing actually wrong with the parts. Hopefully that advice is helpful - sometimes doubt itself can make something fail.

I came across a note I made when doing one of the front DHC's after I had difficulty in the installation: "Tip on installing carrier - need to have little tab at rear end of it sticking out past door sheet metal, otherwise, will not be able to get screw in." And also, I think there was something I'd need to do regarding getting the threads for that screw hole lined up before making the actual attempt. Definitely things that could make someone think there was a problem with the part.

It's extremely hard to clip the cable in all the way, it will make quite a snap when it seats. Your symptoms are as if the cable is being held a little and that would causei it. Similar symptom of the bracket holding was bent upwards.

With the OE cable ball socket it is an extremely tight fit and never felt comfortable just forcing it in so I put flat plastic tool behind it to give some support/leverage so I don't break that piece off.

I've tried Trucktek and Febi and found OE fits the best for my OCD lol

The fitment I'm referring to is the door handle to the door lock gap.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...11962e0439.jpg

Note how the cable is very straight also that when attaching it doesn't matter the order (ball or cable first) but it's critical you are not having to pull on the cable to clip it on. It should be neutral tension and if not maybe the cable is connected to the DHC incorrectly.

I still haven't been able to try anything new, but in order to push the ball socket I had to lift the actuator lever a tiny bit up. I think that's where the problem is. It is supposed to be neutral as you mentioned. The weird thing is that I got the same issue with both Febi and OE.

I don't think that is the problem - all the ones I've replaced have been like that too (I've had to lift release arm a little to attach the ball joint) and they have always worked fine. In fact, better than before, as there is less handle lift required to open the door.

Sounds more like something is stopping the arm lift high enough, not too much... :dunno:

Except the arm is held high enough to interfere with the inside Release. I have a feeling the problem is on the other end of the Bowden cable. Either it's not hooked into the pull correctly or the sleeve is not held correctly.

I think you guys are on the right track. The cable is "preloading" the latch assembly so it is engaged causing all these issues. If with the cable loose the latch assembly works correctly, then assume the cable sleeves, routing is alignment out.

Where the bowden cable clips on the door there are two possible locations. The one closest to the end of the cable is not the right one. If you use that one then you will definitely preload the door release. The bowden cable should be clipped in with the part furthest from the ball joint. I just did my carrier and I had to lift the lever slightly to put the ball joint on. Previous carrier was the same. I had an issue with the ball joint not staying on. It would pop off after about 8 to 10 cycles of the door handle. I put a piece of teflon tape on the knob and that seems to have solved the problem.

Thanks, everyone! I’m enclosing a picture that shows the bowden cable. As you can see it’s a little bit away from the latch assembly lever. Not sure if that’s a problem. The whole thing works until I lock the door with the central locking. At that time neither outside handle nor the inside pull lever can open it. When I disconnect the ball socket the inside pull lever starts working.

E53: Trouble with Front Right Door Carrier
 

That's way too far away. You need to find out why. I suspect it's not fed through the hook on the DHC properly so it's taking up extra length.

The symptoms are consistent with the cable being caught up as shown in the following pics:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...082f3fe4b9.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3b1f0f14d9.jpg

The correct path first pic, possible incorrect path secund pic.

You can remove both actuator and DHC to see how they interact. My new method to get to DHC is through the actuator. It's 5x as easy to remove DHC of actuator is first removed.

There could be some incompatibility with the oe cable and Replacement DHC did you keep the copy cat cable?

Thanks, @andrewwynn. I plan to work on it Sat morning. The bowden cable I am currently using is the same that was on the carrier that broke. The actuator is also OE. I may have to take out the actuator and see if there is something fishy going on.

I will keep you guys posted. It would be good to find a solution. This thread will also help others as I saw some folks having this issue, but I could not find a good, healthy thread of this issue.

is it remotely possible that the replacement is the part for the rear door on the same side?not sure you would have made it this far with the wrong part number but i’d double check just to be certain.

That's a solid guess of a problem. I've read there is a geometry difference that would cause this problem. (it's the problem in reverse: can't pull the handle far enough; too much slack)

Do you have the original broken one to compare? You could have ordered the correct part but sent the wrong part.

Also: if you do have the original part, you can repair it for basically free if it's the usual break (hinge). It will be stronger than new.

And: while you have it out, cut off the "self destruct tab" that causes the break in the first place. See my threads about DHC

I checked the part today. It is the right one. I’m posting a picture of the broken part. @andrewwynn - how can I repair this? Maybe the original part will fit the best.

Thanks

Looks like the usual break. You need to get the spring back in place and the hinge axle in and then use some 16ga steel wire to wrap around the part of the hinge still left..

Cut off the self destruct tab before reassembly. Then learn the feedback of a frozen latch vs frozen door seal so you won't re-break it.

So here's an update: my driver door dhc self destructed during a cold snap (I never removed the self destruct tab and sure enough it was frozen in "destruct" position when I removed it.

Since this was a DHC where I reinforced the original broken part I was pretty amazed to discover the entire part of the hinge was torn out (my fix was still intact it was stronger than the base hinge and tore it right off).

Amazingly I had a different broken DHC in my car where the moving part was broken but the stationary part was fine.

So I pulled out the hinge pin and swapped them.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...31f6ef141a.jpg

I removed the self destruct bar completely this time.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...75f8b584c2.jpg

Now on to why I'm posting in this thread: my cable was apparently "too short" like the OP in this thread and on closer inspection, the end got corroded and rust expanded the end. I had to cut out maybe 3/16" of rusty spiral before the cable was the correct length.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d6c83a5260.jpg

When reassembled I put silicone around the cable to keep water out and hopefully keep the cable from corroding more.

Anybody that's changed or about to change their DHC (front) I would love to snag a non rusty front DHC cable. I'd hate to buy an entire DHC just for the cable.


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Update two; the teflon fix did seem to work but I didn't love the idea of letting ice form but just make it easier to break free.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...865951ed18.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...dbf4f2c11f.jpg

So instead I came up with bend the metal to make the gap bigger.

It worked like a charm. I could no longer get a drip of water to bridge the gap. Not going to lie that wasn't easy that metal is thick I may go back to my original plan of using the teflon but I need to find my leather punch tools to make some perfect circles.


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I have all the original DHCs from my 2001 (I replaced all with Febi). PM me details and I'll send what you need.

I was saving them to potentially one day do your repair on them if the Febi's ever fail. But I've never had any cable problems on the originals or replacements, so they are good to go.

@andrewwynn - this is awesome.

I have to report a happy ending too. In my case, there was no rust on any part. I did the following that fixed the issue my DHC was having:

1. Got a replacement DHC. I noticed that the cable on the replacement was longer by couple millimeters.

2. I also stretched the cable a bit by pulling by hand. Not sure if it actually made any difference.

3. Took out the actuator and tried to reproduce the problem. There is a very tight tolerance between the neutral and locked positions of the ball-pin arm. It was just a matter of few millimeters. I sprayed some lithium grease and worked up the moving parts many times.

4. When I installed the actuator back I made sure the ball pin goes as much up as possible when I tightened them with three new screws. I think I was able to get it up by at least 1-2 mm.

5. When I installed the new carrier I made sure it sits perfectly. If the screw that goes into the lock cylinder goes smoothly, then it is an indication that the DHC is installed correctly.

6. With this I was able to unlock by pulling the bowden cable, which connects the inside door handle. At this time I knew it was going to work.

7. However, when I installed the outside handle. It was still not opening. The problem was that during the process of pulling out and installing the handle multiple times I had damaged the stem that goes into the DHC slot. This was inhibiting the carrier handle from being pull far enough to unlock.

8. So I used the trick I saw earlier in one of the threads on this forum, which is to drill a hole in the stem and use a small screw to washer. This made the handle fit like it was new!

9. And, lo and behold, it started working like a charm!

I also had to repair the window regulator and then put them back together and close up the whole thing. It has been holding up well.

Thanks a lot of all of you for your insights and help. I wanted to provide the details so the thread is complete.

@andrewwynn - I am still unsure if I understand your comment about the self-destructing tab part. Could you post a picture with this part highlighted. Needless to say I have not broken out the tab, but if I have to take it apart any time I will do that.

ditto on the self destruct tab. I am sure it'd be easier to visualize if I had the DHC out of the car but none have broken since I first heard of that tab/theory.

It turns out that the actuator is likely more at fault. There is a metal bar that will freeze solid and won't let the cable move a mm.. you can tell if it's the tab or the actuator this way: if the handle barely lifts it's the actuator, if it lifts maybe 1/3 the normal distance, it's the self destruct tab.

On my last repair job I removed the tab entirely: https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...851a39a84e.jpg

I had one time I managed to set off my alarm by accident and was concerned it was related, but 100 or so lock cycles later and no repeat so I think the tab is not needed. It might be a carry over from a different model

I will be repairing another DHC soon maybe today. I will be using a metal zip tie and will post photos.


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I have photos of how to remove the stuff destruct tab in my posts on DHC repair. Search for door handle and find posts by me. I will be making a new thread that covers both the DHC and actuator and that includes repair of the actuator motor (unlock). I developed a no drill no rivet replace method.