Driver door won't stay open
The pics were just taken with a regular camera while the door was torn apart to put sound deadener in it. I take pictures of everything and just happened to have one at the right angle to see the door brake.
Thought I would share the awesome solution my boyfriend came up with for the Door Check. I've been struggling with the door slamming on my shin since I bought it in 04. We were replacing the window motor and he decided to check it out. First, here is what the stock door check in my car looks like:

In the photo above, you can see the little dog ears that hold the mechanism that squeezes the check together. Inside are two pieces of white plastic that pinch against the black arm and supposedly keep the door open. Then there are also two rubber blocks that help hold the pressure.
We pried the ears back and opened the metal part (the part at the bottom of this photo) and removed the white plastic and rubber pieces. He ground the white pieces down a bit (because they are designed to press against each other inside that housing, and the hole between them is too big, making the arm and bulges ineffective) so they now are tighter, and the best part (get this) is that we put two dimes in as spacers. They were just slightly too big for the opening, so he ground one side flat and it now works perfectly.
I REALLY WISH I had taken some photos,I know the description is not perfect, but once you get those ears open and look inside this will make perfect sense.
It should be noted that in order to get the Door Check out of the car, the door card has to be removed and you access the door check through the speaker hole (so the speaker has to come out too) The previous post shows a photo of the inside of the door and the silver square visible above the speaker magnet is the part we altered. Royal pain in the butt but he made it look easy, and I giggle with glee every time I open the door and it doesn't slam shut again

In the photo above, you can see the little dog ears that hold the mechanism that squeezes the check together. Inside are two pieces of white plastic that pinch against the black arm and supposedly keep the door open. Then there are also two rubber blocks that help hold the pressure.
We pried the ears back and opened the metal part (the part at the bottom of this photo) and removed the white plastic and rubber pieces. He ground the white pieces down a bit (because they are designed to press against each other inside that housing, and the hole between them is too big, making the arm and bulges ineffective) so they now are tighter, and the best part (get this) is that we put two dimes in as spacers. They were just slightly too big for the opening, so he ground one side flat and it now works perfectly.
I REALLY WISH I had taken some photos,I know the description is not perfect, but once you get those ears open and look inside this will make perfect sense.
It should be noted that in order to get the Door Check out of the car, the door card has to be removed and you access the door check through the speaker hole (so the speaker has to come out too) The previous post shows a photo of the inside of the door and the silver square visible above the speaker magnet is the part we altered. Royal pain in the butt but he made it look easy, and I giggle with glee every time I open the door and it doesn't slam shut again
Last edited by maui1girl; Oct 19, 2019 at 01:23 PM.
Maui, thank you so much for contributing to an old thread with highly worthwhile information!
I have experienced this problem on my Z since I bought it, but have grown used to it. I while have to take the door apart and check this out when I have free time. Nice work!
I have experienced this problem on my Z since I bought it, but have grown used to it. I while have to take the door apart and check this out when I have free time. Nice work!
Last edited by 813_350Z; Oct 18, 2019 at 11:19 PM.
Maui, thank you so much for contributing to an old thread with highly worthwhile information!
I have experienced this problem on my Z since I bought it, but have grown used to it. I while have to take the door apart and check for this out when I have free time. Nice work!
I have experienced this problem on my Z since I bought it, but have grown used to it. I while have to take the door apart and check for this out when I have free time. Nice work!
Looking for a solution to this issue on my son's car, thanks for posting the info and others the photos--very helpful as we keep these older Zs on road.
Thought I would share the awesome solution my boyfriend came up with for the Door Check. I've been struggling with the door slamming on my shin since I bought it in 04. We were replacing the window motor and he decided to check it out. First, here is what the stock door check in my car looks like:

In the photo above, you can see the little dog ears that hold the mechanism that squeezes the check together. Inside are two pieces of white plastic that pinch against the black arm and supposedly keep the door open. Then there are also two rubber blocks that help hold the pressure.
We pried the ears back and opened the metal part (the part at the bottom of this photo) and removed the white plastic and rubber pieces. He ground the white pieces down a bit (because they are designed to press against each other inside that housing, and the hole between them is too big, making the arm and bulges ineffective) so they now are tighter, and the best part (get this) is that we put two dimes in as spacers. They were just slightly too big for the opening, so he ground one side flat and it now works perfectly.
I REALLY WISH I had taken some photos,I know the description is not perfect, but once you get those ears open and look inside this will make perfect sense.
It should be noted that in order to get the Door Check out of the car, the door card has to be removed and you access the door check through the speaker hole (so the speaker has to come out too) The previous post shows a photo of the inside of the door and the silver square visible above the speaker magnet is the part we altered. Royal pain in the butt but he made it look easy, and I giggle with glee every time I open the door and it doesn't slam shut again

In the photo above, you can see the little dog ears that hold the mechanism that squeezes the check together. Inside are two pieces of white plastic that pinch against the black arm and supposedly keep the door open. Then there are also two rubber blocks that help hold the pressure.
We pried the ears back and opened the metal part (the part at the bottom of this photo) and removed the white plastic and rubber pieces. He ground the white pieces down a bit (because they are designed to press against each other inside that housing, and the hole between them is too big, making the arm and bulges ineffective) so they now are tighter, and the best part (get this) is that we put two dimes in as spacers. They were just slightly too big for the opening, so he ground one side flat and it now works perfectly.
I REALLY WISH I had taken some photos,I know the description is not perfect, but once you get those ears open and look inside this will make perfect sense.
It should be noted that in order to get the Door Check out of the car, the door card has to be removed and you access the door check through the speaker hole (so the speaker has to come out too) The previous post shows a photo of the inside of the door and the silver square visible above the speaker magnet is the part we altered. Royal pain in the butt but he made it look easy, and I giggle with glee every time I open the door and it doesn't slam shut again

There are two main ways I have seen through research online.
OPTION 1: Replace door stopper with an OEM part from the GTR
OPTION 2: Shove a piece of plastic inside the door stopper
I hope these links are helpful.
I know I'm bumping an old thread, but this issue will persist until the year all 350z cars are extinct.
OPTION 1: Replace door stopper with an OEM part from the GTR
OPTION 2: Shove a piece of plastic inside the door stopper
I hope these links are helpful.
I know I'm bumping an old thread, but this issue will persist until the year all 350z cars are extinct.
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Best get over the fear because when (not if) the window motors and or door handles (inside and outside) go bad (and they will), you'll need to remove the door cards. It's really no big deal at all. A couple/few 10mm (head) bolts, some screws, a set of cheap panel removal tools, done. Five minutes, tops (even stopping to sip your coffee.) (OK, first time, maybe 10-15 mins)
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Joined: Oct 2014
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Likes: 3,378
From: Northern California
Ah yes, that's true. Been a while since I've owned my 33 (and longer since replacing the exterior handle. Heck, even forgot it's vertically oriented! 🤣
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bumping an old thread to add useful info.. the door on the r35 gtr is much heavier than the z.. the door stopper is roughly the same shape, and can be installed onto the z33 with no modification, and with far heavier holding power.
It uses studs vs bolts on the door side portion.
replacing with a brand new z33 stopper will not fix the issue.. the design is flaed for the z33 part #.
It uses studs vs bolts on the door side portion.
replacing with a brand new z33 stopper will not fix the issue.. the design is flaed for the z33 part #.
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