Rattling front foors

[Brando_SLT]

Hey there errebody. I'm posting here as I have not found good (helpful) details in the service manual for our trucks. I noticed my driver and passenger front doors tend to rattle when driving on bumpy roads. Which is pretty much all the roads and highways here in California.

Looking at the service manual the recommended two solutions are to either address the door strikers or latches. Is there another option or things to check? Door seals look OK as far as I can tell. What else should I check for or adjust? Thanks!

 

[McBroom]

Look at the hinge pins as those wear out. You can check these by opening the door and gently lift up on the door doing this a few times if you fee some movement of the door before the body moves then it’s a worn hinge pin. The pins can be purchased at most local part stores.
Dorman is a good brand.



I Love my 18 Ram 2500HD 4x4 CC
Blue Streak Pearl off-road

 

[Brando_SLT]

Thanks @McBroom - I adjusted the striker on the driver's side as well, about 1/8" inboard and that helped, but after some deeper inspection the front of the door seems to be angled away from the body along the A-pillar. I don't know if that's normal or not.

I will follow the method you outlined below tomorrow evening.

Look at the hinge pins as those wear out. You can check these by opening the door and gently lift up on the door doing this a few times if you fee some movement of the door before the body moves then it’s a worn hinge pin. The pins can be purchased at most local part stores.
Dorman is a good brand.



I Love my 18 Ram 2500HD 4x4 CC
Blue Streak Pearl off-road

 

[McBroom]

Thanks @McBroom - I adjusted the striker on the driver's side as well, about 1/8" inboard and that helped, but after some deeper inspection the front of the door seems to be angled away from the body along the A-pillar. I don't know if that's normal or not.

I will follow the method you outlined below tomorrow evening.

That’s not normal. All of the body lines should match up. Did you buy the truck used? I ask because the top of the door could be bent outward due to it possibly being broken into during previous ownership.


I Love my 18 Ram 2500HD 4x4 CC
Blue Streak Pearl off-road

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Food for thought that it may not be the door itself rattling, but instead just a component. A couple ideas pop to mind that I’ve personally dealt with:

Window tracks and motor loosened up on my 03 within the door itself. Pop off the door panel and tighten up all the bolts in there.

Or

The side view mirror on my 06 started coming loose and rattling when driving over bumpy roads and when i shut the door. Again, pop off the inner door panel and tighten up the three nuts holding it on.

Good luck!

 

[Brando_SLT]

Quick update here. Over the weekend I finally installed new door seals. Funny thing, now I hear some doors rattle even more, but with a dull "thud" more than metal on metal.

So I got to thinking... What about the door strikers? I had adjusted the front metal rings (on the door frames) in a bit, but still getting a rattle. Then I looked at the actual latch portion inside the doors and they definitely look worn. Thinking I may need new ones, but definitely not looking forward to the price of $100+ each. Oof. I'm going to see if flipping the metal catch rings will help. They looked pretty worn as well.

 

[Brando_SLT]

Last weekend I flipped the door striker rings on the body, moved them in 1-2mm. Now my doors close with a subtle "thunk" instead of rattling. I can also push on the doors from the outside and they don't move against the body. Next step is to sound-deaden the inside of the front doors to get rid of those last rattles.