Jammed Door Lock '77
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 48
From: Lakeport CA
Jammed Door Lock '77
Just an FYI on a weird scenario with the '77 I just returned to the owner. After fiddling with the door latch mechanism through the window channel for a few hours I finally removed the inner door panel. I had to repair the end clip locations on the plastic door panel as there was no way to access those screws. But I've done plastic welding for years.
The door by the way is stuck CLOSED!! Will not open & initially would not allow very much key or manual door lock switch movement. Tried all the things suggested on various threads. To me it still felt like the outer door handle was not releasing the latch assembly even though the handle returned to the full closed cycle & what I could see through the window channel & around the rain guard showed everything working correctly.
After I was able to see into the door better here is what happened:
The rear nut that holds the outer door handle assembly to the door skin had backed off & fallen down onto the door latch assembly. It fell is such a way that the nut actually landed on the small "nub" on the top of the latch where the outer door handle rod attaches. This was keeping the outer handle latch assembly from going to the fully "latched" & there fore the lock portion would not cycle. Fished the nut out & the lock was fixed.
Took it the rest of the way apart, adjusted the door rods & clips, all back together. Just a total fluke that the nut fell how it did onto the latch assembly & blocked it from cycling.
Lets hope it never happens to you... I placed a small dab of weatherstrip glue to the stud after tightening the nut so that it can't back off on its own but easy enough to take apart if needed.
The door by the way is stuck CLOSED!! Will not open & initially would not allow very much key or manual door lock switch movement. Tried all the things suggested on various threads. To me it still felt like the outer door handle was not releasing the latch assembly even though the handle returned to the full closed cycle & what I could see through the window channel & around the rain guard showed everything working correctly.
After I was able to see into the door better here is what happened:
The rear nut that holds the outer door handle assembly to the door skin had backed off & fallen down onto the door latch assembly. It fell is such a way that the nut actually landed on the small "nub" on the top of the latch where the outer door handle rod attaches. This was keeping the outer handle latch assembly from going to the fully "latched" & there fore the lock portion would not cycle. Fished the nut out & the lock was fixed.
Took it the rest of the way apart, adjusted the door rods & clips, all back together. Just a total fluke that the nut fell how it did onto the latch assembly & blocked it from cycling.
Lets hope it never happens to you... I placed a small dab of weatherstrip glue to the stud after tightening the nut so that it can't back off on its own but easy enough to take apart if needed.
