96 Legacy - fixed door latch "popped" rod

[JPX]

Almost 2 months after the rear driver side door stopped working right, I finally got around to checking it out and got it working again.

 

You know the boneheaded move where someone is pulling on the outer handle while someone inside is unlocking/pulling the handle on the inside? When combine this with the child lock AND a loose mounting bolt, you can pop the latch rod loose.

 

This means you won't be able to open the door from inside OR outside. This is a lot of fun with TWO child car seats in the rear.

 

Although I wouldn't expect many people to recreate this bizarre sequence of events, I hope the following pictures/walkthrough is useful for OTHER problems with the latch.

 

To get the door open so I could take the panel off, I needed to disable the child lock - tough to do with the door CLOSED. So I took a credit card and slid it towards the latch (using the other side for reference).

 

This pushes the switch back up and allows you to open the door from the INSIDE......the rod for the inner handle was still connected.

 

It was the outer handle rod that popped out of the latch mechanism.

 

This little video clip shows how the outer handle moves, but without the rod inside the latch retainer, nothing works.

Click here to watch 20060818-Door-Latch-Subaru-Loose-Rod

 

But you can't just slip the rod back into the retainer without loosening the latch assembly.

 

The three screws in the jamb are obvious.....but I was surprised a 4th fastener held the latch in place. Once all four fasteners are out, the latch mechanism can be moved enough to slip the outer handle rod back into place.

 

While I was in there, I noticed that 4th fastener, the 10mm bolt, was loose. And you could see the wear marks in the sheet metal around the hole. Then it hit me:brow: ......I occasionally had trouble with the power door lock on that side. It wouldn't open with the other doors. With that bolt loose there is too much slack to allow the lock rod to actuate smoothly - and the door won't unlock.

 

This is similar to problem with the nut coming loose on the power window track as shown below. I tighened that as well while in there. This made the clunk when rolling down the window go away too. If you haven't checked your driver's door window lately and it clunkss or jams, you should go in there and tighten the power window nuts before the sheet metal gets chewed up.

 

Now the fasteners are secured and the door works great!

[gbhrps]

Thanks for the walk through and the pictures. While I've done more than my share of these in the shop where I work, I'm sure there are lots of others who have been wary of the inside mechanics of the door locks. After seeing how the control rods are secured in the lock mechanism, more backyard mechanics will be inclined to tackle their own door lock problems.

[edrach]

Great post; should get archived in the USRM!