I can't get my door open! The handle is removed...

bertcarrier · Post by **bertcarrier** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:48 pm

The right (passenger side) rear door on my '91 Jetta will not open. I managed to break the old handle away, and usually you can just push on the lever down inside the door to pop the door open. This worked on the driver side, but the passenger side is a no-go. I think the door mechanism is hosed. Do you guys know of a way to open the door to get at the mechanism? Do I need to take the rear seat out and remove the interior panel? This is a tuffy!!

lyeinyoureye · Post by **lyeinyoureye** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:58 pm

Is it locked? If not, spray some brake cleaner in there and jiggle the level a bunch of times.

surfcam · Post by **surfcam** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 3:12 pm

I've had to do this about 6 year ago. You will have to bare with me as my cache memory chip might have picked up a little static. I believe I removed the back of the seat. Then used coat hanger and screw driver to push to latch open. If you look at the other door you should be able to line it up.

backwoods · Post by **backwoods** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:27 pm

This happened several times on my 81 Rabbit until I found the cause. To loosen it I removed the outer handle and had to fiddle with the lock and pull/push on the release tab a lot. The lock box was dusty/dirty inside so I removed, cleaned & lubed it with a thin spray of ATF. But it still jammed up.

What I eventually found was that if the release tab is slightly depressed by a misaligned handle, then applying the lock somehow causes the entire mechanism to jam. I ended up carefully working the sheet metal slightly where the handle sits to change the angle of the handle and raise the pusher ... bottom metal in, top metal out ... so that it wouldn't put on any steady pressure. I suppose bending the release tab would have been better, but it looked awfully sturdy to try that.