Land Rover Repair: 98 Disco rear door locking, inertia switch, door latch

Question
Thanks for the prompt reply. The door hinges and door seating are fine. the "bump" was quite minor. I was curious if the bump could set off any security issues / relays  causing the door handle/latch to not work. The handle is ... for a lack of better,," Squishy  " when trying to squeeze it  to open. then, it will just... work fine
thanks again. and best regards..

~ Kent


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Followup To
Question -
hello John!

My 98 Discovery was recently bumped in the back by a teenager with a cell phone implant. Suddenly my rear door has a mind of it's own. Sometimes it stays locked and no matter what I try won't open. Wondering if it related to the bump? Any thoughts? Waddya think it could cost to fix.

Regards....
Answer -
Hi Kent,

teenagers, cars and cell phones, now thats a scary combination!

Its possible that the nudge? could have jarred the door and the hinges are not set properly.  If the accident was  reported and under insurance, you could go back and have this problem taken care of by your insurance.  About $300 to fix rear door problems on our Disco's.  

I believe that the door is too heavy for the hinges. The weight of the door plus the spare tire mounted on an aluminum body...its a recipe for problems.  I've had to replace both hinges at 160,000kms.  Since then the hinge shims had to be adjusted several times (300,000kms now).

The door latch is the worst!  I am not surprised that a rear-end bang can jar loose the door.  Check to see if the door is seating properly in the latch hold.  Do you see any abnormal scrapes?

Cost me about $120 to have my rear door latch replaced.

Best of luck,

JohnMc

Answer
Hi Kent,

Your in luck.  I'm taking a break from all my programming and can give you some advice ...

there is the inertia switch that is activated after an accident.  I always thought it was triggered after more than a nudge!  Usually, this switch disconnects the fuel and then the door locks.  Perhaps it has triggered and only your rear door is responding.  

To reset (from '95 Disco electrics manual):

Inertia Switch
An inertia switch is incorporated in the Theft Alarm
Unit (Z163). If ignition is on and the vehicle
receives an impact sufficient to activate the inertia
switch, the unit will signal to unlock central locking
actuators and flash hazard lights. Central locking
will remain disabled for 30 seconds. To reset, turn
ignition off and then on after the 30 second period
has elapsed.

Kent, you could try to reset this by inserting your key into the ignition and turning the key to the II position (just before the engine would normally turn over).  Wait 30 seconds.  Turn the engine off THEN QUICKLY turn the engine on and start the engine as you normally would.  Perhaps this will help.

The Inertial switch is mounted inside the engine compartment behind the windshield waterfluid reservoir.  If it is the Inertia switch and the above reset does not work, you have have to have the $tealership reset the switch with the OBD testbook connection.

OR

you could purchase some "liquid wrench" and spray the lubricant around the latch mechanism to see if it helps.

Have you ever opened up on of your doors to see how LR designed the latches?  You'd be surprised how flimsy the design is.  I live in the north and during winter, those plastic rods cannot withstand the pressure to move frozen metal latches.  Perhaps the same rod has jarred loose or is no longer 'centered' on its flange.

Best of luck,

JohnMc