A few months ago my driver’s side door was allowed to swing open hard (van parked on hill, happened on this trip) and the check strap snapped. Got around to fixing it today. I had a spare assembly from my ’82, straightforward swap.
After the door card is removed, you can see the check strap assembly inside the door. The ’86 has a plastic cover over the works, the old ’82 did not.
Cover removed, two phillips head screws holds the mechanism on.
Removed and the broken end on the other side. The remainder of the strap, the part attached to the door jamb and held on with a pin and circlip arrangement was removed when I snapped the strap.
The replacement unit, and the waterproof grease I’ve been using recently for this and that. The stuff really does seem to resist washout better than regular grease (ie on shift linkage)
Installation is simple, no gotchas, here is pin on body end of strap.
Addendum: In the comment Jon asked if the check strap could be adjusted to give more resistance. I can’t see how that could be done, perhaps Jon’s mechanism is broken? Here are more pics of the “resisting elements”, the hard faced rubber bits that pinch the steel strap.
shooftie 
#1 by Jon Nystrom on February 1, 2012 - 5:07 pm
Do you know if you can adjust the check strap? My doors could use some more resistance…
Thanks
Jon
#2 by albell on February 1, 2012 - 5:22 pm
I don’t think so, see the additional pics posted.
cheers
ab
#3 by Old Fussbudget on February 4, 2012 - 6:46 pm
What about shimming behind the rubber? Might have to put a metal strap around the container or weld the edges together. The action of that detent really is puny.
#4 by albell on February 4, 2012 - 6:53 pm
Yes good idea. I had also wondered if the “swollen” part of the strap might be squished flatter.
ab
#5 by B. M. Wells on February 3, 2012 - 12:25 am
great blog!
I just re-joined the vanagon club recently and love all the great resources out there (especially since I’m innately mechanically inept)!
thanks for contributing to the knowledge base.
#6 by albell on February 3, 2012 - 8:34 am
Glad the blog can be of some help. Feel free to contribute any mods/fixes/”action pics” 🙂
cheers
ab