ellets Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Maybe someone has done this and can help. Pass side rear door will not open. acts like lock doesn't release. CAR IS AN 88 GL WAGON. Locking button on door works with power from drivers door etc. Door lock light on dash is on. So, has anyone been able to get door panel off without having door open? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faithless88 Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Only time I have seen them come off without breaking them is with the door open. And when I have seen them come off was when it was a trashed car that we were destroying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Maybe someone has done this and can help. Pass side rear door will not open. acts like lock doesn't release. CAR IS AN 88 GL WAGON. Locking button on door works with power from drivers door etc. Door lock light on dash is on. So, has anyone been able to get door panel off without having door open? The rear doors have a child safety lock on them. If its set, you cant open them from the inside, has to be donne from the outside. Once the door is open, lok at the latch mech on the door and you will see the toggle for the safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psylosyfer Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I had an 87 GL that the rear door only opened from the inside, Until the child lock (inside doorjam) got moved, then I had a situation like yours. I had to damage the inside panel to repair the problem ( the rod from the outer handle came off) inside still OK with the child lock off.(up position) I replaced the door panel for $20 from pick-a-part. Best advise I have hope it helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I can't think of any way to get inside that door shell, other than to remove the inside trim panel. However, you should be able to get it off with minimal damage if you are careful. Remove the arm rest and latch trim of course. Then working from the bottom, pry the plastic retainer out of the door shell. You may have to fabricate a tool with the correct angle to get the leverage you need. I like to use paint can lid openers for light prying jobs. You'll probably have to bend and stretch the door panel to clear the door frame area. Heres where you have to be careful not to damage the panel. After you work your way around and pop out all the retainers, you should be able to slide the panel straight up and off the door shell. Then it's just a matter of working the linkages to release the latch. good luck, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 By removing the panel on the other door maybe you can figure out how to open the door by using the other side as a guide and a coat hanger as a tool going down the window slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Mmmmm yeah. I could open that door with a jimmystick in a couple of minutes:-p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellets Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Well here is how I did it. Thanks to all of you cause I didn't know about child lock. I opened front door and removed hinge bolts from rear door. This gave me just enough wiggle room to slip a hacksaw blade under weatherstrip and trip the child lock up. Then I put it back on car and removed the door psnel to see what was wrong with outside handle. Its called oil. I just got this car and it has been sitting in St Louis for a while. The same family has owned it since new and everyone has used it Upkeep???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Well here is how I did it. .... Then I put it back on car and removed the door psnel to see what was wrong with outside handle. Its called oil. I just got this car and it has been sitting in St Louis for a while. The same family has owned it since new and everyone has used it Upkeep???? thats comedy right there.. I have a 75 datsun 280Z that was my DD for 5 years, and at one point I got a "new" door on the passenger side. I ALWAYS had to go back behind people and close the passenger door because they never got it all the way shut, and if anyone who didn't know the car well tried to close the passenger door they had to hold it by one specific spot on the handle to get the force to fully shut it properly. I could do it sixteen ways to sunday, but thats because I knew how to "tweak" the door as I was pulling it shut. The car had some severe damage to the bottom of the original door, and some damage to the door sill, when I bought it. Hence the replacement door. I ALWAYS figured that the problem with the door was related to the shape of the hole.. IE, the car was whacked out from the mystery accident in its past. For that reason, I never seriously planned on doing much with the car.. its frame was buggered, so I figured she just might be a goner. I had worked on the latch, and know these door latches VERY well at this point.. I lubed it up many many times. One day in frustration at the fact that it was being particularly difficult to close (it was almost like a tight fitting wooden front door on your house, in the rain it swells and wont fit right kinda stuff) I went to get some WD 40 or something. Like I had in the past several times, I was going to try lubricating the latch in a futile effort to make the door fit into the janky hole in the car. However, I couldn't find the WD, so I grabbed a bigass syringe full of motor oil I keep around as an oilcan. I could have SWORN that I had oiled the latch with actual oil at least once in the past, most likely the day I put the doors on the car. That is just how I work. However... a couple of drops of motor oil, and a couple of open-shuts.. and the door works like BRAND NEW. it even SOUNDS like an almost brand new car door, except for the SLIGHT rattling if the window isnt tightly rolled up. This Z has now sat undriven for 2 1/2 years, and the passenger door STILL sounds this good. Oil, REAL OIL, does WONDERS for certain mechanisms sometimes. Car doors (as I so embarassingly learned from having to shut the door for almost anyone who ever rode in my car) are one group of those mechanisms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psylosyfer Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I have to agree 100% about lubrication, I have an old truck that I had to twist the door key almost to the breaking point to open during winter. I sprayed some TV tuner cleaner (color master brand with silicone) , into the lock hole (it's all I had on hand) It worked INCREDIBLY well!! Since I have used it yearly on all my vehicles locks And the keys slide in and turn like hot metal in butter! Works great!! Any cleaner-degreaser containing silicone shouold work as well and no amount of ice or dirt affects it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 here is the part where I throw in my obligatory plug for two products, one name brand the other not. First off, a can of spray White Lithium Grease is possibly the most under rated lubricant in the world. Every garage or household should have one, and the vast majority seem not to. excellent lubricant for lock cylinders, because it actually stays there. Top quality fishing reel oil is another favorite trick I have for icky locks. I imagine ATF might be even better because of its "enhanced detergent qualities" over motor oil.. but thats just an idea that popped into my head while writing this. Secondly Sea Foam Deep Creep is the BOMB, its worth the exorbitant price, it makes PB look as bad as PB makes WD 40 look. In fact, I don't even buy PB Blaster anymore, just WD for bulk use and deep creep for "the big guns." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcus Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 [Dear psy, I liive in San Francisco. Do you know of any subaru mechanics in Nor Cal area ? Do you live near SF? Thanks, Bobquote=psylosyfer]I had an 87 GL that the rear door only opened from the inside, Until the child lock (inside doorjam) got moved, then I had a situation like yours. I had to damage the inside panel to repair the problem ( the rod from the outer handle came off) inside still OK with the child lock off.(up position) I replaced the door panel for $20 from pick-a-part. Best advise I have hope it helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 First off, a can of spray White Lithium Grease is possibly the most under rated lubricant in the world. Every garage or household should have one, and the vast majority seem not to. Yeah, this is what you want for all your inner door hardware including window trax, elect motors, linkages etc. Basically, any mechanical system exposed to wet weather conditions. The WD/PB lubes are good for breaking up dirt, but the WLG is what'll keep things moving smootly over the long haul. One trick I've learned is to use a long nozzle extension tube to get inside the door cavity, so that you can spray the hard-to-get-to surfaces. Even weatherstripping trim will benefit from a shot of lithium grease, and make window glass glide like new. BTW, PB is now available in gallons, and the cost is only slightly higher than WD-40. This has pretty much made WD obsolete as an everyday, oil-can lubricant. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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