For the past so many months, I've been hearing a popping sound from the back side of the drivers door when going over uneven road surfaces. I took the door panel off and checked inside the door for a loose latch or lock assembly. Nothing. I checked the striker to see if it was loose and ....nothing.

Tonight I found it. The plastic wedge on the door rests on the metal spacer above the door jamb vent. This is the design, so why does it create a popping sound? I removed each piece individually and from the outside, pushed on the top of the door with the door closed and there was no popping sound. When I put it all back together and pushed at the top corner of the door, the popping is back. There is no adjustment for either piece, so looking for ideas. Thanks.

 

Hows the door hinges? It sounds like you have excessive vertical travel.

 

I'd say inspect hinge pin bushings but if your car really has that low mileage I'd be suprised if it was that. I couldn't picture what end of the door you were describing. Was it the door handle end or the hinge end? (left or right, looking at the door)?

 

There is zero vertical travel to the door. I just checked. And yes it does only have 14k miles so it's tight. The picture posted in my opening thread shows the area in question. Plus, not sure if there is a door jamb vent on the hinged side of the door.

 

So nobody has found a solution to this in the past? I can't possibly be the only person that has heard this.

 

someone has to be the first, maybe that is you.
i had a strange sound out of my blazer, same as you describe. it ended up being the post that the door locked into when the door was closed. gm is not big on providing lots of support there. my sound was the metal moving back and forth, like a cookie sheet. and a cookie sheet was about as strong as the pillar that held it was. its not designed to support anything, its the front that does that, the back where the door handle locks into the frame is not for support.
so grab ahold of that post that comes out and see if there is any play or movement in it, and BE RUFF, its got to be equal to the pressure of the door flexing it as you drive.
that is my best guess.

 

i actually had the same problem with my 88 gta only on the drivers side. I ended up making a very thin spacer out of sheet metel and put it under the wedge on the door. you cant see the spacer and the noise is now gone.

 

scottmoyer, are you still in the central florida area? i live in kissimmee and wondering if you still do dentless paint repairs. ive got a job for you.

 

Nope, never had the problem here.

Side note I love your sig pic.
I want to biuld something along them lines and really shorten it up.

Mount the front bucketa in the back seat and slide the rear half up until I can reach comfy, no doors, might just be room eough for T-tops as a roof or no roof at all.

Like to find a cheap shell to just try it out for kicks to just play n test.
Quick hack n weld job knowing it just for testing then scrap it.
Then build it for real if it looked alright.

 

Perhaps because not all Camaros were equipped with the piece. My guess is that it didn't appear until the late 80's. My 85 doesn't have, but an 88 parts car did. Is there any sign of scuffing on the door itself? If so, perhaps the fit is too tight. If not, maybe a thin coat of lube would do the trick.

JamesC

 

They're not found on all thirdgens because, according to a very reliable source, they were only installed on t-top cars. They're apparently one of the "extra structural support" features t-top cars received.

I know you're car is still, essentially, "new," Scott, given its extremely low mileage, but if you're getting a popping sound there, then I'd think it would mean you're getting some movement there. What else it could mean?

I bought all 3 of my t-top cars brand new, and I put more miles on each of them in their first year than your car has after 22 years, and one of mine I still have after 22 years, and I never had any problem like you're having. No problem on my 'vert either--and it's really a POS.

I'd think that things like mileage, wear or age would be responsible for the problem, but apparently that's not the case. So when you first experienced the problem, what were you doing? Where had you been? Had you just driven it unusually hard? Had anyone leaned against the door recently? Had anyone fallen into it? I know those seem like silly questions, but if it isn't due to age, wear or sag, then it would seem like something specific must've happened.

It's been a week since the last post here, but I'm guessing you haven't solved it yet because you're one of the few people who'll actually wrap-up a thread by posting that you've solved the problem, also stating how you solved it. Whereas, many people never report back. So if you're still getting the noise, you might consult a body shop about the situation.

 

i know that noise, i live on a dirt road though and id have to bomb down it and nail a pothole or two just to recreate the noise

from the looks of it, the door would hit it when you close it, and force it forward putting extra stress on the pins, logically that was GMs way of reinforcing the doors on our t-tops to make up for the hard top right? Are you POSITIVE that the pins are good? is it possible to have horizontal travel of the slightest degree and when the frame twists and tweaks on the bad road it could just be tapping that slide piece?

 

Humm, interesting. My car is a coupe which wasn't equipped with the piece; the parts car was a T-top and did have the piece.

JamesC

 

I think the ttop idea is correct as my neighbor has a 38k mile 89 IROC-Z hardtop and his car doesn't have it.

On the door, the plastic piece has a very thin plastic spacer between it and the door. I removed the spacer, replaced the door piece and went for a drive. It's quiet now. Not sure if the timing is the same, but the only major change done this year was new ttop weatherstripping. I wonder if the new weatherstripping is adding additional pressure on the front of the door, forcing it to push towards the back. Again, I can't confirm the popping sound started at that time, but it makes some sense. Maybe if the ttop weatherstripping was wearing out and needed replacement, the door weatherstripping may need replacing. If it's not providing a tight seal and cushioning the door, it will rest metal on metal or metal on plastic in this case.