Camaroguy18

Ignore the fact that I have shaved door handles...its not the problem. I have managed to get most of my door panel off from the inside, and for some reason I cannot open my door. I can pull on the linkage that is used to open the door, and my solenoid pulls on the joint as well, but the door wont open. Is there a latch or something that may be stuck? Does anyone know how to correct this...Ive started to run out of ideas here

dr1

i recall someone having this problem because there solenoid snapped the linkage.. maybe it broke it somewhere farther down where you cant see it?? ::shrugs::
what about the door lock does that still stop it from opening? maybe thats broken... ::shrug again::
i have a slighty screwed up latch but I highly doubt the latch is your problem, since the only time ive ever heard anyone have this problem was with shaved door handles

please tell me you at least have your interior door handles though, not like that dude with the push button on the armrest.. no offense :P (id label that one eject, id hate to be the unsuspecting passenger who leaned on that sucker while we were cruising)

** though possibly if your latch is screwy maybe theres too much pressure being put on it from your door poppers and its just causing it to not move... Like what alot of peoples hoods do when you pull the cable and it dose nothing until you go out and rip it up or beat on it a little bit.. heh
maybe try having someone apply a little pressure on the outside of the door while your opening it

Spdfrk1990

Yeh someone else had the same problem I like my door handles .

Camaroguy18

that was me, and like I said, it isnt the same problem. My door panel is off, and I can reach the linkage, but for some reason, when I pull on it, the latch wont release.....

stiers

iTrader: (1)

I had the same problem on my Jimmy. Something inside the latch got bent and stopped the door from opening no matter what. I got a screwdriver in there and just pushed on the parts inside the housing till I made some progress and got it open. Alternatively, Take off your sail pannel covers, remove the speakers, undo the nut that holds the striker to the door. Then take off your kick pannel, remove the 2 screws that hold the door hinges on, take off your inner fender liner and remove the rest of the bolts that hold your door on. THen you can get the door off the car and unbolt the latch mechanism and replace it. Sucks, but that is the only way to do it if you can't get it to release monkeying around with the latch. It wouldn't hurt to get a new mechanism now and see how it works, then find out where you can push it to unlatch it besides where the linkages do.

Camaroguy18

thats pretty much the assumtion I gathered today too...Im just wondering why it happened??? Im also wondering that if I can unscrew the striker bolt...if I can manipulate the door from there , so frustrating too seeing how it happened on the second day of finally getting the car out

dr1

my passenger side latch bolt has a groove rubbed into it (just like my hood latch thingy)
so when you pull the door handle it doesnt move until you pull it up a little bit..

91babybluebird

Mine did the exact same thing last fall. Wouldn't open from the inside or the outside. (Unless you shoved a rod down inside the door) Anyways, once I got it open that way, I sprayed a ton of lubricant down inside the door onto the linkages. Voila it is now fixed.

If you need to buy a door latch mechanism, good luck! I thought that I would need one and when I started looking around I realized that they are pretty hard to come by used, and they're not cheap.

Good luck.

Camaroguy18

Im still confused as to what's keeping it from opening. If you look above the latch that hooks on the striker bold, there's that little sliver of metal (that lifts up when the handle is pulled to release the latch). Im assuming that this piece may not be lifting up to release the latch...however getting it to lift up with the door shut is the challenge. Im trying to work with my passenger side shut...maniuplating that to see if I can jimmy it open, just so I know whats going on. Im fearing that Ill have to take the door off soon....and Im assuming that means removing the front fender etc....and with my new paint and no knowledge of taking off body panels....Im getting worried

91babybluebird

That sounds exactly like what happened with mine. All I did was spray a ton (I used close to half a can ) of WD-40 inside the door on the linkage (basically on anything that I could see) then I just worked the door handle for a bit and then the door starting working again. Before tearing everything apart, I'd try what I did.

I am definately going to start lubricating all the parts inside my doors every year.

Camaroguy18

Ill give it a try, as I have nothing else to go on right now

91babybluebird

I hope it works for you!

84kabam

my door stopped opening for me one day and fortunately i just so happened to be taking my fender off when i noticed the hinge and pin were bent to sweet ba-jesus. may not be your problem but it sure was mine

Camaroguy18

well I know that they arent in the best shape on that side...but I doubt that they could go from being worn to 'bent to sweet ba-jesus'......still nothing yet though...gonna try the wd-40 when I get some time tom.

Camaroguy18

well round 1 with the wd-40 went to the door....did you soak it real good, I could see myself going through half a bottle Im ambitious enough

Camaroguy18

well for the worst update in the world - I still cant get the drivers door open, and to make matters worse.....someone up in the sky must hate me because my passenger side door shut and wont open either! WTF, Im gonna have to bring it to a shop (probably GM) and have them take everything off to get the doors off....Im out of ideas, and if it's too much....look for my car with a big for sale sign on it because Im fed up

dr1

ill have to go look at my doors tommorow, my interior is all out anyways... id come up with more ideas but i dont know what you can/cant reach in there

Camaroguy18

basically, everything within the door panel (inside the door) I can reach. It's everything that is set in the door jamb (like the latch that goes around the striker bolt) I cant reach.....

dr1

you can reach it..
if you look directly to the side of that little spring (dunno what its for) you will be looking right at the striker bolt
if you could get a very thin screwdriver around the head of it, you could push on the latch itself
it may be possible to just unscrew the striker from there as well, but i dont think it could come out.. soooooo nevermind that

but yeah there is an access hole, i guess you could say, gonna go back outside and see if its possible to manipulate the latch like that

dr1

scratch that, the head of the bolt is too big to let you any clearance to reach the latch
instead go directly behind that little spring i was talking about
theres a gap that will let you push on the latch
will need a small tool for the job
but pull on the handle, push outwards on the door, and use a tool to push in that area (towards the inside of the vehicle)... you will be pushing right on the latch
just make sure your pushing on that latch and not something else, its not a very big point of access.... anyways feel around you will see what im talking about

id also like to say, its not like i think this will actually help.., cos if your door handle is in fact doing its job, and oyu cant push it open... heh.. i doubt this will help.. you maybe could drill the striker bolt out, dunno how strong those are :P



that pic is of the latch in the open position, you can see the head of the flat head screwdriver poking out the right side there... anyways... good luck

edit again:
one last thought before I goto bed, heh... i know your outside locks are gone, but what about the inside locks? are they stlil even hooked up, have the linkage and all?? just thinking cos if not, and the lock mechanism on the latch engaged.. ok im out of thoughts