another jammed door lock question

[kchastain]

First off, great sight with alot of great ideas. Here is my problem. Two days after changing the door lock actuator the driver door refused to open. The actuator sounds as if its trying to unlock the door but nothing. The door is closed (of course thats my luck) and the door handle from the inside will not open the door. The door lock will not budge either. The inside handle feels firm still while the outside door handle is just flopping. This problem was there before the actuator begin working intermittently and once the door was unlocked the handle had tension on it. My biggest question at this point is how the #%** do I get the door panel off with the door closed? Does someone know a better way? If anyone has ever experienced this please respond!! That center console is a bugger to climb over every day. Oh this is a 98 2 door explorer by the way. Thanks for any help that you all may have.

Keith

 

[PicoG4]

Im in the same boat as you I figured it was the latch and not the actuator maybe ill make some attempt to do this on my own. I ve got a 94 and i did manage to wiggle the door panel out with it shut.

 

[Turdle]

The outer door handle is broken, and not putting lock rod in home position. I ended up replacing both inner and outer door handle, because the condition causes inner one to break also,( firm resistance you noted).
You will also need to acquire two rivets to attatch the outer handle.
It is a common problem, I have to fix my daughters x also
Sometimes you can push in on outer handle while pushing unlock on your key fob and it will unlock for you

 

[kchastain]

Great responses and I appreciate the help. Looking down inside the door thru the window weatherstripping it appears that the inner handle is working with nothing broke. I think it is either in the outer handle or the latch mechanism. My problem is how do I or a shop get the door open??? If I could do that atleast then I wouldnt have to climb over the console. Thanks again for the help

 

[expl0der8]

I just got done dealing with this problem, what happened is the spring in the door latch busted so the rod that connected to the outer door handle dropped. What this did is made the unlock actuator think somebody was pulling on the outer door handle when unlocking and it wouldn't unlock. What we did is took an old antenna and bent the end into a hook, then lower the window and stick the rod between the window and outer seal. What you are trying to do is catch the rod that goes from the latch to the outer handle. If you can catch it (which took us about 20 min of trying) then pull it up and push unlock, this should get the door open.

If you are not going to be replacing the door latch immediatly then unplug the lock actuator in the door so there is no way of locking the door unless you manually push the rod down, this will allow you to still use your door but will be always unlocked.

 

[kchastain]

Bamm!! Now that's what I'm talking about. Thanks for the great responses. I feel inspired now that it's possible to get this door open.I'm too old to climb over that console every day. My teenage kids think it's hilarious though. Expl0der thanks for the detailed instructions. Sounds like my project when I get home.

 

[Turdle]

Good luck, from one old man to another, I don't think i could climb over!

 

[Turdle]

I just got done dealing with this problem, what happened is the spring in the door latch busted so the rod that connected to the outer door handle dropped. What this did is made the unlock actuator think somebody was pulling on the outer door handle when unlocking and it wouldn't unlock. What we did is took an old antenna and bent the end into a hook, then lower the window and stick the rod between the window and outer seal. What you are trying to do is catch the rod that goes from the latch to the outer handle. If you can catch it (which took us about 20 min of trying) then pull it up and push unlock, this should get the door open.

If you are not going to be replacing the door latch immediatly then unplug the lock actuator in the door so there is no way of locking the door unless you manually push the rod down, this will allow you to still use your door but will be always unlocked.

This is good advice, but beware, the condition will eventually break the inner handle, then if both are broken you are in the same spot you are now, but worse. I would replace the handles as soon as you can.
It happened to me

 

[kchastain]

Oh yeah the handle replacement is definately going to be done as soon as I get the door open. Is that outer door handle fix something that can be done from outside the door? It's kind of tight inside the door cavity.Is the linkage accessable from the outside or is it all done from the inside? At this point anything will better than having the latch jammed.

 

[Turdle]

I wish I had good news, but it is all inside. There is a yellow plastic clippy thingy that has a little release flap that unsnaps, on the rod, don't unthread it as that is an adjustment for how high it pushes back up. I wish I could explain better, but you'll figure it out, just don't loose patience w/it
You'll drill rivets from outside though
I actually used some bolts and nuts to refasten mine in, as the 1/4 inch rivets require a air rivet gun

 

[kchastain]

That's what I thought just from looking at it. It won't be that big of a deal once the door is open. That's where all my fear lies. Expl0der had some great info for getting the door open and I will definately try that. What a fiasco! It all started with changing the auto lock actuator and has been downhill ever since. I forgot to mention that the lock travels in the unlock position and not in the lock position. Hopefully Expl0der's idea will get the door open and I'll go from there. Otherwise it's the jaws of life and clear plastic.....

 

[kchastain]

One more thing guys. The outer weather stripping, does it just pop off? It felt as though it could be pulled up and off in the middle but the ends put up more of a fight. I would hate to break something at this point and add insult to injury.Once again your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[expl0der8]

One more thing guys. The outer weather stripping, does it just pop off? It felt as though it could be pulled up and off in the middle but the ends put up more of a fight. I would hate to break something at this point and add insult to injury.Once again your help is greatly appreciated.

If you have the window down there is no need to pop off the outer weatherstripping. Just stick something between the stripping and the window to hold it out, nothing big, and that should get you enough room.

BTW: it's not a cakewalk to replace the latch, took about an hour to open the door, remove the latch and replace. I also had help from my father who has been in the automotive repair for almost 30 years.

 

[expl0der8]

That's what I thought just from looking at it. It won't be that big of a deal once the door is open. That's where all my fear lies. Expl0der had some great info for getting the door open and I will definately try that. What a fiasco! It all started with changing the auto lock actuator and has been downhill ever since. I forgot to mention that the lock travels in the unlock position and not in the lock position. Hopefully Expl0der's idea will get the door open and I'll go from there. Otherwise it's the jaws of life and clear plastic.....

If you still can't get the door open then try removing the drivers seat and then work on the panel. If you have room to work you should be able to get it off with reasonable difficulty.

 

[kchastain]

Kudos to you all. Expl0der your post made the difference. Once I located the linkage I pulled up on it and hit unlock.....and it worked. The permanent fix will definately be this week. And I won't have to climb over that console any more Yeah!!. Thanks again.

 

[expl0der8]

Kudos to you all. Expl0der your post made the difference. Once I located the linkage I pulled up on it and hit unlock.....and it worked. The permanent fix will definately be this week. And I won't have to climb over that console any more Yeah!!. Thanks again.

Cool, glad I could help. My X is the family vehichle so my wife takes my daughter to school in it and we take it when we run around town, she doesn't like to ride in my Saturn SC2. Had to climb over the center consol for almost 2 weeks before I could get it fixed. Got it open once but didn't think about unplugging the door lock actuator until it was fixed permanently, and it locked itself again.