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Stuck Door Problem. Car is a 1993 Saturn SW1. Stuck door ...
Sent to Car Experts June 02 11:00 AM

Stuck Door Problem.

Car is a 1993 Saturn SW1. Stuck door is the pasenger side front.

History: I have taken out the seat and inside panel. All levers are working along with the handle and the key. Everything is ok and working but door will not open.

Called Saturn and they said to drill out the key hole. I have not done this yet. My helper says it won't help because he thinks the problem is not in the key lock that apperars to be functioning perfectly. He says the problem is in the actuator down where the latch connects to the jam and the key hole is to far above that to make a difference.

I thing it is worth a try and am asking your advice.

 

Optional Information:
1993 Saturn SW1 1.9

Already Tried:
Everything short of drilling out the lock. But I am ready to do that.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $15
Answer
June 2 11:25 PM (12 hours and 25 minutes and 43 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

Do not drill the lock, it is most likely a latch fault. First be sure nothing is jammed inbetween the door and the door jamb. Open and close the lock from the inside, watch which lever is moving at the actual latch. Remember the lever, and disconnect the linkage from the latch from the lock, now pull on the handle from the inside and watch what portion of the latch moves, remember the arm it's attached too and disconnect it. Do the same for the outer handle, and key lock and disconnect them. Now with no linkages attached to the latch, manually with a flat screwdriver, move them in the direction they would naturally move to unlock and open the door. If the levers on the latch, seem to not move all the way than put pressure on them, until the door opens. This would verify a faulty latch, if the door opens easily with all the linkages off, than one of the components attached to the linkages is binding, not letting the door latch completely unlock.

-Rip



Please click on "ACCEPT" if I was helpful-or if you still need assistance just reply, before leaving any feedback thanks
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RIP -- Lead Technician -- 100% Positive Feedback on 2108 Car Accepts
A.S.E. Master Technician, Advanced Level, Smog - European, Domestic, & Asian -- Car Category Mentor
Reply
June 3 12:21 PM (12 hours and 55 minutes and 47 seconds later)
         
Reply to RIP's Post: I will accept your answer but;

since I have now had the car to a body shop and called and got advice from another Saturn service center I thought I might give you some feedback from there.

Gaining access to this door catch is a real problem with a Saturn stuck door. Access is gained by removing the outer door skin. Saturn. But in order to remove the exterior door panel you start with opening the door. Dilema.

The first Saturn service center is where I got the drill out the lock advice. I think that was to give closer access to busting the latch. They were not very easy to talk to so I was confused with their instructions.

My friend who is helping me refused to drill the lock and made me go to a body shop.

The body shop ultimatly was not successful and after working two hours left me go with no charge.

The body shop took off the interiror panel and cut slices into the inside of the metal door covering the latch area. We pealed back the sliced metal for access to the latch.

Now I will disconect the linckage as you suggested and proceed to drill on the latch and chisel on the latch untill it gives up the door.

All of the linckage works as I posted in my question. Everything works on the latch but it still fails to release the door.

The instructions from second the Saturn dealer I communicated with was to use a large flat srewdriver and a good size hammer to impact the latch until it releases the door.

In other words bust the latch off.

After which the door will open and replacement could proceed in conventional procedure of removing the exterior door panel etc.

To do this he suggested not going in and removing the seat, door panel, cutting an access hole as I ended up doing. But simply by removing the window rubber and sliping down through the window slot with a very large screwdriver.



Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
June 3 12:29 PM (7 minutes and 37 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

The second Saturn dealer is putting you in the right direction as well. There should be no cutting/drilling necessary. If the latch is the problem and won't release, you can go in from where the window sits, and try to disengage the latch from there. Remember, whenever your hammering or trying to break loose the latch, you want to do so in the direction the lock linkage moves to unlock it. If you mutilate the latch, it may never come apart, which will require that the door be cut off the vehicle, and major body work to repair everything.

-Rip



Please click on "ACCEPT" if I was helpful-or if you still need assistance just reply, before leaving any feedback thanks
Picture
RIP -- Lead Technician -- 100% Positive Feedback on 2108 Car Accepts
A.S.E. Master Technician, Advanced Level, Smog - European, Domestic, & Asian -- Car Category Mentor
Reply
June 4 1:41 AM (13 hours and 11 minutes and 43 seconds later)
         
Reply to RIP's Post: My Saturn door is open now and the repairs are complete. Now that it is behind me I can say it went well.

I would never have to cut the door off the car now with the experience I have had.

The latch indeed had to be mutilated. After which the latch was tripped and the door opened up.

Weather or not it can all be accomplished through the window slot, (and technitions said that they have been successful with that method) my "inner access hole" method protects the glass in the window from very possibly shattering while breaking the latch.

As the window can be in the up position out of harms way as opposed to being in the down posssiton and very much in the way.

We drilled out the rivets on the latch, then continued on to break apart the latch and finaly trip the catch to release the door.

All from our access hole that we created. From our access hole we were also able to reinstall the new latch saving the time of removing and replacing the outer door skin.

I am satisfied with the results and would recomend the "inner access hole" procedure if encountered in the future.

On the down side, taking out the seat, removing the interior door panel, cutting slices in an X patern (we used an air tool from the body shop) in the metal to peel back an access hole directly over the latch area is all a good deal of work and time consuming.

On the up side, it's all down hill from there and the rest of the job falls into place.

It beats cutting the door off the car by a long chalk.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
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