Land Rover Repair: door locks, guide rods, spring replacement

Question
I'm having problems with front passenger door as well as the tailgate door on my 2001 disco.  Symptoms on front door...The front passenger door will not open from the inside when car is running even when the door lock latch is up.  It occasionally works when the car is in park and no one touches anything first.  I end up walking around and opening it from the outside with a strong yank or two.    The tailgate, when locked, only opens from the inside.  Please help.

Answer
Hi Drew,

this is a common problem on both series I and series II Disco's.  LR never addressed the problem and I suppose it was a cost vs customer satisfaction decision on their part.   

The actual causes are many:  it could be the actuator, the various springs, filth and grime buildup, corrosion, climate, moisture...

For the tail door lock, you could try the WD-40 solution by removing the outside oval and spraying liberally (use a lot of rags to catch the over-spray and dripping).  With the tail door panel removed, you also spray all around the locking mechanisms, guide rods, etc.  Some have used brake cleaner to do the initial cleaning so as not to damage any electricals, then they carefully WD the various moving parts only.  This is what I suggest you do.

There is a spring on the lock assembly that has been known to snap and thus making the actuator less likely to work.  Various parts shops for LR's can supply you with this.  You could replace the actuator, which is costly, but try the spring replacement first to save money.  IF the spring is not the solution, it leaves the actuator as the fault.  I've been told you can search e-Bay for this part to save even more money.

For the other doors, WD-40 may help too.  Some owners spray into the lock plunger/button on the various doors as well as liberally lubricate around the outside door handle.  I know that on my older Disco, the hardened plastic plunger in the door handle eventually softened and was too pliable when it pushed against the latch mechanism.  It would actually bend and slip off the contact area.  I tried lubricating the latch but had to eventually replace it.

Hope this helps.

JohnMc