QuestionHow do I open the rear door when the opening mechanism has failed?
The door has been fine, then it opened reluctantly with a sort of grating feeling once with the handle getting stuck. Then it failed to open from either the inside or the outside - I haven't tried both at once.
AnswerHi Alison,
I'm sure its just like my series I Disco. I too have trouble with the rear door on my '95 Disco...nothing's changed since then.
Here's what I do:
I pry off the LandRover label on the outside rear door latch cover ( a small flathead screwdriver will do) and thus revealing the latch from slightly above. Be gentle. This label has plastic nibs that can break if forced too hard. Once the label is removed, you can press the latch down until it is in its normal starting position.
When I have door troubles like this, I then go into the Disco, while pulling up on the rear door lock tab, I either open the door from inside or I have someone open the door from the outside latch. You can try either way. Just make sure the door lock is always in the up position. My older Disco door lock seems to drop down and thus causes the rear door to not open.
It may be in your case that the outside door latch has become seized due to all the 'crud' that seems to sweep into that area. The design of the Disco has the winds curling in behind the vehicle as you are driving. If you have ever noticed the dirt on the rear of your Disco, this can also be forced into the smallest of areas - such as the door latch.
You can clean this area up with blast of compressed air and lots of clean water. Once you've cleaned up the area around the latch, blast again with compressed air. Lastly, use some WD40 or other spray lubricant to make the latch move easier.
Best of luck,
JohnMc
