Door Handles Wont Work

[chunk]

ok guys, im a bit new to CK5 and k5's in general, and ive searched the site for this problem with no luck, so sorry if i missed something.

my truck door hasnt been closing all the way lately and today i went out to try and fix it because i thought maybe the latch was just sticking and some white lithium would do the truck, but then i got the latch to close, and now i cant get it to open. neither the outside handle or the inside handle are doing anything and its like the door's stuck on locked. ive tried moving everything around in there that i thought would do anything but to no avail. im all out of ideas here people and i could really use your help im at my wits end here, im about the get the truck goin again and the last thing i want is a door i cant use. oh and the passenger side is shaved, so thats not much help.

 

[Teck]

If it is locked and the door is open, you need to push the button then pull the latch open with your finger. The door problaly has wear hinges if it does not shut all the way, you can see the body line drop when you open the door just a little if this is the case. If not you may need to adjust the striker on the door jamb to help it close right.

 

[chunk]

yeah i did that but i can see where the lever that moves from the button being pushed is and its supposed to grab a rod with a ball at the top, but its not reaching the ball so the rod doesnt move so the latch wont open.

 

[Teck]

Can you reach in and pull up on that rod?
I did have one that would not unlock all the way so it wouldn't open, had to reach in pull the part that locks it, to get it to open.

 

[chunk]

it looks like that rod should go down, i tried pullin the unlock rod and key cylinder wasnt turning do i disconnected it, and that didnt help either

 

[Teck]

Sound like it did like mine. Is the door open or shut? if open you may need to take the 3 screws out and pull the latch assmebly out to see if it is unlocking all the way. Mine was not unlocking all the way, so when I pushed the button it would not open. If I remember right I had to unhook the rod to the outside handle to let it unlockto get my door open. My door was closed and would not unlock when it happen to me, good thing was the door panel was not on, so I could get to it.it will open right up when you get it to unlockall the way, so you may want to look for that. I feel your pain I sent several hour getting in mine the first time but after i figured it out it was easy to get inthe next time. If this is the problem you may hav to adjust a stop that has a rubber stop on it to fix the problem.

 

[chunk]

yeah the doors open so it makes it easier that way, but still not cool that its been raining

 

[TDS-MN]

I just got thru fixing my driver door on my '85, was jammed in the locked position, and the door was at least closed. Turning the key wouldn't operate the lock mechanism, although you could see it was turning a little way, but was obstructed. Pulling up on the lock rod wasn't working, and even using a slim-jim, could not raise the lock rod. Inner handle was ineffective as well.

If you can get the inner door panel off, or already have it off, you can see the bracket that is attached to the lock cylinder by a little arm. That bracket should be the one anchored to the jamb of the door, and there is a small metal tab that sticks thru it, which moves when the door latches are operated. It is designed to rotate up when locked, and down when unlocked. In my case, that bracket just needed a little persuasion to move down, and a long screwdriver, and a tap from a hammer let it pop down where it unlocked the mechanism. I sprayed a LOT of WD40 in there, and now that previously stuck door operates better than it ever had since I've owned the truck.

In my case it seemed to be a leverage issue, because I did not really have to hit it hard with the hammer, but the sharp blow moved that bracket quite easily. It helped that I had a spare door in the garage that I could see the intended mechanism function, to see where my jammed one was hung up.

I hope maybe yours is similar, it sure sounds like it by your description of the problem. Funny thing, I googled 'jammed truck door lock', and found a few other people that were suffereing with the same thing. Guess when you think about it, that inner mechanism hasn't probably seen lubricant for several years, in most cases. I can say that the thumb button on the outer handle, and the key itself both operate with so much less effort for me now, I'm planning on opening the other door and lubricating all of that mechanism just as a preventative measure.

Good Luck!