Door Stop Removal (SquidMod #1)

KiteSquid · Sep 14, 2005

I did not like the way the side doors do not open all the way when the side windows are open, so I looked my Ody over to see what made this happen.

There is a little door stop located in the lower door channel that a little lever hits when the window is down, so instead of trying to modify the lever, I removed the door stop.

I lifted the weather stripping to get better access to the bolts.

I used a 10mm 3/8” drive socket on a 6” extension with a universal joint between them to remove the two bolts holding the door stop in place.

Once removed I replaced the bolts into the holes, and replaced the weather stripping.

You will notice that there is a left and right side door stop. I will replace them before selling this van.....MANY years in the future so I will mark them and put them in a bag in my toolbox....

Total time spent: 15 Minutes.

See photos below.

Here is my Ody with the middle seats removed as I was Soctch Guarding the Carpet, but see how the door does NOT open all the way with the window rolled down?? This is a "Design Feature" from Honda.... and has been discussed in many threads here.

KiteSquid · Sep 14, 2005

Here is a bottom view of the door slider (the top of it has the NO STEP symblol on it...

you can see th lever hitting the door stop.

KiteSquid · Sep 14, 2005

Top view of the door stop with the weather stripping pulled back to make access easyer.

I dont think I would have had to lift the wetherstripping to remove the bolts....... but it makes it easyer...

KiteSquid · Sep 14, 2005

Left Side door stop with two retaining bolts removed.

KiteSquid · Sep 14, 2005

Left and right side door stops.

The one on the left came from the left side of my Ody and the one on the right came from the right side of my Ody.

KiteSquid · Sep 14, 2005

Here is a view of where the door stops came from.

the weather stripping is pulled back to aid in viewing.

KiteSquid · Sep 14, 2005

Here is the same area with the bolts replaced in the holes so I wont loose them...

nathana · Sep 14, 2005

where's the pic with the doors all the way open with windows down?

canynrochris · Sep 14, 2005

I'm headed to HomeDepot for a universal joint!
Thanks for the detailed breakdown of this easy fix to an annoying problem.

Now, Mind you don't decapitate yourself, Morticai!!

big_mosquito · Sep 14, 2005

Thanks KiteSquid for the detailed instructions and pics.

Now prepare to be flamed by the safety fanatics!

:flame:

KiteSquid · Sep 14, 2005

You may not need the universal joint but it makes it easyer...

I did not think of taking a photo with the windows down and the door all the way open, as I wanted to finish putiing down the Scoth Guard....

I am a Safety NUT, so I will just flame myself...

Flame on....

KS, YOU sir are an IDIOT!!!!! Sombody could put thieir head out the window and the door could come open, and decapitate them!!!!!!!!!

PUT the door stops back in NOW!!!!!!!

Flame off.....

BTW if I had kids, I would not have removed these anoying little door stops.....

Grand Total · Sep 14, 2005

KiteSquid said:
I am a Safety NUT

No, you're not, or you wouldn't have done this stupid thing. Just because you cannot imagine how an accident of the sort the stops are designed to prevent might occur while the van is owned by you doesn't mean it won't happen.

babylon5 · Sep 14, 2005

Wouldn't a decapitation be impossible anyway.

Aren't the doors designed to stop if they meet any resistence anyway so that a decapitation would be impossible?

big_mosquito · Sep 14, 2005

I am pretty certain that they doors only stop/reverse when the they encounter resistance as they are closing.

Based upon my experience they don't stop/reverse during opening. I pushed against the door while it was opening and I was not able to get it to stop.

EDIT/CORRECTION: After reading a later post and doing a test, the doors do reverse when encountering resistance while opening .

However, their is no pinch sensor on the rear edge of the door (as there is on the front edge). A light push on your part will reverse the door. However, if you allow it to push against you gradually and you gradually increase how much you push back against the door, you will find that it will continue to open even when you apply tremendous pressure (to the point that I feared burning out the motor or bending a component of the opener). This may be because the door is designed to overcome gravity when opening the door while the van is parked downhill.

This is what I did originally because I was trying to see how much resistance would reverse the door. It made it appear to me that the door does not reverse while opening.

In regards to KiteSquid's mod, a head or neck sticking through the window might not give the door the push it needs to auto reverse. The resistance may develop slowly and the door may squish the head or neck in a not so good way.

OdyBahn · Sep 14, 2005

Nice work. Though I don't think I'm going to do this for fear of pinching a little arm sometime in the future.

One of the annoyances is that you can't fully open the rear door if you've already remotely opened the windows to let the air out. One way around, at least if some cases and if you have the forethought... I've found that you can open the doors by remote first, and THEN still open the four windows by holding down "unlock".

OdyBahn · Sep 14, 2005

big_mosquito said:
I am pretty certain that they doors only stop/reverse when the they encounter resistance as they are closing.

Based upon my experience they don't stop/reverse during opening. I pushed against the door while it was opening and I was not able to get it to stop.

Hmm, so the question then is - Do they stop due to resistance, or only from the pinch strips? There are no pinch strips on the rear edge of the doors, so if the latter, then there's nothing to tell the doors to stop if they hit something while opening.

What if the doors hit something immobile while opening? Are we screwed?

KiteSquid · Sep 14, 2005

Mine is Silver/Grey but don't go by the photos.

Too many variables...

Poor lighting, poor imaging, poor camera man... well you get the idea.

To see the real colors, go to the dealership....

pkarmouche · Sep 15, 2005

OdyBahn said:
Hmm, so the question then is - Do they stop due to resistance, or only from the pinch strips? There are no pinch strips on the rear edge of the doors, so if the latter, then there's nothing to tell the doors to stop if they hit something while opening.

What if the doors hit something immobile while opening? Are we screwed?

You are screwed. The doors will draw power from the engine and roll the windows up to assist in removing the offending appendage until the door is completely open.

Just kidding.

On my '05, if the door encounters resistance while opening it will stop and reverse. It's not enough force to break any healthy bones but it is enough force to leave a mark or possibly a bruise.

Note also that even when fully open, there should be space for an arm or leg to hang out without pinching. A head would get the squeeze before the door retracts, however.

Paul

big_mosquito · Sep 15, 2005

I stand corrected and as Paul stated the doors do reverse when encountering resistance while opening.

But there is more to the story. As OdyBahn stated, their is no pinch sensor on the rear edge of the door (as there is on the front edge). A quick, firm push on your part will reverse the door. However, if you allow it to push against you gradually and you gradually increase how much you push back against the door, you will find that it will continue to open even when you apply tremendous pressure (to the point that I feared burning out the motor or bending a component of the opener). This may be because the door is designed to overcome gravity when opening the door while the van is parked downhill.

This is what I did originally because I was trying to see how much resistance would reverse the door. It made it appear to me that the door does not reverse while opening.

In regards to KiteSquid's mod, a head or neck sticking through the window might not give the door the push it needs to auto reverse. The resistance may develop slowly and the door may squish the head or neck in a not so good way. I won't be making the mod as I have young kids.

strider · Sep 15, 2005

KiteSquid said:
I did not like the way the side doors do not open all the way when the side windows are open, so I looked my Ody over to see what made this happen.
<snip!>
This is a "Design Feature" from Honda.... and has been discussed in many threads here.

Nice mod, but I guess I don't understand why you don't just open the doors with the windows closed and roll them down afterward?

strider

pkarmouche · Sep 15, 2005

big_mosquito said:
even when you apply tremendous pressure (to the point that I feared burning out the motor or bending a component of the opener). This may be because the door is designed to overcome gravity ...

Good point, Mozzie. I was able to replicate this too. However, the outcome was different if I gave this gentle, increasing pressure at the top of the door versus the lower half. Even the gradually increasing pressure example, when applied to the top half of the door (the black area) the door still did reverse promptly.

It almost seems as if there is a sensor that detects downward pressure at the front of the door.

As a side note, there is a pinch hazard with these doors. When closing, one of the last motions of the sliding door is the rear-most edge snugs inward to latch. If somone outside were to stick a finger (or little hand) into the gap as the door is completing its latching it would be mercilessly squished.

Here is the test I did at the dealership on two Ody's (an '05 and an '06): Take two of the thin instruction manuals (the service history and warranty ones) and when the door closes - right before it latches - stick them in that gap at the back of the door. *OUCH* Keep your little ones clear of this door!

Paul

KiteSquid · Sep 15, 2005

Re: Re: Door Stop Removal (SquidMod #1)

strider said:
Nice mod, but I guess I don't understand why you don't just open the doors with the windows closed and roll them down afterward?

strider

It is when you are driving around with the windows down and you stop that made me unhappy.....

That is why I removed the door stops from my Ody....

I am NOT recomending anybody do this mod!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was just documenting a mod....... safe or unsafe, it is a mod I did....

I dont have kids, nor do I foresee a day that I will transport kids in my van. at no time should any appendage be put out a window. Look at the Army Sruplus guy on the Simpsons. He lost his arm because he put it out the window of a bus.

You should ALWAYS be carefull with the doors on any vehicle. I remember getting a finger squashed in a door of a 1965 Dodge truck.... I was about 12 years old... OUCH it hurt, and I remember it today. I lost the nail on my middle finger of my right hand. It grew back......

canynrochris · Sep 15, 2005

Herman:
Owner of "Herman's Military Antiques". He only has one arm. Helped Bart, and everyone else, defeat the bully Nelson Muntz. Was a member of the Springfield Stonecutters. Once ran a counterfeit jeans operation out of Homer's garage with criminal Jericho.
http://www.worldwide-web.com/JeffreyBabad/Simpsons/Sounds/herman.wav

[/IMG]

jena_blondie · Sep 15, 2005

I can't imaging one of my children sticking his/her headout while the door is closing...
That safety feature is there for a reason.
I wouldn't alter it if I were you...

aaaaaah · Sep 15, 2005

If the next owner of your van gets injured as a result of this mod, they can sue you big time.

KiteSquid · Sep 15, 2005

1. that is why I said I am going to put it back before I sell it.

2. I bet 99.999% of the body shop guys would never notice it missing.......

3. that is why I said I am going to put it back before I sell it.

Door Stop Removal (SquidMod #1)

Attachments

Attachments

Attachments

Attachments

Attachments

Attachments

Attachments

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities