1999 Dodge Ram 3500 van (Roadtrek, Popular 190) rear (single) cargo door seems to be misaligned.

[rbc1965]

I own a 1999 Dodge Ram 3500 van (Roadtrek, Popular 190).
The rear (single) cargo door seems to be misaligned. When it's closed, it has a larger gap on the top then it does on the bottom and the door is sticking out quite a bit more on top. Every time it rains, it leaks. I tried putting some aftermarket weather stripping on it and that did not stop the leaks. I am thinking about purchasing a new seal for around the door but I'm afraid that if I do spend the money to get the new seal that it won't fix the leaking problem because of the door sticking out so far up on top. I was wondering if there is some possible way that this door can be adjusted by the hinges.

 

[TheBar]

I had a step van with double doors that could be adjusted by moving the hinges Your door may be warped and you won't be able to fix the gap and weatherstripping won't help. But if you can close the gap at the top and move the gap to the bottom if would leak less.

You might be able to un-warp the door by putting a block in the bottom and gently pushing the top. I had a Toyota van made from very lightweight sheetmetal. All the doors would warp for no reason every 40k miles creating horrific wind leaks. But be warned, I broke the door glass one time by pushing too hard All the ones in salvage yards were missing their doors (for some reason). I had to cut a piece of Lexan to replace the glass which was much harder than replacing the door. After owning 2 Hondas, 1 Nissan, and 2 Toyotas, I tried a Kia. What a difference. Real quality compared to the Japanese cars.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Is there any rot visible? With really old vehicles there is always a risk that shifting doors and panels is caused by metal fatigue or rust. Unless something was hit that tweaked it, generally they don't change on their own. Hinges can sometimes be loosened and coarse X-Y-Theta alignment done but sometimes you need to apply a little "english" to get the best fit. The technique to nudge things back is figuring out the direction things need to go and wedging something at the appropriate spot (I'll use a wadded towel or blanket) and giving the door a selective shove per TheBar's post. You might end up realigning the door striker/catch as well.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[rbc1965]

Is there any rot visible? With really old vehicles there is always a risk that shifting doors and panels is caused by metal fatigue or rust. Unless something was hit that tweaked it, generally they don't change on their own. Hinges can sometimes be loosened and coarse X-Y-Theta alignment done but sometimes you need to apply a little "english" to get the best fit. The technique to nudge things back is figuring out the direction things need to go and wedging something at the appropriate spot (I'll use a wadded towel or blanket) and giving the door a selective shove per TheBar's post. You might end up realigning the door striker/catch as well.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

there is no visible rot. Thank You for the information!

 

[rbc1965]

I had a step van with double doors that could be adjusted by moving the hinges Your door may be warped and you won't be able to fix the gap and weatherstripping won't help. But if you can close the gap at the top and move the gap to the bottom if would leak less.

You might be able to un-warp the door by putting a block in the bottom and gently pushing the top. I had a Toyota van made from very lightweight sheetmetal. All the doors would warp for no reason every 40k miles creating horrific wind leaks. But be warned, I broke the door glass one time by pushing too hard All the ones in salvage yards were missing their doors (for some reason). I had to cut a piece of Lexan to replace the glass which was much harder than replacing the door. After owning 2 Hondas, 1 Nissan, and 2 Toyotas, I tried a Kia. What a difference. Real quality compared to the Japanese cars.

Thank You for the suggestion. I appreciate that!