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Door latching mechanism issue


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Ladies and gentlemen,

I'm in need of some help. A few weeks ago, my driver side door quit working. The door latching mechanism somehow stopped fully releasing the lock and the now is now stuck shut. I was able to apply some heat in the lock release are, but my good friend who supposedly knew what he was doing, released one of the winding Springs that allows the latch lock to retract when the handle is pulled.

I now have a replacement and was wondering if anyone knows how I can release the door latching mechanism to open the door and replace it?

Thanks in advance!

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Have you checked the FSM diagrams?  They're not the greatest but might offer a clue.  Or you can take apart the working door and figure out what is supposed to happen.

 

If you just need to remove the outside handle so that you can actuate the rods by hand, there's two nuts that hold it to the door.  And there's a sliding locking clip, like the one on the brake hoses, that holds the lock itself to the door.  A bright light and tiny hands and you can get them both out and off.

 

Could be that either the inside or the outside mechanism is broken or jammed.  Make sure you're working on the right one.  The inside handle is easier to get to.

 

And you didn't say what year you're working with.  Things changed over the various models.  And it's not really clear what you're replacing, the latching mechanism, or the actuators, or the lock.

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Thanks for the response NewZed.

My Z is a 78 2+2. The handles and rods operate fine, it's the lock release that doesn't operate properly thus not allow the latching mechanism to release and open the door. When unlocking the mechanism, the lock doesn't seem to be fully disengaged and when operating any handle, it felt jammed and hard.

After my friend blew the spring that helps the latch release (idiot), I applied heat to the area where the lock mechanism is (hard white nylon?) and it now moves, it now allows the handles to operate "freely" when unlocked, but still doesn't release the latching mechanism to open the door.

I'm having a hard time loading pics, but I'll try tomorrow and also a video.

Thanks again.

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Disconnect the lock from the latching mechanism so that the lock is not part of the problem anymore.  Sounds like you're trying to work on everything at the same time while it's all connected, without really knowing where the problem is.  The rods usually just pop out of the nylon bushings.  Disconnect the lock and move the locking rod by hand.  Isolate the sub-systems: the inner handle, the outer handle, the lock, and the latch.  The latch doesn't need any of those to function.

 

That spring your friend messed up is important I think.  It moves the latch.  Without it you might have to figure a way to move it manually.

 

 

post-8864-0-33750400-1484327848_thumb.png

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  • 2 weeks later...

post-8639-0-23012600-1485046455_thumb.jpg

I've tried all... Operating this manually and had no luck. I've started drilling into the mechanism to see if I can release/reset the "hook" manually, but had no luck. To this point, if someone can tell me what to destroy in order for it to release, so I can open the door and replace.

Thanks in advance!

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I've tried all... Operating this manually and had no luck. I've started drilling into the mechanism to see if I can release/reset the "hook" manually, but had no luck. T

Can't get a decent idea of what you're actually doing.  Operating, heating, drilling, in to a "mechanism".  Pretty vague.  And your picture is just a picture.

 

Your best plan, I think, would be to compare the good side to the bad side.  Open up the passenger door that works and see which parts move.  Go back to the door that doesn't work and see which parts don't.

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