Adjust Car Door Strike Plate

Latches that don t fit properly into these plates will allow doors to rattle or prevent them from closing.

Adjust car door strike plate.

Insert either a triangular file or a flat file that s small enough to fit inside the strike plate. Adjust the striker plate so that the door lock striker enters it centrally without running the sides. Use this mark to judge whether the striker plate needs to be slightly raised or lowered to give the door a close fit. Tighten the top hinge to make the latch hit higher on the strike plate or the bottom hinge to make it hit lower.

Luckily this is an easy fix and all that you need is a screwdriver small chisel hammer and a pencil or marker. If the door is loose loosen the door striker plate move it a little and tighten it back up. Thankfully the door latches and knobs don t have to be moved to correct these problems. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screws slightly.

File off enough metal to allow the latch to catch inside the plate and secure the door. To snug the door up you would move the strike plate toward the center of the door jamb. Tighten the screws on the hinge plate that holds the door onto the frame. 6 fill the gap between the strike plate and the door jamb with wood.

Adjusting the strike plates will align latches. 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. Check again to see if the door shuts tightly. For minor adjustments you may be able to loosen the plate and tap it in the direction you need.

Move it away from the center if the strike will not seat when the door is closed. If your filing action is shaking the strike plate remove the plate and secure it in a vise for your repair. Verify that the door shuts and seals tight between the seal and the cab. The strike plate is the piece of door hardware that attaches to the door jamb and receives the latch.

Then reinstall the plate with longer screws. Need to drill a new hole really close to the original one. 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. Have a door out of alignment due to settling.