My 97 TJ driver door wont unlock..took panel off and tried doing manually..i even called locksmith..they couldnt get it either.two other pretty handy people i know also couldnt get it..It wont unlock therefore i cant open door..anyone have this problem?
TJ doors won’t unlock
- Thread starter John Tracy
- Start date
That's messed up. Do you just pull the door handle and nothing happens other than a floppy door handle?
Can you get inside the jeep and remove the door lock, and possibly the door panel, to begin investigating? Probably something is stuck or came loose, but opening up the door lock give you more insight.
A few things in there are manual, so on
Can you get inside the jeep and remove the door lock, and possibly the door panel, to begin investigating? Probably something is stuck or came loose, but opening up the door lock give you more insight.
A few things in there are manual, so on
handle is not floppy..its new.have panel off, its the lock mechanism..it wont unlock i have tried manually with panel off
greenliftedtj97
TJ Enthusiast
on the inside of the door, the back of the lock, there is a lever arm..... just push it one way or another. The rod the operates it probably popped off.
greenliftedtj97
TJ Enthusiast
what I meant to say is the door catch itself, has an arm on it also, you should be able to move that to the left or right.
thanks but we have tried every mechanism in there on the catch and unlock mechansinm...im gonna try again
Imapepper
TJ Enthusiast
greenliftedtj97
TJ Enthusiast
Is the issue the lock, latch, or both? Disconnect the linkages to figure it out.
If it's the lock spray carb cleaner into it to flush it out and if that worked follow up with graphite.
If it's the lock spray carb cleaner into it to flush it out and if that worked follow up with graphite.
I had a problem like that with my driver side door. I took it apart and filed and sanded the different parts. Then I greased everything with some thick grease. I had to work it back n forth once i got it unlocked many, many times. Dont know if that will work for you but it helped mine to work out the kinks.
ctcomputers
Member
Did you happen to figure out the problem and what you had to do to correct it?
I just experienced this issue on both my doors today! The key turns the outside lock cylinder but it wont unlock. The key turns but hits resistance and wants to spring back to center rather than unlock. It first happened on the passenger door and then later on the drivers door. I was able to crawl through from the tailgate and get the windows down so I could work from the outside. Neither the inside/outside lock mechanism or handles in various combinations seem to be working. Hopefully I can either find the internal release and/or work with things more to get opened and investigate. Surely someone has encountered this issue? Mine is also a 97 and I'm wondering if something may have improved with newer model door latches?
I just experienced this issue on both my doors today! The key turns the outside lock cylinder but it wont unlock. The key turns but hits resistance and wants to spring back to center rather than unlock. It first happened on the passenger door and then later on the drivers door. I was able to crawl through from the tailgate and get the windows down so I could work from the outside. Neither the inside/outside lock mechanism or handles in various combinations seem to be working. Hopefully I can either find the internal release and/or work with things more to get opened and investigate. Surely someone has encountered this issue? Mine is also a 97 and I'm wondering if something may have improved with newer model door latches?
I had the same issue about two weeks ago....the key would not work on the lock and the door would not open....well leave it to my son...the door looked closed, but when I pushed the door, I guess it was just a little off and now it works perfect again. from all aspects it was flush with the jeep body but I guess it was just enough off to not open...
ctcomputers
Member
Discovered a trick from another poster that worked. Apparently on older worn/sticky latches if you try to open the door paddles while locked it can cause the locking mechanism to stick. The trick is if you can get inside and pull and release the inside door handle a few times (let it snap back) that generally corrects the latch so that you can unlock from either inside or with the key and open door.
I subsequently pulled both door latches out and cleaned them as best I could. Removing old greasy residue and dirt. Used a combination of silicon spray and dry lube to make sure everything was clean and moving freely. Will see if that solves future problems.
I subsequently pulled both door latches out and cleaned them as best I could. Removing old greasy residue and dirt. Used a combination of silicon spray and dry lube to make sure everything was clean and moving freely. Will see if that solves future problems.
tjdeal
New Member
I just had this happen yesterday with the passenger door and not for the first time - it seems to come with cold weather. FWIW I did the pull and let go of the inside door handle trick and it worked like a charm. Now off to pull the door panels and clean everything up ...
MarkV53
New Member
I tried the pull and snap the inside (and outside) door handles trick suggested by ct computers and successfully tried by tjdeal. Sadly, it did NOT do the trick. I have actually managed to pull the door panel on the closed and locked [passenger] door. I can see that the locking cam is spongy and I can see that it cannot travel the full distance to unlock. Of course, this means that I cannot open the door to disassemble the mechanism any further. I do not see a a way to release the latch manually while the lock is engaged. Any suggestions are welcome.
Tigger09
TJ Enthusiast
I had a lock issue where the doors would lock but not unlock. Ended up being too much tension on the threaded rod. After adjusting the clip on the rod everything started working.
Ive had a door opening problem similar in the past. All my door interior components were dry. I figured that out once realizing my doors and locks work perfectly when it rains.
Try blasting your doors with the hose and see how it unlocks then
Try blasting your doors with the hose and see how it unlocks then