driver door won't open

crdouger · 07-09-2016, 11:45 AM

I can't find a similar thread, so hopefully somebody can help me with this. My drivers door on my '03z4 won't open some of the time. It unlocks and locks just fine with the key and the remote, but sometimes when you pull on the handle (inside or outside) the door just won't open. The handle pulls smoothly and feels like it's working right, but the door won't unlatch and pop open. Sometimes you get lucky and after the 5th or 15th try the door suddenly opens. Sometimes it opens on the first try. Sometimes you have to climb in through the window and you feel really stupid because you are in front of a whole bunch of people at a wedding!

I've taken the panel off and the interior cable seems to work fine. I didn't pull the black foam insulation off because the linkage seemed to be working fine. I've tried pushing and pulling on the door and I've tried lubricating it.

Any ideas???

Thanks in advance.

Doug

inTgr8r · 07-09-2016, 11:51 AM

Try lowing the window.

There is a thread somewhere on this topic, not sure the best search parameters to use.

bamarider · 07-09-2016, 02:40 PM

I'm having a similar problem in that mine will not open from the outside in hot weather. Have always had to pull handle alway out before it opens. No problem with the inside latch. Is there any type of adjustment for the outside latch?

inTgr8r · 07-09-2016, 03:48 PM

Check here....
http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831342

Not sure how it was being searched, but "drivers door" worked

crdouger · 07-09-2016, 09:46 PM

Thanks for the link, but mine won't open no matter if the window is up or down or in the middle or moving...

It happened tonight to me...again...at a wedding...in front of a whole bunch of people. It sure ruins the cool factor of the car.

The cable from the interior handle to the door sure looked fine and wasn't caught on anything.

Anybody else have ideas???

Vanne · 07-09-2016, 09:51 PM

lol, dukes of hazard style at a wedding.. could you not have used the lock/unlock button on your key when inside the car/roll window down and unlock from outside?? (not a solution to your issue, but would have been better than dukes style) sure sounds like the is something amiss with the door puller /actuator. your gonna need to pull the door card to have a good look.

crdouger · 07-10-2016, 08:33 AM

Neither the inside nor the outside door handles works. When the door occasionally does open, it feels like it opens at the very end of the the swing of the handle. Does anybody know if there is any adjustment of the linkage inside the door to make it open at the halfway point of the swing of the handle?

I think I'm going to have to tear it apart again.

pabj · 07-11-2016, 02:32 PM

My 03 z4 does that when I try to open it from the outside. My indoor handles work fine.
From the outside press against the door slightly with you your knee just about midway under the handle. Just slight pressure works every time for me. Sounds crazy but it works.

chickdr · 07-12-2016, 06:41 AM

Most likely the bowden cable.

crdouger · 07-15-2016, 11:22 AM

Chickdr is the winner. After significant disassembly I did discover that it was the cable between the outer door handle and the door lock mechanism. The tube had collapsed and the cable wasn't pulling open the door. I don't understand why the internal handle wouldn't open it, but once I removed the bowden cable the door opens just fine from the inside.

Thanks for all the advice and help. Now I just need to order a new one and replace it.

Doug

inTgr8r · 07-15-2016, 11:31 AM

excellent, glad you got it resolved.

chickdr · 07-15-2016, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crdouger

Chickdr is the winner. After significant disassembly I did discover that it was the cable between the outer door handle and the door lock mechanism. The tube had collapsed and the cable wasn't pulling open the door. I don't understand why the internal handle wouldn't open it, but once I removed the bowden cable the door opens just fine from the inside.

Thanks for all the advice and help. Now I just need to order a new one and replace it.

Doug

It seems to be a common issue as the cars age.

ascheuermann · 01-12-2020, 02:24 PM

Thank you for the thread, I was going crazy trying to get the door open, The trick was removing the tension from the bowden cable from the exterior door handle to the latch mechanism which has been damaged and stretched by getting caught by the window.

Door popped right open using the inside latch once I removed the bowden. I was about ready to start drilling the latch apart, your post saved me a bunch of $$$$.

elerner61 · 01-14-2020, 09:47 AM

So if we pause and do a "lessons learned", at approximately what age are bowden cables going bad? Would be good to proactively change it before having to go all Dukes of Hazard to get in the car.

Residentj3553 · 01-14-2020, 06:19 PM

Had the same problem in my 03'

3GFX · 07-16-2022, 08:57 PM

Checking in. Having the same problem on the driver side door.

Really sucks getting the panel off when the door won't open!

Closing the window was actually the trick that worked.

3GFX · 07-20-2022, 08:19 AM

For those of you out there looking for parts:

Interior Handle Bowden Cable
51217038061

Exterior Handle Bowden Cable
51217036784

Inside door handle plug
51417053791 left
51417053792 right

All parts roughly $115 Canadian today.

07-09-2016, 11:45 AM	#1
crdouger Registered 2 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 2003 z4 3.0i Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Grand Rapids, MI USA iTrader: (0)	driver door won't open I can't find a similar thread, so hopefully somebody can help me with this. My drivers door on my '03z4 won't open some of the time. It unlocks and locks just fine with the key and the remote, but sometimes when you pull on the handle (inside or outside) the door just won't open. The handle pulls smoothly and feels like it's working right, but the door won't unlatch and pop open. Sometimes you get lucky and after the 5th or 15th try the door suddenly opens. Sometimes it opens on the first try. Sometimes you have to climb in through the window and you feel really stupid because you are in front of a whole bunch of people at a wedding! I've taken the panel off and the interior cable seems to work fine. I didn't pull the black foam insulation off because the linkage seemed to be working fine. I've tried pushing and pulling on the door and I've tried lubricating it. Any ideas??? Thanks in advance. Doug
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07-09-2016, 11:51 AM	#2
inTgr8r Lieutenant General 2426 Rep 11,667 Posts Drives: M2 Comp Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Toronto iTrader: (10)	Try lowing the window. There is a thread somewhere on this topic, not sure the best search parameters to use. __________________ '21 M2C Hockenheim Silver '18 718 Cayman S Lava Orange (sold) '13 E92 M3 Santorini Blue (sold) '07 Z4 M Coupe Alpine White (sold)
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07-09-2016, 02:40 PM	#3
bamarider Enlisted Member 3 Rep 32 Posts Drives: 2004 black z4 with 6 speed Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: alabama iTrader: (0)	I'm having a similar problem in that mine will not open from the outside in hot weather. Have always had to pull handle alway out before it opens. No problem with the inside latch. Is there any type of adjustment for the outside latch?
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07-09-2016, 03:48 PM	#4
inTgr8r Lieutenant General 2426 Rep 11,667 Posts Drives: M2 Comp Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Toronto iTrader: (10)	Check here.... http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831342 Not sure how it was being searched, but "drivers door" worked __________________ '21 M2C Hockenheim Silver '18 718 Cayman S Lava Orange (sold) '13 E92 M3 Santorini Blue (sold) '07 Z4 M Coupe Alpine White (sold)
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07-09-2016, 09:46 PM	#5
crdouger Registered 2 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 2003 z4 3.0i Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Grand Rapids, MI USA iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the link, but mine won't open no matter if the window is up or down or in the middle or moving... It happened tonight to me...again...at a wedding...in front of a whole bunch of people. It sure ruins the cool factor of the car. The cable from the interior handle to the door sure looked fine and wasn't caught on anything. Anybody else have ideas???
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-09-2016, 09:51 PM	#6
Vanne Down Under!! 1621 Rep 4,294 Posts Drives: 2007 Z4MC Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Dubai iTrader: (4)	lol, dukes of hazard style at a wedding.. could you not have used the lock/unlock button on your key when inside the car/roll window down and unlock from outside?? (not a solution to your issue, but would have been better than dukes style) sure sounds like the is something amiss with the door puller /actuator. your gonna need to pull the door card to have a good look. __________________ 2007 EuroSpec Z4///MC - Building/Developing Z4 GT3 Powered by
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07-10-2016, 08:33 AM	#7
crdouger Registered 2 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 2003 z4 3.0i Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Grand Rapids, MI USA iTrader: (0)	Neither the inside nor the outside door handles works. When the door occasionally does open, it feels like it opens at the very end of the the swing of the handle. Does anybody know if there is any adjustment of the linkage inside the door to make it open at the halfway point of the swing of the handle? I think I'm going to have to tear it apart again.
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07-11-2016, 02:32 PM	#8
pabj New Member 3 Rep 10 Posts Drives: 2003 bmw z 4 2.5i Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: alabama iTrader: (0)	My 03 z4 does that when I try to open it from the outside. My indoor handles work fine. From the outside press against the door slightly with you your knee just about midway under the handle. Just slight pressure works every time for me. Sounds crazy but it works.
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07-12-2016, 06:41 AM	#9
chickdr Lieutenant Colonel 140 Rep 1,990 Posts Drives: 2006 M Roadster Join Date: May 2009 Location: Buford, GA iTrader: (0)	Most likely the bowden cable.
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07-15-2016, 11:22 AM	#10
crdouger Registered 2 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 2003 z4 3.0i Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Grand Rapids, MI USA iTrader: (0)	Chickdr is the winner. After significant disassembly I did discover that it was the cable between the outer door handle and the door lock mechanism. The tube had collapsed and the cable wasn't pulling open the door. I don't understand why the internal handle wouldn't open it, but once I removed the bowden cable the door opens just fine from the inside. Thanks for all the advice and help. Now I just need to order a new one and replace it. Doug
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-15-2016, 11:31 AM	#11
inTgr8r Lieutenant General 2426 Rep 11,667 Posts Drives: M2 Comp Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Toronto iTrader: (10)	excellent, glad you got it resolved. __________________ '21 M2C Hockenheim Silver '18 718 Cayman S Lava Orange (sold) '13 E92 M3 Santorini Blue (sold) '07 Z4 M Coupe Alpine White (sold)
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01-12-2020, 02:24 PM	#13
ascheuermann Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: BMW Z4 Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: Florida iTrader: (0)	Z4 door lock stuck Thank you for the thread, I was going crazy trying to get the door open, The trick was removing the tension from the bowden cable from the exterior door handle to the latch mechanism which has been damaged and stretched by getting caught by the window. Door popped right open using the inside latch once I removed the bowden. I was about ready to start drilling the latch apart, your post saved me a bunch of $$$$.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-14-2020, 09:47 AM	#14
elerner61 Major 157 Rep 1,107 Posts Drives: '07 Z4M Roadster Join Date: May 2011 Location: Mount Kisco, NY iTrader: (0)	So if we pause and do a "lessons learned", at approximately what age are bowden cables going bad? Would be good to proactively change it before having to go all Dukes of Hazard to get in the car.
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01-14-2020, 06:19 PM	#15
Residentj3553 Second Lieutenant 122 Rep 218 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW Z4M Roadster Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Los Angeles County, California iTrader: (2)	Had the same problem in my 03' __________________ 2008 E85 ///MZ4 Roadster - *Sapphire Metallic Black* / Imola Red Int. IG: Jessed.alvarado Mods: ProFlex E85 Flexfuel kit, Eventuri Carbon Intake w/ RPI scoop, Megan Headers, Custom Axle-back exhaust, KW V3 Coilovers, Stoptech ST40 BBK, Poly FCABs, APEX PS-7s, Diode Dynamics Headlights, CF Trunk Spoiler, Sideskirts & Diffuser.
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07-16-2022, 08:57 PM	#16
3GFX Captain 723 Rep 912 Posts Drives: 2003 BMW Z4 3.0i Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Ontario iTrader: (0)	Checking in. Having the same problem on the driver side door. Really sucks getting the panel off when the door won't open! Closing the window was actually the trick that worked.
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07-20-2022, 08:19 AM	#17
3GFX Captain 723 Rep 912 Posts Drives: 2003 BMW Z4 3.0i Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Ontario iTrader: (0)	For those of you out there looking for parts: Interior Handle Bowden Cable 51217038061 Exterior Handle Bowden Cable 51217036784 Inside door handle plug 51417053791 left 51417053792 right All parts roughly $115 Canadian today.
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