98 Forester L Driver's-door Won't Open At All

[SLC Bagpiper]

I've spent about 30 hours, so far, working on this problem over the past several days, so I hope that somebody, somewhere, can please help.  The facts are these:

 

- It's a '98 Forester L.

 

- About a week ago, after opening the front driver's-side door and getting in, the door failed to latch shut when I tried to close it.  I had to hold the door closed as I drove four blocks home.  (We bungee'd the door closed and routed the seat belt through the door-close handle in order to "secure" the door.)

 

- I then saturated the latch area with WD-40, filmed the video linked below, and left the door bungee'd closed overnight; no joy and no driving the Forester.  I saturated a second time with WD-40, let it all stand overnight again; still no joy and no driving the Forester.

 

- I bought a can of Break Free Gold CLP in aerosol and thoroughly saturated the latch area and left it overnight.  The door DID close, but now no longer opens.

 

- The key turns just fine in the driver's-door lock.  It feels completely normal, rotating its normal range, and there's no abnormal resistance or any grinding sound or feel to it. 

 

- The door-release lever works fine on all doors (it feels like it travels its full, normal path when you pull on it as you do in order to open the door), and you can see the release-tongue move when I pull on the door-release lever (see the video, linked below).

 

- The other doors will lock electrically, as well as manually; as in, the little lock-lever that's next to the door-release lever will move back and forth and lock and unlock the doors just fine, or you can toggle the electric door-lock lever and all doors will lock (including the rear hatch) and unlock and open, EXCEPT for the driver's door.

 

- The passenger door will lock and unlock with the key.

 

- The keyholes on both the driver's and passenger's doors only accept the vehicle's designated key, and not others, as happens in other cases that I've seen on this Forum.

 

- I do not have keyless entry.

 

 

Here's a link to a short video explaining the situation, in which you can see for yourself the state of the hardware:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B--ZEfUhIUe5SExDN09QaFBkbTQ/view?usp=sharing

 

[Note to Forum Moderators:  Yes, the video is an original work, so yes, I have full rights to the video; it has never aired on television anywhere so there aren't any captions.  I apologize if I have overlooked any necessary disclaimers and statements.]

 

I include it to prevent needing to ask, "Is the whatsit broken?"  "Is the whosit broken?"  "What about the other ... ?"  I shot the video using an Android phone (hence the quality), after calling a mechanic friend and attempting to explain the situation.  I made it about an hour after the door failed to latch closed.

 

Any insights from this experienced Subaru community that you'd like to share about how to get the door open? Is it possible to avoid the dealership?

 

I would appreciate any and all help, as it's getting tiresome having to enter the front passenger's door, crawl across the passenger's seat, not impale myself on the center console and parking brake, and wiggle into position behind the wheel.  You'll see in the video that I'm not a small guy, and I have neck-and-back medical issues which these Subaru gymnastics aren't helping.

 

All The Best!

[Rooster2]

It appears that something is bent or broken in the latch mechanism. I have had a similar problem with another car in the past. Not knowing how to fix the latch, I went to a wrecking yard, bought a lach. Installation was not difficult, and that solved the problem.

[SLC Bagpiper]

It appears that something is bent or broken in the latch mechanism. I have had a similar problem with another car in the past. Not knowing how to fix the latch, I went to a wrecking yard, bought a lach. Installation was not difficult, and that solved the problem.

Thanks for the reply, Rooster2.  Did you watch the video?

[gbhrps]

slcbagpiper,

 

You got lucky! The door is free to open to make a fix.

 

I suspect that you have to replace the entire latch assembly, as its the part that's gone south for the winter.

 

Get a used one (for the same door) from a wrecking yard, as they seldom wear out (except in your case). Pull the interior door panel, leave the glass up, and reach in and disconnect the lock rod from the door key tumbler, and the rod from the interior door handle, the outer door handle, and the electric lock actuator. (Some of them may be cables instead.)

 

Then from the end of the door, remove the 3 bolts/screws/torx head bolts that secure the latch assembly to the door and remove the latch assembly.

 

Assembly is just the reverse.

 

Hint: Once everything is back together and connected, check the operation of the latches/door handles and locks BEFORE you reinstall the inner door panel. Good Luck!

[SLC Bagpiper]

slcbagpiper,

 

You got lucky! The door is free to open to make a fix.

 

I suspect that you have to replace the entire latch assembly, as its the part that's gone south for the winter.

 

Get a used one (for the same door) from a wrecking yard, as they seldom wear out (except in your case). Pull the interior door panel, leave the glass up, and reach in and disconnect the lock rod from the door key tumbler, and the rod from the interior door handle, the outer door handle, and the electric lock actuator. (Some of them may be cables instead.)

 

Then from the end of the door, remove the 3 bolts/screws/torx head bolts that secure the latch assembly to the door and remove the latch assembly.

 

Assembly is just the reverse.

 

Hint: Once everything is back together and connected, check the operation of the latches/door handles and locks BEFORE you reinstall the inner door panel. Good Luck!

gbhrps,

 

Thank you for the insight.

 

Those three screw heads around the latch area:  They didn't want to move by hand.  Is it safe to take an air drill to them?  I mean, they're not going to snap off, are they?  They didn't move by hand when I tried, so I wasn't sure if they were supposed to move at all.  An air tool is safe, then?

 

All The Best!

[Fairtax4me]

The screws should crack loose by hand with the correct sized screwdriver and a good whack on the end with a hammer while twisting.

I use an impact screwdriver on those and they pop loose pretty easy.

 

An electric impact driver may be able to pop them loose without stripping the head.

 

Something in the latch has jammed or broken, probably something dealing with the connection between the lock mechanism and the release lever on the latch. Some fiddling with the lock and release lever on the latch may get it back to working.

The latch mechanism isn't that hard to replace though, and can usually be bought fairly cheap from a junkyard.

[SLC Bagpiper]

The screws should crack loose by hand with the correct sized screwdriver and a good whack on the end with a hammer while twisting.

I use an impact screwdriver on those and they pop loose pretty easy.

 

An electric impact driver may be able to pop them loose without stripping the head.

 

Something in the latch has jammed or broken, probably something dealing with the connection between the lock mechanism and the release lever on the latch. Some fiddling with the lock and release lever on the latch may get it back to working.

The latch mechanism isn't that hard to replace though, and can usually be bought fairly cheap from a junkyard.

Fairtax4me, thank you for the advice.  I should have enough to go by.  We have several salvage dealers right close by, and they do have Forester parts, so I should be golden.

 

All The Best!

[SLC Bagpiper]

Thank you for everyone's kind response.  I'll apply the advice given and see what what happens.

 

All The Best!

[Rooster2]

Thanks for the reply, Rooster2.  Did you watch the video?

Yes, I watched the video to ascertain that something internal is either bent or broken in the latch mechanism to prevent it from operating properly. Others have given you good advise on how to install a replacement unit. Good Luck.