97 Rodeo Rear Door Lock failure

[SapphicCat]

My 97 Rodeo rear door no longer opens.
It seems that the locking mechanism/cylinder is broken, My problem however is How can I open the door. I've tried opening the door from the inside, tried inserting the key, turning and pushing the button, all with no luck. I can't access the cylinder and mechanism without removing the panel, but can not remove the panel without opening the door.
Does any one have any suggestions to opening the stuck door?
Appreciate the help.
Cat

[SapphicCat]

I'm still not having any luck with this part of my rodeo, I'm going to mess with it again this weekend. Anyone got a suggestion?

[Kayleigh]

I've heard that a slim jim will work to open a stuck door like this. I've never tried it myself though. Worth a try before calling a locksmith though!

[babytakara]

Just wondering if you ever got your door open, i just bought a 95 and both doors don't work

[RVs Rodeo]

Originally Posted by babytakara

Just wondering if you ever got your door open, i just bought a 95 and both doors don't work

Hi,

I am going through posts on stuck rear doors with the Rodeo's and came across your post. I too had a stuck rear door and managed to get it open yesterday. It turns out that both rear door locks were rusted and I had to grease the hell out of them to get them working again. I got instructions from "AllDataDIY.com" how to open the door and I'll attempt to describe how to do it:

You first have to make a tool out of roughly 1/8" diameter metal (I used a thick coat hanger - I tried to draw it out here but it won't display properly) approximately 12.5" long - you need two 90 degree bends at each end and in the same direction so that the tool will be roughly bent .625" on one end, straight for about 8.25" and bent on the other end approximately 3.5".

Once you've made this tool, go lift the rear door handle of the stuck door and you'll notice a small opening at the back of the handle - you want to put the small end of the handle facing down through the hole and you're trying to get to/catch the release lever and push up on it. It took me about 20 minutes of feeling around before I finally got it. Spray WD 40 or some other lubricant into the hole if it won't budge. Be careful as I knocked loose the door lock linkage and with too much force you can bend it. (I didn't care that I knocked the linkage loose since I had to pull the door panel off anyway to get to the rusted lock). In my case I first got the door 1/2 open since the lock was so rusted, sprayed WD40, let it sit a while then tried it again with success.

If you manage to get the door open and pull the panel off, you'll notice the lock and linkages completely rusted. You can replace the locks or do what I did, lubricate the hell out of them. I hope this works for you and good luck. I just finished my project this morning.

[Gwillie]

Wanted to add an update and thank everyone for the insight. I just freed up my 1996 Rodeo left rear door. I first tested the linkages for both the inner and outer door handles. Both linkages appeared to be attached to the handles as I could hear them moving inside the door. I then stuck a plastic tube attached to a can of WD 40 into the hole in the rear of the outer door handle and sprayed. Waited 15 minutes and sprayed again. Using a rubber hammer, I pounded on the outer door surface just over the latch while pulling on the door handle. After about a dozen medium blows, the door opened smoothly. After the door was open I noticed the rotating latch or catch was binding and I freed it up by cycling it with a screwdriver in place of closing the door again right away.
This is just one mode of failure because others have had linkages come loose.
Thats when the bent wire is necessary to lift the tab that keeps the latch from rotating to the open position. I will attempt to take a picture of the latch assembly to help out those who face this dilemma in the future.

Regards