Removal of interior door panel when door is stuck closed?

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A

ajcruiser100

10 Year
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Threads
1
Messages
7
Location
Chico, CA
Here is an interesting one...tried a search and only found 80 series info. I have been replacing my door actuators thanks to (jonharis)...and got myself in a pickle last night on the drivers side 2nd row door.

After replacing the actuator motor and reassembling (everything appeared mechanically to go back together ok), electronics worked (lock lever moves when actuated, etc)...I shut the door and went through several lock and unlock sequences with the remote and drivers door lock buttons. Went to open the door after unlocking...cannot open the door?! Something between the lock and the actuator must not have been re-installed?

Anyone have an idea about how to get this door open now? Do you think I can get the interior door panel off with the door in the closed position? (haven't attempted yet...ran out of time) Should I be trying a coat hanger/slim jim setup from the top? Thanks for your help!

Andy
 
Not looking at my truck right now but I believe you are correct about not being able to get the required fasteners off while the door closed. You can get some of them which might be enough to get more access to the interior. After that you should be able to do the coat hanger trick. I would start with the coat hanger trick first though.

My guess is that the yellow plastic piece that hinges the handle lever is disconnected, do you know if you broke any of the tabs on it during uninstall? That seems to be fairly common. I assume but wanted to ask anyways, did you try both the inside and exterior handles? The child safety lock might be engaged too.

Good luck.

Edit, good link re_guderian!
 
Re-guderian...thanks for the link. My bad, didn't see that one. That seems to be my exact problem though I'm not sure how the child lock could be the problem but I'll go for that first.

joharis...yeah, both interior and exterior handles aren't able to open the door?! BTW, thanks again for making these actuators available to us!

I think I'll go ahead and replace the door actuator on the opposite rear door tonight so I can figure out what I'm aiming for with a coat hanger if the child lock isn't the issue. Thanks for the help guys!
 
Update: Ended up not being the child lock after all... In case anyone ever has this happen in the future, this is what went wrong in my case. Small white plastic piece (pics to follow) that the actuator arm with long slotted hole slips over, slipped off the end of the metal lock arm (this is all within the lock/latch mechanism itself). Therefore, it was never actually "unlocking" mechanically or electromechanically at the mechanism itself even though the interior door handle lock seemed to indicate otherwise. During the process I learned that the interior door panel can in fact be removed with the door locked in the shut position with some creative prying, etc.

BTW, I was able to confirm the child lock being in the correct position by removing the power window switch plate and feeding a scope type inspection camera back along the inside of the door panel to the child lock location.

Moral of the story...don't put your door panel back on before you test the lock and latch functions!
 
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