Yeah looks like vast changes in 20 years. Sounds like a '78's problems dont apply. sorry.

 

the 78 should have been the same body, the body style was used from 75-91 with no real changes that were visible from the outside, and i don't know how many changes on the less visible stuff.
don't be sorry, we're just thinking aloud here, its good to have you on the board

 

Just would like to give light to the situation, give my input from problems on my 73 sliding door, the handle has to be neutral during the sliding procedure after you released the rear lock in order to slide it, then, if you so much as touch the rear of the door during it's travel, you load the rear slider, if it has wear, it will drag, and eventually catch on a bur and jump track. I slide mine with one hand on the handle pulling the door forward, the front latch catches it, then I push the rear in, thus having it latch in, I refuse to slam it because there is a dip in the track at the end, at times it causes it to jump. I noticed my handle not going into the neutral position, so I sprayed all latches/catches, and the handle with WD-40, took care of it, I never thought of that till I found the door would not lock without jiggling the handle up/down. My track has the bad place at the end, where the door is coming to close, all due to my being forceful with it, likely the handle was the cause back then, but the damage is done, I need an extension like the one for large tires, it would place it back far enough to miss it when shut.

 

maples, that tells me everything about mine, even though your 73 was in the much older body style. it will pretend to lock any time i tell it to, but will only actually lock if it wants to. it seemed to have started around the time a buddy of mine wrenched the handle down a little too hard when it was locked, such that it now returns to a little below center, instead of center where it belongs.
i added a hasp to the inside of mine to make it secure, but i bet all it needs is to jiggle the handle. why didn't i think of that

 

Could be worn out, or the previous owners have used grease in them, penetrating oil will break it down, loosening it up.

 

you might be onto something there with lube. after reading your last post, i went out and pushed down on the lock handle while moving the door handle up and down. after 2-3 strokes of the door handle, the lock handle would fine its "happy place" and drop in, after which it would work properly until the next time i opened the door.
so that makes a lubrication issue look pretty likely, i'll pull off the panel one of these days and spray it down. the slider is the only door on the van to have an inside panel, so any other door i would just reach inside and spray.

 

Had I taken care of that when my problem started, my track would not have suffered, that rod that swings the door out can lock up, and instead of pivoting around, it pulls hard on the mount, pulling the end from the track, making the follower wheel cut up the track.

 

maples, i don't know if you read this thread all the way back after its recent resurrection, but the "floor" of my rear track is cracked for about a foot at its forward end. i don't know its full history, but do know that the van was damaged bad enough that both doors on the right side had to be replaced, and the pillar between them was pushed in about 1/2" at its bottom. i suspect my original problems were caused by whatever happened at that time. for me at least, the origin of the crack in my door's rear track isn't terribly relevant, the adjustments i've made to keep the door on track afterwards, now thats important.
it sounds like your track problems are very different from mine. mine appear to have had an obvious cause in the form of a wreck, whereas yours sound like you had your hardware lock up and slowly cause a fatigue-based problem. interesting.

 

My passenger door was draggin at the pillar, so my friend adjusted it, then repositioned the catch posts for my slider.

 

I have an 82 E-250 with chronic sliding door close problem. Normally have to really slam to get it to latch closed.
Reading here, esp josh sounds like I should have adjusted something and not be slamming it. That stuff noted about "neutral position" may help my handle problem.
Major problem as noted in title the little whitish plastic guide in the rear swing out part has broken off. It did break 5 years ago and I actually epoxy glued together == 5 yrs pretty good? but now prob won't glue again.
So MY MAJOR QUESTION is where do I get another one, prob JY in Seattle area I suppose. I have searched some on rockitauto ..see hinges and such but no little plastic guide.
Perhaps when I fix this back area I should also just get a whole replacement handle too...given it is flaky and the lock button does not lock even when in down position.
As you can prob tell I am a real newbie and not too savvy at finding parts...
however I was proud of my self when I fixed my rear door that got bent open too far and bent the body post? where the hinges attach. I took the door off and did a hydraulic jack adjustment along with some 5 lb hammer pounding action and low and behold the door shuts and locks again. [ not proud of how I backed into a heavy cabinet with said door open...ooops]
thanks for any help or suggestions ....part sources even part name or number. the official ford site does not seem to find itt.

 

that little nylon slide piece is getting pretty hard to find. when i asked a local ford dealer about it over a year ago, they said it was obsolete but there were still a couple of them in stock somewhere halfway across the country, and i could have one for an ungodly sum of near $100 and a week of waiting. i declined.
after that, i picked up i few of them from pick-n-pull in lynnwood, my favorite local junkyard. some are still pretty intact, others are really FUBAR, so pick and choose.
you'll also want to inspect your other tracks on the door. the bottom one carries most of the weight, and has a couple rollers in there that might have come undone like mine did. i repaired it by replacing the entire bottom bracket. i also gave some attention to my top roller, which is only a stabilizer, holding the door in the proper in-out position, but carrying no weight.

once i got those all worked out, i was then able to move around the latch post at the rear, mid-height of the door frame. it took awhile to find the sweet spot, but once i got it, the door works a whole lot better.

my sliding door has a dent at its rear, about the height of the middle track, from me pushing in so hard there while slamming it, and another dent and its front bottom from me kicking the bottom back on track when its rollers were screwed up. hopefully we'll get yours worked out before it gets to that point

what part of seattle are you in? i'm in the area myself.

 

Josh..wow thanks for the clear reply..helps quite a bit ..I was afraid no one had even heard of or dealt with that plastic part.
I was on the Lynwood PP site last night. I guess one has to wait until a junk yard actually has matching model/yr? ...which they don't seem to a moment.
I sent 3 or 4 requests to Nix, AAA, kent,etc...maybe too many or repetitive??
I live in the I-90 area..aka..Mt Baker/Leschi.
I will take a look at the bottom rollers etc...seen more discussions on that.
Hmmm.. Do know the range of years compatible with my 82....in case a JY has something ...close..?
Here's a funny thought. I have on my desk what is called a 3d printer. Got it on KICKSTARTER ..not assembled yet..but it makes parts, etc, out of plastic...for prototyping and even manufacturing parts....if could find ..create the spec of said part..one could quote print one....... have put off even putting this thing together ....
Thanks for the input. Brogan

 

they used that exact body style from 75-91, so they're the same through that entire huge range.
i don't expect your full service junkyards to be very helpful, whereas the self serve yards like picknpull let you do your own searching, and you can really win with that.

i'm up on highway 2 myself, but spend a lot of time down in bellevue/kirkland area

as for printing up your own, its a pretty simple design, i think its made of nylon. i don't know what plastic your printer uses - those units are pretty cool - but i don't know if its plastic will be strong enough to last under this use - i guess you can try and see

 

Plastic will not work, it's nylon, it has to hold up to a lot of forces, I had issues with mine on my 73 before coming to a resolution with it, I didn't solve my problem, just made it where I can function, the excessive wear causing the failure has to be addressed first, or you will only get a repeat.

 

Josh...here is my status, since you know what you are doing I thought I ask for a tip. I did find the nylon guide part, somewhat used but better than the 3 pieces I had.
Then read you great post on other rollers, etc, so heck I went back to P&P and grabbed the whole door. I see the little removal slots in rear and top tracks. But for getting the lower bracket out I basically used my Snap-On No. 4 Removal Wedge. ( aka a Stanley flat bar and some blocks of plywood.) .... So yeah I just pried a spot in the lower track to get enough space to pop out the bracket and thus the whole door,,,,,which I previously suspended with a rope over and under the van....so as to not drop the thing on my foot. It is heavy.
Now I have to install, prob get helper. My guess is that I may need to remove that lower bracket and its two nicer roller bearings. I did not remove at junkyard because not have a huge phillips #??5?...plus no space to get the tool in there when door was in place.
I should go scope it out again..but another guess would be ...
1. Leave lower bracket in place
2. Somehow set up door far back along van side, back to a point where the lower bracket and rollers can slip in? The back end of lower track....this with the stop thing removed. I am not sure if enough space here...but there does not seem to be any secret slot for sliding it in like the other two tracks?
3. Yeah slide it in and only then move door forward to be able to pop in the back bracket..thur it's slots.
4. Move door a bit more forward to point where the top roller bracket can pop in track thru that secret slot.

I sure hope the door fits...and I can adjust to find the sweet spot as you say.
Got to be better, my old door and lower roller was way worn out in fact the bottom roller that whole thing rests on and slides along flat bottom was gone, just the post ...this the bracket itself was rubbing along the flat bottom of door opening. Geeze..no wonder I had to slam it??
I assume it is better to find a helper or two or do you have a slick way to lift it, like some kind of skyhook or ..hey maybe like a Sheetrock lifter?
I plan to use my rigging skills and ropes, etc...prob could even build a rolling scaffold cribbing thang at the exact height needed.
You prob know what the proper tool is to get those huge bolts/screws outa that lower bracket.
As a side note I hope I can get the handle to work better that the old one...sorta loose and wobbly? ...plus of course a different key.
Sorry for so many details, ...maybe help others?..or a least a laugh at my door saga....you should have seen the other guys in chk out line at JY as I tried to get thru the door with the door roped onto a hand truck ....all this with my recent rotator cuff surgery....don't tell my PT!
Thanks. BROG