QuestionThe doors will not open? I have tried unlocking and locking but on the drivers door you feel a slight click. The passenger door has been like this for a while. But you can open it from the inside. The drivers door will not open from the inside. They are power and the key also operates the windows. You can hear the motor unlocking the doors when using the key.
AnswerHi Greg;
Door release mechanism on the inside of the door is a cable that probably had a small "tab" on the end of the actual cable guide break off, and once that happened the cable was not held as tightly as before, and it came off of the hole in the back of the interior door handle, hence no more open from inside. The outer door release is similar, but different, in that the release is still done by cable, but it is very short, and it engages by the use of serrations, or teeth that engage a "similar, but opposite" receiver in the outside door handle. Once those teeth get stripped, or if the little cable breaks then you can't open the door from the outside.
Look at the "Bentley's" repair manual for instructions, with pictures of the "Door latch replacement." That will show you how to repair the outside release. However, and unfortunately, both doors have got to come apart, completely. There are 2 door panels, one inner, and one outer. The outer door panel is the one that has the "map pocket" in it, and the switches for the windows, and the door handle...etc. The inner door panel has the window regulator attached to it, and it is a real PAIN!!!!! to get apart, and back together again. First, take off the door handle covers. Then, remove the screws under the door handles. Then, remove the screws along the bottom of the door edge. Then there may, or may not be screws at the farthest forward, and upper most corner of the door, on the inside...short, sharp, Phillips head screws, remove them too. Now you can lift up on the inner door panel, and release it from the door, but don't start to carry it away to the other side of the shop yet, because there are still electrical connectors attached that need to be released. Simple tabs in almost all cases, except for the lock on the alarm light. Just follow that wire back to a connector in the middle of the wire, and lift up, instead of pressing down, and that should release that one. Now you can carry the inner door panel to the other side of the shop. The inner door panel requires some setup, before anything can happen with it. Get the window regulator clips into position behind the holes where the rubber plugs are located...the big rubber plugs. Release the window glass by loosening the screws in the clips..T-30's usually...possibly 10mm bolt heads... After the glass is loose, push it up in the track as far as it will go, and hold it in place with pieces of small diameter vacuum hose in the front edge of the window guide, and the back edge of the window guide. That will hold the glass up while you do the rest of the work needed to get into the door cavity. Remove all of the bolts around the outside of the door panel. Remove all of the wires from the door panel, and from the window motor, and finally, you will be able to get to the wire connector that is still in the door, at the door latch itself. You will need an inspection mirror, and light to see the tab on it, but it will come apart. Then you can feed that part of the wire harness through the inner door panel, and set it aside. Now you will need to get the door latch out of the door, and inspect the short, small diameter cable that goes to the outer door handle. You will have to loosen the small screw at the top of the latch assembly to release the door handle, then you can remove the other 3 bolts that hold the latch in place. The door handle itself will slide back in the door and pull out. Inspect everything, and get the parts you need to replace, and then reassemble all of this stuff in reverse order of removal. The "Bentley's" repair manual may have some helpful pictures to assist you further. Hope this helps get your doors usable again. Good luck, Greg.
