Anyone ever had an issue with the driver's side door not unlocking all the way?

[bills_69eb]

I had to run by the local walmart the other day and locked my EB before going in. When i came outside to unlock it and turned the key, my lock only came up about halfway and I still could not open the door. It happened once before but its been a while ago. I kept turning the key back and forth and it finally popped up all the way and i was able to open the door. Just wondering if anyone has ever had this happen and if so, what do i need to look for? Is it a rod adjustment issue or lock mechanism issue or latch issue?

 

[DirtDonk]

Lots of us have run into something like that, or similar.
It’s possible that it’s a slight adjustment of one of the rods, or a tweaking of a bent rod. But it’s more likely to be simply a gummed up mechanism.
Sometimes you can temporarily fix it by getting inside the door and spraying it with, some cleaner and/or some lube, but more often than not, by this time in their life, they need to be removed and thoroughly cleaned and checked for bent or broken parts.

 

[Jdgephar]

If the link up to the outside door handle is too tight, I know that's one way it won't unlock or open. I had to loosen my passenger door a little bit.

 

[Thumper63]

What Paul Said… Both of my doors have failed to open so I removed the assembly’s throughly cleaned and lubed.. they now are smooth as butter. Worth the effort.

 

[sprdv1]

What Paul Said… Both of my doors have failed to open so I removed the assembly’s throughly cleaned and lubed.. they now are smooth as butter. Worth the effort.

100%

 

[bills_69eb]

Thanks, I cleaned the mechanism thoroughly and it appears to be working smoothly now.

 

[DirtDonk]

Thanks for the follow up. And congrats on getting it working!
It’s amazing how long these things live under these conditions. I’ve certainly seen some that were non-repairable, but not many. By far most of them just need to be cleaned and lubricated.

 

[Johnnyb]

So back in 2005 I went rock-crawling and did some pretty good damage to my rocker panels (un-protected at the time). Result was, I couldn't close the doors, so I took 'em off!

Left the doors sitting outside in the backyard, and eventually the tarp disintegrated, so they were exposed. Come 2023, EB is back on the road and the wife wants doors. So I pick them up, hose them off and spray lube all over all of the mechanisms. Lo and behold, they work perfectly, everything! I am fortunate to be in AZ, so no rust, but still.

More to the point, I remember that happening way back when and the fix was always a good cleaning & lube.

-JB