Lude Generation

Hi,

'98 5th gen.

The passenger door all of a sudden won't open from the inside or the outside. Moving the handle on both sides feels like it isn't connected to anything. The manual lock switch doesn't move freely throughout its travel and it doesn't lock/unlock via that switch. Using the central locking sounds like it is locking/unlocking, however. Turning the key in the lock feels like it binds up against something.

All in all it feels like the mechanism has become detached from the inside.

Any ideas what to try? It'll be a pain to get the door card off with the door shut and the seat in place. Hoping there's something I could try.

You should be able to remove the inside handle, there’s a bar attaching to the handle with a plastic clip.
Maybe that clip has broken or come loose.
Anyway, if you can get hold of that bar you can pull it to the side and it should open. Look up on how to remove the door card and you’ll see it’s easy to get off without taking everything off. If it’s not that then I’m afraid you’ll have to get the whole door card somehow. Let us know how you get on

I've had the door cards off before so I've got an idea how to get it off like that it's just that it seems a proper pain to do it with the door closed I'll give it a go if needed. The actual indoor handle should be removeable on its own, went to do that before but gave up in 5 minutes as it's -12c.

What I'll do is order a set of big boy boots and go back outside.

Right, big boy boots on I braved the outdoors.

I got the door open by hammering on the manual lock switch while activating the other. Seems like it's hanging up inside the door somewhere and preventing it from smoothly actuating. I'll tear it apart some other day.

This is pretty funny but it keeps happening.

What's going on is when we get snow followed by a short burst of >1c temperatures (around 12-2pm) the snow melts and seeps down the crack in the door and immediately freezes in the door jamb. When it warms up I can open the door again.

Tertiary security!

I guess adding some grease or water dispersal spray might help? If water can't form on the parts, then it shouldn't be able to freeze them.

Need to take my passenger door apart, the solenoid seems tired/stiff, it will usually lock/unlock the first time no issue, but subsequent times it doesn't have enough juice to actuate the mechanism and remains locked or open...

When I first got my lude the doors acted like that. I took the door cards off and the mounting holes were all wallered out giving a lot of "play" when opening/closing the lock and making it so the lock wouldn't actually open. Maybe you have a similar issue.