Possible usefull stuck/broke door lock latch mechanism help thread (1 Viewer)

[weigellj]

Long story short, how to defeat a stuck/broke door lock latch mechanism. Long story

Going to try and explain this the best that I can with lack of pics.

Last night, I leave work like always and jump in the cruiser (1996 FZJ-80) and go to the grocery store. I left the truck running and went in and got what I needed and proceeded home.

When I got home, I shut the truck off and attempted to get out. The driver side door would not open from the inside and it looked like the lock latch on my side was 3/4 of the way to the "lock" position. I attempted to move the lever and it would not fully engage to the "unlock" position. OK, no big deal, I start it up, I roll the window down, and attempt to unlock it with the key. Again, no dice, it wants to move almost all the way to the unlock position but it won't.

I pull the truck into the shop and think maybe its something froze or who the heck knows. It sits for about 1 hour and it still won't budge. Door lock button also will not do anything.

So now I am trying to figure how the heck I am going to get the door open, or even the door panel off without cutting into the side of the door.

It ended up being a spring in the actual latch inside the door that all of the levers, lock and the door handle connect too. This spring keeps tension on part of the latch and my spring broke. When it breaks if you lock the door (which I must of did on accident), you will not be able to unlock it.

NOW on to the TECH.

Simple tech to get the door open without destroying the door, or the door panel (which I was very close to doing).

1. Roll window down.

2. Get a "slim jim" or similar piece of flat bar metal (luckily I had one in the shop).

3. Slide slim jim in at a 45 degree angle on outside glass towards the driver side outside door lock.

4. Move it around until you get on the lever that is stuck up (it is right by the key hole). While you are moving the slim jim around keep moving the lock lever back and forth. You can feel the piece once you get it on the part.

5. In about 10 seconds it should pop the lock lever into the right spot (basically you are pushing the lever down in the door, and moving the mechanical part with your other free hand) and you can now open the door.

Once I got it open and pulled the panel and the latch mechanism, I could see where the spring broke. Luckily I had a spare latch assembly I could install.

Pretty simple all in all in hind sight, but it did have me baffled as to what the problem could of been and why it would not unlock.

 

[Grench]

Another thing to try before going through the above.

On my truck the DS lock/latch mechanism was simply old and tired. On a nasty snowy day it stopped being able to pull the unlatch all the way - effectively locking the door shut.

After climbing in and out of the passenger side for a couple of weeks, a guy at work suggested something neat.

Roll down the window, pull on the inside AND lift on the outside latches at the same time. This worked to open the door. New latch parts (not cheap) from Cruiserdan, my old lock tumbler AND a new exterior handle (mine was cracked) and now it works like new again.

The most used door on the truck - it shouldn't surprise anyone if they eventually wear out.

 

[NM Frontier]

This just happened to me and would like to add/update this VERY helpful thread.

I had the same symptoms, door just would not unlock one day after work, the out side key would not turn all the way nor would the manual lock on the lever inside, both would go about 3/4 the way but never unlock. If you have other symptoms then this exact scenario the lock return spring mentioned above may not be your problem.

One thing I would like to add is that I could not get it with a Slim Jim, the tab that needs to push down is kinda flush with one of the linkages, I think preventing my Slim Jim from working.

This is what worked great for me, a welding rod and a falling wedge.

I used the wedge and a light to look in and see exactly what was going on. Then simply pushed the tab that the spring would normally pull down with the rod.

The golden moment for me was watching the mechanism work on the passenger side first! This allowed me to see the tab move on the operational door vs the broken one.

You don't have to go crazy with the wedge, this is about all the space you need to see down with a good light.

Broken spring next to the new one I found at the local hardware store. Its not a perfect match but works great.


Once you have popped the door open it is just a mater of removing the door panel, and the lock mechanism, once its out it's easy to see the broken spring.


Hope this helps anyone else with this problem.

 

[Chris Wilcox]

Thought I'd add to this. My door was also stuck closed for the last 2 days. I used the OP procedure but for whatever reason my lever was stuck down. I used a 1/16" wire with a small hook on the end to grab it and pull up. Now I can use the door but not lock it until I pull off the panel and see what is wrong.

 

[Mark W]

I have seen this on several '80s. Not at all uncommon. The hook at the and of the spring is always the failure point. My preferred solution is to replace is with a generic spring from a variety pack from Lowes. I use one that is soft and a lot longer. I use a piece of wire to anchor it to the door frame with the appropriate light tension. Simple, cheap and should last longer than the door itself.


Mark...

 

[JoeW]

When the spring breaks, is it still attached to the actuator or is it sitting in the bottom of the door? My passenger door got stuck closed but the spring was attached on one end so I ended up lubing the hinges on the inside and adjusting the striker and its worked fine since.

 

[jpoole]

When I've seen this the spring was still in the actuator, connected on the unbroken end.

To fix you can simply bend the last loop of the spring up to make a new loop on the end where the end-loop broke off. No need to buy a new spring/etc. unless you want to. I've got a few years on an old spring with the bent/new end loop showing no issues.

 

[aphil]

Having a similar issue that I can’t seem to figure out. Front passenger door is stuck closed. I can unlock and lock electronically as well as with the manual latch inside, but the door handle will only pull about halfway before it stops. The little lever inside only moves about half the distance that the driver side moves. Anyone know if this is the spring issue or something else?

 

[aphil]

Here is a gif I create of what the lock mechanism is doing when I pull on the door handle. It only moves about half the distance that the drive side door moves until the door handle just won't move anymore.

 

[Ross]

This just happened to me and would like to add/update this VERY helpful thread.

I had the same symptoms, door just would not unlock one day after work, the out side key would not turn all the way nor would the manual lock on the lever inside, both would go about 3/4 the way but never unlock. If you have other symptoms then this exact scenario the lock return spring mentioned above may not be your problem.

One thing I would like to add is that I could not get it with a Slim Jim, the tab that needs to push down is kinda flush with one of the linkages, I think preventing my Slim Jim from working.

This is what worked great for me, a welding rod and a falling wedge.

I used the wedge and a light to look in and see exactly what was going on. Then simply pushed the tab that the spring would normally pull down with the rod.

The golden moment for me was watching the mechanism work on the passenger side first! This allowed me to see the tab move on the operational door vs the broken one.

You don't have to go crazy with the wedge, this is about all the space you need to see down with a good light.

Broken spring next to the new one I found at the local hardware store. Its not a perfect match but works great.


Once you have popped the door open it is just a mater of removing the door panel, and the lock mechanism, once its out it's easy to see the broken spring.


Hope this helps anyone else with this problem

How did you get the door lock assembly out? I have my front door panel removed and all the screws and clips popped off but can’t seem to get it disneged from the exterior front door handle to actually remove the assembly. Have the lock spring all ready to replace, but cannot figure out how to get the lock itself out of the door.