I have a 1988 F150 XLS that has been repainted in the last 3 years.

The doors were taken off to paint them, but since then the doors will not shut completely.

While we lived in Texas that was no problem, but now we are in Virginia - with a whole lot more rain the leaky doors cause mildew on the seats and everything else on the inside.

Does anyone know how to adjust the doors so they will close properly?

Thanks in advance.

 

Hello Mike and welcome to f150online.com! We're glad to have you aboard.

In an effort to attempt to get your question answered, I've moved your post from the General Care forum (where we typically talk about wax, cleaning, polishing etc...) down to the pre-1997 forum. The majority of our members that may be able to help you frequent that forum and thus, can hopefully help you out.

Please feel free to ask any additional questions that you may have or feel free to email me (link in signature line) if I can do anything for you.

Thanks for the question and, again, welcome to our forum!

RP

 

When you hit rough spots in the road does the door rattle like its loose? Or does it just not seal out water? How bout road noise, is it loud? If the door does not rattle and is letting in moisture or road noise it could just be that the door seals are going bad, they can look good but be compressed. They make a product that you rub onto the seals and makes them puff back up and softens them so they seal correctly.

If you are getting a rattle, in my case it was the plastic piece that goes around the striker post. It was comming apart and not holding the door tight when I closed it, couple bucks at the parts store will get you on of those HELP brand striker bushing.

When the door is closed and you look at it from the outside does the gap between the door and the cab look even all the way around? If not the door may need adjusting, if so chances are it is one of the items mentioned above. Hope that helps a little.

 

The doors do rattle, but they are not closing all the way.
When you shut the door, it latches but not all the way, there is about a 1/4 inch "play" in both doors.

It is because of this play that I suspect they are letting in the humidity from the outside.

From the outside both doors look symmetrical, they don't look "bowed" out at the latch or the hinge.

I was looking for a way to adjust the hinge if possible, but I can't seem to find one.

Any help would be appreciataed.

Mike

 

You can move the striker post inward a little bit, it has a star bit head and should have a plastic sleeve around it, be sure to mark around the striker before you losed it so you will know how much you have adjusted or be able to put it back exactly where it was if that proves not to be the problem. The shop that painted the truck may have removed them when they painted it, I know I would have.

 

Thanks a bunch - went to NAPA they had a new striker in stock with the hard plastic piece - worked like a charm.

Again thanks - if you don't know what the part is supposed to look like you don't have a chance to fix it.