Door slowing mechanism
 

Hi all, I searched this section (I believe this is where this question belongs) and didn't find anything.

Me mom has a 04 Ranger that I do the work on. Mom loves her Ranger but it's door doesn't. Mom is a little lady and pulling the door shut can be a problem if it is ALL the way open. If it is only part way open she can deal with it. The passenger door is good it will hold at roughly the half open point - the driver's door will not (probably worn out/down). If it is windy when she opens the door it will get quickly yanked out of her hand or blow into her.

I've looked at Ranger door diagrams and the door itself and there isn't a limiting strap like some vehicles have. There must be something that slows and/or limits its travel. Can someone here at least point me in the right direction regarding the part name / number / or ???

Thank you

You need a new bottom hinge, that's where the limiter is.
It's just a hard piece of rubber that the "pinch" wheel rides up against, and the rubber and wheel wear out to the point where it does nothing.
Go to the dealer for the hinge, the aftermarket stuff is junk.

Hi Jeff, I had a feeling that is what I would have to do the denial thing won't work this time :)
Body work is something I rarely do - can a hinge be replaced without messing up the door alignment?
Also,
Is there a good / recommended (meaning lowest cost) online factory parts site? I haven't shopped Ford parts in quite a while.

Thank you

It's not that bad to replace, there is an inner bolt you have to get at on the inside which requires the removal of the plastic door skid plate and the drivers kick panel just inside behind the hinge mount.
You can get at the front ones with out removing the fender, but you will need a long extension and UV joint on the end of that with the proper size socket.
Note that my extension was quite thin, so it just cleared the door and fender.

Mark where the old hinge is, you can also see where the bolts were mounted for proper alignment.
Open the door and support the outside bottom edge with blocks of wood and shims to get the support just right.
It's best done on a level concrete surface.

The new hinge will need to be primed and painted.

I went with a Ford hinge because at the time I couldn't find anything here in Canada, but Dorman in the US may have something.
It was around 90 bucks Canadian from Ford here, so it should be allot less in the US.

I've saved my old hinge, I'll take a photo of it, just so you can see where the bolts are.

Thank you good stuff to know on the fastener access - that will save me some time. I found the Ford hinge for about $ 60 US but haven't checked out Dorman yet.

It is greatly appreciated by me and me mom. :notworthy