My 99 D2 has surprised us with a new dilema. The rear door will not open.

Can't open from inside or outside. Locked and unlocked many times, no help.

What to do next?

Jeff

 

Try popping the LR emblem out (above tag)with a screwdriver or knife and see if you can push the lever back to the open position, then wd-40 or lube the lever.

 

Dont use WD-40, use silicon spray. If that doesnt work then the latch inside the door is busted.
If the spray does work then make sure the child lock is NOT on.

 

Two potential problems. Your back latch isn't connected to the lock mechanism any more, or the lock is so full of dust and dirt it won't open. If you hear metal on metal clinking sound, its the first one. Open from the inside, remove the door panel and reattach the control arm to the lever. If it makes no strange sound, but doesn't open it's the second... in that case, try off roading it. My back door stopped working, then when I drove back to camp over harsh roads, with lots of jarring, it opened. Did that the whole trip a few times ago.

If that neither work, you can crawl in the back and take out the door liner, then spray the lock with some silicon spray. It's likely though that you've got alot of dirt and dust in there that is gumming up the lock. My neighbor who works on locks said to bath the lock in white stove fuel to get the dust out. I'd be loth to do that while it was still attached to the truck though.

On my last trip to the same dusty environs I sprayed graphite in the lock. Worked like a charm.

 

Never heard of using the stove fuel, I would be afraid that it would eat the paint.
You have to use something that will not attract dirt. Like silicon spray or bike chain lube. I have never tried the graphite but thats not to say that it doesnt work.

 

Graphite is made for locks and won't attract dust. It worked fine on my last trip. The locked worked great, but I didn't attach the control arm well, which is how I found out that other potential problem. Heh.

He recommended the stove fuel as a cleaning agent to remove dust from the part. I would agree that it might harm paint and also turn the truck into a potential fireball if the lock was attached to the truck while doing so. SCARRY! I wouldn't recommend it, but if he doesn't get lucky on the jarring loose the mechanism, I'm stumped on how he is going to open the door. What would be a safe liquid to clean the lock with while attached to the truck?

 

Silicon spray did the trick, lubed everything that pivots!

 

SWEET!! Noe do this at least every 6 months, more often if you live on a dirt road.
Had to do mine once a week when I worked at a gravel pit.