side door wont open
Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix
side door wont open
94 e150 has double doors on the side. right side opens but the left side wont. the latch on top wont work and I need to know how to open the latch. It has a wheel chair lift for my mom and I need to get it open to fix it. Pleeeease help. thanks in advance.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,276
Likes: 7
From: NE Tennessee
Those cables are notorious for deteriorating the plastic ends. Look up door latch cables. There are 3 different cables depending on which door and if top or bottom cable. If its the left side top cable like you indicate then good luck. I've yet to find a replacement for mine. There are fixes though as long as your cables aren't broken (think bicycle brake adjuster). Good luck.
More Turbo
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 507
Likes: 69
From: Tucson
^
I just went thru this with my '93. The cables on all four doors have gone bad at different times. You might as well plan on replacing them all because they are all the same age and each will go bad eventually.
Check youtube for how to use these:
They're not simple plug and play though. You have to open them up with a drill bit to get them to fit onto the cable outer casing.
Also, it's 'easy' to replace the ends that go into the latch handle but if the ends are bad at the latches (at top and bottom) it's much harder. You have pry them apart to get the new ends in and it's a PITA. You can get a new latch w/cable but there about $60 or so on eBay.
Good luck...
PS: You'll need a #27 Torx bit to remove the screws that hold the latches. And they are tight (blue Loctited).
I just went thru this with my '93. The cables on all four doors have gone bad at different times. You might as well plan on replacing them all because they are all the same age and each will go bad eventually.
Check youtube for how to use these:
They're not simple plug and play though. You have to open them up with a drill bit to get them to fit onto the cable outer casing.
Also, it's 'easy' to replace the ends that go into the latch handle but if the ends are bad at the latches (at top and bottom) it's much harder. You have pry them apart to get the new ends in and it's a PITA. You can get a new latch w/cable but there about $60 or so on eBay.
Good luck...
PS: You'll need a #27 Torx bit to remove the screws that hold the latches. And they are tight (blue Loctited).
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 21,253
Likes: 1,656
From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Renewing the entire cable assembly makes a bit more sense to me over replacing just the ends---same amount of work and less chance some other part of the cable assembly will develop issues.
The latch screws are indeed installed using Loctite but with a good quality hardened T-27 Torx bit and firm pressure holding the bit into the screw recess they should come out easily. FWIW its a good idea to occasionally check those screws as they can work loose causing door latching/unlatching issues.
HTH
Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix
THanks for all the info. I need to know how to get the door open. Is there a way to push somewhere to get the latch open? The wheel chair lift is in the way so I don't have very much room to work. I already broke the molding so I can get to it.
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 660
Likes: 7
From: Central NJ
The only way I know how to get the door open is to remove the inside door panel and working the latch to get the cable(s) to release. If the lift is in the way it could be a real problem. There's a lot of YouTube videos on this cable dilemma, and it's been covered on this site so you might want to try a search. The side doors operate similar to the rear doors.
Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix
Thank you. I didn't think about the rear door being alike. I think I can figure it out now. I did see some stuff on youtube that might help also. Thanks again.
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More Turbo
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 507
Likes: 69
From: Tucson
If you can't get the door panel off because of the lift, you can drill out the large rivets that hold the inner door handle on.
You can then pull on the cables to release the latches.
You can then pull on the cables to release the latches.
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 21,253
Likes: 1,656
From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
That'll work darn near perfectly----have had to do that on a few vans I've repaired for customers and friends. When replacing the rivets though and you don't have access to the proper rivets and setting tool you'll want to use 1/4-20 bolts with counter sunk heads. I use nylon lock nuts so they don't back off over time.
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