door lock

[scx89]

Im having a problem i cant unlock or lock my driver door with my key, i have to open it in the pass. side. The remote wont unlock/lock it either. also my interior lights dont come on when the driver door is open but the pass. door is open the lights come on. Also how do u open the hatch. I tried to but it wont move at all i know there is a handle there but it just pulls and does nothing. thanks for the help

 

[Flick75]

Does the drivers side make an attempt to unlock, but it just won't unlock with the remote and/or the key? Just based on what you said, without answering the above question, it sounds like you have a problem with your door latch on the drivers side door.

You need to be more specific with the rear hatch problem. If it just pulls air and doesn't feel like it's doing anything, then it's still locked. Have you tried using your key on it? Does the remote work on it? Does it make an attempt tp unlock when the remote is used? If the key works and the remote doesn't, then you probably have a bad lock actuator. They're known to wear the gear inside and won't lock or unlock with the remote or if the actuator does work, it's just when it feels like it.

We still need more info for a more specific diagnosis on both problems.

 

[scx89]

I got the hatch open now it was still locked. for the door lock it makes an attempt but dosent not seem to unlock all the way. i was looking around and i think it is a spring for the rod to keep it up or the yellow clip because the rod is moving when i try to unlock it it rattles abit. The handle to open the door feels loose almost like when i pull it to open it feels like nothing is working untill I pull it all the way.

 

[ronbuell]

I was working on mine this weekend and found what part of the issue is.
There are 2 springs on the outside handle hinge. The hinge is inside the door with the handle mounted. BOTH springs broke. The springs hold the handle to the down position. It must be all the way down for the lock to unlock. If the handle is pushed up slightly or loose, it won't unlock.

The Fix
You have to remove the inside door cover to do this. I ground off the rivits and removed the outside door handle. It will unhook from the door latch. Once removed, I located the springs at the proper location and took a felt tip pin and marked where I thought they should be bent to wrap around the correct position on the handle. Then I took 2 pair of plyers and bent the springs and latched them into place. It worked great. Then I had to reinstall the handle and hook it up. Took about an hour and some trial and error but was essentially a free fix. While I was at it I replaced the electric lock actuator too.

 

[scx89]

what size springs did you get for the handle?

 

[ronbuell]

Look at this and you can see the spring:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1998...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I used what was left of the original springs. I had 3+ wraps on it, and when I finished it had 2+ on it. To replace the spring, I would have had to destroy the hinge pin, and I didn't want to do that. I just used 2 pair of plyers, one to hold the outside loop, and one to bend the outside loop out so it would catch on the handle. There was enough tension on the handle to hold it in the closed position, which held the latch in the closed position and allowed it to unlock properly. It may fail again in the future, but if it does, I know now what it takes as a fix and I'll buy a new handle.

 

[scx89]

i just took the door panel off and i found out why its not unlocking and locking. The lock actuator is off where it suppose to be mounted its just flopping around in the door. Im not sure what was holding it but it seems there was like a washer that clips on it but i couldnt find one so i guess im off to the junkyard unless someone knows how i could mount it back up.

 

[ronbuell]

It's a thin E-clip and it goes on the back of the lock and holds the lock arm and the lock switch indicator in position. You probably will need one from the junkyard.