[TiGraySpeed6]

Update- this is now the first in a series that also includes http://forum.mazda6club.com/mazdaspeed6/253449-drivers-door-exterior-handle-removal.html and http://forum.mazda6club.com/mazdaspeed6/253477-rear-door-exterior-handle-removal.html

Following are a bunch of pics and a few notes from my search into that odd thunk/screech/slam noise when the drivers door window closes.

FWIW, I didn't find anything particularly out of place-
The tear down and reassemble went smooth as could be. I'm going to live with it for a bit and if the sound returns I'll be looking at the seal and any points of contact when the window is closed.

I've had the luxury of going into many doors over the years, and I have to say the Mazda door is about as easy as they come. There seems to be some confusion about the inside release, and getting it off the door and off the cables. It's actually really easy to remove/replace, and I've added several pics and even a short vid on that part alone.

Hope they help somebody else.....



The door (in case there was some confusion here...)

Hidden screws in the arm rest, latch release and light

Plug on the back of the release bezel for the door lock switch

Pulling the panel- Don't be a stooge like me- use a panel puller!
if you don't, like me, you /will/ leave most of those darn things in the door

The tweeter cover just pulls off
there are two metal clips holding it in place - tug HARD!!

I found this wire to be a snot to unplug the first time
there is just a small tab facing the foam on the bottom
you can press to easily remove the plug

Plugs under the window & door lock controls
release tabs shown

 

[TiGraySpeed6]

This is the light from the bottom corner.
it was a stinker the first time as well
Turns out you must remove the bulb /before/ the tabs/clips can be squeezed.
- bulb just pulls out, then you can push the socket out of the door panel

Now that the door panel is off, we can start on the fun shit!
See the two plastic covers in the middle of the door-
Pop em out

lower the window about 1/3 of the way
- when the window is at the correct point you'll see the two 10mm bolts that hold the glass in

BE CAREFUL WITH THE BOLTS- removing not so bad-
reinstalling is another story (drop one then and your removing the inner skin again...)

With the two bolts removed you can easily remove the door glass by lifting it out
- drop the front and remove the back first
- reinstall is opposite- nose in first

The farking inner door latch release
many many folks have cursed at this thing, without need
it removes very easily when you know where the release clip is
I've included several pics and a video on just this one step

All right-
We've removed the panel itself, the glass and the inner release
time for the inner skin to come off-

There are 13 10mm bolts around the perimeter to be removed
DO NOT touch any of the other bolts/nuts
- they mount things to the inner skin, not skin to door!

See that round black plastic plug on the left of the pic above?
If your removing the exterior door handle- there is a nut hidden under that pastic cover...

 

[TiGraySpeed6]

Now that the 13 perimeter bolts are removed
(or maybe just 12, leaving the top center bolt to hold the skin for now)

Next unplug this connection

Then unplug this connection and remove the screw
- note there is a very small tab on the bottom of this part that clips the door skin
- easy to deal with if you know it's there (look at the bottom of it & you'll see)

Mazda uses a double sided foam tape to secure the inner skin
I find that the first time in is the worst, after that it pulls off pretty easy.
- Start at the bottom of the skin & work your way around.
- don't forget to remove the last bolt if you left one to hold the skin as noted above...

Once free you can pull the skin from the door
- angle the bottom out, then down to allow the top of the window track to clear the door

Since we left most of the wires connected at the hinge area, we will just set the skin on the door frame and take lots of pics...

The track is the metal bit that runs vertically
the big white plastic triangle is what the glass bolts to
- note the two holes at the top of the white plastic & how they line up with the holes in the door skin
- the glass has two tabs which sit on top of the white palstic, so there is no trouble replacing the glass during reassembly.

- The motor uses cables- two of them, top & bottom

Reassembly is the reverse
NOTE*****
- when reinstalling, only put a few of the permiter bolts back in at first
- two, or perhaps four, to secure the skin around where the track is (middle)
- this way, when you drop one of the window bolts inside the door you don't have to remove all 13 bolts as you pull the skin again to retrieve the dropped window retainer bolt


This is about the easiest door I have ever worked on. Now it should be for you too.....

 

[IHeartGroceries]

Damn, you're hardcore. I've had the panel off, but this is intense.
Thanks for this though! Great pictures. Never can have too many of these threads.

 

[daztd]

Interesting door panel.....very different from what I'm use to. It looks very easy to take apart and and work on(the guts). STICKY -STICKY!!!

 

[speedtown]

you are the shit, this is going to help so many people.

 

[AtTheDriveIn]

Where was this write up last week!?! I had the hardest time getting to the window switches when they got rained on

 

[madduck99]

perfect time for sound deadening the door

 

[dougefresh_]

Great write up & pics! Thanks for the write up. Will this still work if I don't have a mustache? :/

 

[jracer]

nice step by step pictures ! thanks..

 

[TiGraySpeed6]

Great write up & pics! Thanks for the write up. Will this still work if I don't have a mustache? :/

Of course not.....

(I'd insert a smiley here, but we don't have a "stash smiley")

 

[zelled21]

Excellent, just helped a guy here in okinawa japan with his door and introduced him to this site.

 

[dougefresh_]

 

[TiGraySpeed6]

LOLZ-
Awesome DF!

 

[IHeartGroceries]

The time I took my door panel off to work on my side mirror, that shit never went back together the same again.

MY MOMMY NEVER BOUGHT ME LEGO'S AS A CHILD!!! X 100!!!!11.one

I'm growing a mustache ASAP.

 

[Kokopellian]

Awesome post! I needed this a couple of weeks ago myself. My door handle screw came loose. Luckily my brother has the dealership hook up. Free fix for me baby!

 

[aviator79]

Planning on sound deading or? you got them this far, might as well add this here to show how I sound deadened and installed 8" Dynaudio Midbase in doors. Not as detailed as yours, but maybe helpfull too:

I have posted this before, but it was such a hodgepoge mess of random pictures I wanted to try to organize it better so here they are again. Sorry to those that already saw them, but worth another look hopefully:
Bare door:

Starting Cascade VBmax

Cascade vbmax covered in VB1 liquid in doors:

Foaming the wimpy side impact bars with regular contruction foam. Probably better products to use. I bought a case of the pond foam on ebay for cheap, so if your going to use a bunch buy it in bulk as I spend a bunch of money at HD on this stuff…used too much of it on the car too.

You can see the Vertex products I used here in the doors. The foam barrier pad floating between the side impact beams:

And the Styrofoam black think stuff on top of it finishing off 2 solid front doors skins:

 

[aviator79]

Now to work on fitting 8” midbase in the door panels.

Cut the hole in the panel:

Fiberglassesed a piece of MDF in place with this stuff:

Initial ‘gluing’ with just the West systems epoxy resin thickened with micorballoons:

Mre FG added to strengthen the door as much as possible:

Cut the whole:

Speaker in. I actually had to make a ¼ spacer in the end as the drivers side window hit the rear of the speaker. The speaker baffle was also mostly cut, only leaving the top edge to deflect water the inevitably comes in these doors.

Passender side:

Seal the door up as much as possible. Glued a piece of MDF in the upper corners to seal them.

Big ass Karma SS 10g twistet pair wires that I had to snake thru the molex connectors. Had to relocate some wires to get these thru:

 

[TiGraySpeed6]

wow, damn son, that's some serious work there, especially when you have to do it four times over.

I was only looking for an odd noise that had developed when the window closed. We got to talking about it in a different post, and come to find out that many folks chimed in with the same noise.

I went, I looked, I posted pics of the trip this time since the drivers door was the only one of the four I hadn't been into yet so I hadn't had a chance to screw anything up yet for the photos...

 

[daztd]

How much did it help with road noise when you added the sound deadening material? Where did you get the sound deadening material at? Great write up aviator79