Door Jammed

[microcat36]

My blue LS400 is due it's MOT on Thursday and the passengers door will not open, the inside lever does nothing, the outside door handle does nothing and the locking lever will not open fully, the key will lock the door but will not fully turn to the right to unlock it, the central locking can be heard working and is triggered by the switch and lock but the lock will not turn fully to the right.

I don't want to break the key, can either the door card be taken off with the door closed or the door lock pin be unbolted from the inside of the pillar so i can get the door open to have a look at the lock mechanism, my wife is away with the car so i can't have a look at the car itself.

[steve2006]

As far as I know (from my series 2) you cannot remove the door card (lower fixing screws run along bottom of door near sealing rubber) or the hinge pins with the door closed.

But you can remove the inner door handle plastic trim panel and from there you may be able to give the rod connected to this a good tug hopefully opening the door.

Link below is for a series 2 but yours should be similar.

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/body/fdoorpanel.html

Only other possibility is to get an autolocksmith to have a look

[microcat36]

Thanks for that, it feels like the inside and outside handles are not pulling on anything, it was not the hinge pins i was thinking about, but the striker/lock pin that the lock latches onto, i am not sure how it is attatched, is it bolted through from the inside of the B pillar between the two doors.

[steve2006]

The striker plate is held by 2 countersunk bolts/captive nuts in the door pillar and the door has to be opened to get to them

[Haylands]

Steve and Microcat

Can you open the rear door and gain access to the trailing edge of the front door enough to get at the screws that hold the exterior lock in place?

Just a thought

Pete

[microcat36]

I am going to have to put the MOT back, it looks like i will either have to break the interior trim off and get at the lock that way, or have a look in the B pillar to see if i can cut the nuts of the striker plate/pin, the door is not unlocking, so the exterior and interior handles are disconnected, the lock must be jammed in some way, as the central locking moves the unlock button half way.

[zaph]

I am going to have to put the MOT back, it looks like i will either have to break the interior trim off and get at the lock that way, or have a look in the B pillar to see if i can cut the nuts of the striker plate/pin, the door is not unlocking, so the exterior and interior handles are disconnected, the lock must be jammed in some way, as the central locking moves the unlock button half way.

Good luck, Colin. Nev and David! solved with a Saab 9000 - our first one - when David! bought it from Doreen. The back offside door was locked inside and out. Maybe Nev could offer some knowledge.

HTH

[microcat36]

Well after much swearing at the car, i can report you can get the door panel off in one piece if you are very very carefull and you only have to break the screw in the air vent hole, the screws along the bottom can be extracted with the door closed, though things are easier with the velour/door seal pulled off to give you some room, one of the rods had rusted and jammed so after cleaning and re greasing everything it now works and can go for it's MOT. :D