E34 door brake lubrication

[ktteoh]

i'm not sure if my title is right - i'm refering to the metal piece/mechanism which allows the door to be held open at two positions.

right now it feels like there is "lack of lubrication" - some groaning noises - how do i get rid of the noise and where to squirt or put some lubricant.

i obviously am putting the lubricant grease in the wrong place because the squeak noise is still there :(

[mholbrook]

Probably 98% you need a new door brake. It is not that hard to do but you do have to remove the door panel. Probably 1 hour start to finish. The door brake is not that cheap, I think around 70-80 bucks.

[Gayle]

They are also very prone to breaking. At the place where they attach to the door, the metal is weak and gives way. This happened on our former 525 and the door brake dented the outer driver's door from the inside of the door. :( It had a spot that was like an "outie navel."

If you replace the brake, you might think about adding one of these. If you don't replace it, you still might think about adding one of these.

http://www.koalamotorsport.com/parts-home.asp

[genphreak]

They are also very prone to breaking. At the place where they attach to the door, the metal is weak and gives way. This happened on our former 525 and the door brake dented the outer driver's door from the inside of the door. :( It had a spot that was like an "outie navel."

If you replace the brake, you might think about adding one of these. If you don't replace it, you still might think about adding one of these.

http://www.koalamotorsport.com/parts-home.aspIs it from use, or abuse?

Reason why I wonder is; these are the only thing that holds a door back, and when a door gets forced (whether the PO continuously 'flings' the doors) or if it just the odd time, something has to give. I reckon the door brake (once forced) gets internally damaged and then maybe works at the wrong angle causing wear and stress over the whole area.
However one would like to think the brake would always fail instead of the door mounting. I thought the pins were supposed to pop before anything else did. Then again, maybe they do; the PO replaces them and then the (now damaged) brake then screws up on the next owner. Who knows.

Anyway, mine are fine- the car is 18 and has never been abused, I lube them and don't let my door fly open- is it the day that it does the day I'll be woshing I got these KS plates? Surely the pin would shear? Or is it just care and lubrication that saves the day?

I wonder what proportion of e34 owners have experienced damaged door-frames whether it be through neglect, abuse or just plain wear? Was there ever a poll on this Gayle? :) Nick

[SnakeyesTx]

I use White lithium spray lubricant twice a month to ensure my door travel can move freely and easily. I've used that stuff for years and they really cut down on the wear and tear.

[ktteoh]

can someone sketch me a diagram how this door brake mechanism works, where are the moving parts so that i know where to spray the lubricant.

or a good description :)


I use White lithium spray lubricant twice a month to ensure my door travel can move freely and easily. I've used that stuff for years and they really cut down on the wear and tear.

[Paul in NZ]

try spraying on the edges rather than the top/bottom

[Gayle]

Nick.

I think it is just a design flaw. The metal there is thin and not reinforced or braced in any way. Our car that it failed in had between 150,000 and 200,000 miles in its life with us. I don't know about abuse by its prior owner. And it was my husbands car and I really never paid attention to his door opening habits.

[joshua43214]

I always lube door checks with a shot of HHS2000 at every oil service, it wicks its way up and prevents it from getting squeaky. Many manufacturers recomend not lubing the door check, but here in flat Ohio, its not really ever an issue.

If its already tight, you will probably have to pull the door panel to get lube into the right places or just replace it.

[632 Regal]

get spray lube with a straw on it, spray the **** all around in there and work the door open and closed til it gets easy. I was too easy in the beginning and a week later I got with the program and used a bunch of lube, no probs or binding in a year now, the rear doors seemed the tightest. I would replace the door brake but there is no need to now. :D

[genphreak]

Nick.

I think it is just a design flaw. The metal there is thin and not reinforced or braced in any way. Our car that it failed in had between 150,000 and 200,000 miles in its life with us. I don't know about abuse by its prior owner. And it was my husbands car and I really never paid attention to his door opening habits.Thanks Gayle, Perhaps this works the steel to the point where it just fatigues...

Hard to know unless really one's had a car from new. I was expecting the amount of brake reinforcers Koala sold to be equivalent to the amount of BMW door swingers out there... if you'll fogive the pun (pls take no offence- it wasn't intended!)

I know they get pretty tight if not lubed. Hard to work out what's what with this really.

[Qube]

I just spray the crap out of it with silicon lube every once in a while.

[califblue]

I have never worried about this as I generally jump through my open window like BO does to the General Lee :p

[Gayle]

They are also very prone to breaking. At the place where they attach to the door, the metal is weak and gives way. This happened on our former 525 and the door brake dented the outer driver's door from the inside of the door. :( It had a spot that was like an "outie navel."
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Today I was looking at the picture's of horseheadnebula's 92 525 that was for sale on ebay. I noticed that it has a spot on the driver's door that looks suspiciously like the kind of damage that occurs when the metal to which the door brake attaches undergoes failure. His car had over 200k. Ours had about 175K when it suffered the metal failure. Still recommend considering the Koala Motorsport brace or something like it if your car is getting up there in miles.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/e34Gayle/doorbrakefailureSmall.jpg

[DigitalRelay]

I'm glad you bumped this thread, Gayle. My driver's door has had a little hitch in it for a few weeks. I figured it just needed to be lubed. When I pulled off the rubber cover, I realized I figured wrong. The sheetmetal is pretty torn up. I checked out the reinforcing plate available from Koala earlier in this thread, but I decided to fab up something myself. I made a template from paper and fabbed a plate out of some steel I had. The situation is much better, but the door brake is definitely bad. I ordered a new one and I'll take some pics of the plate I made when I put in the new door brake.

Everyone make sure you're getting some lube in those door brakes!