Re: Door won't open

["Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Obie,

I'm pretty sure that there is a child safety latch on the door, but it 
doesn't have a bright red sticker indicating this.  I don't have my car with 
me today, so I can't check.

If the child safety latch is engaged, it will only prevent the door from 
being opened by the inside handle, not the outside handle.

How long has it been since the door was opened?  Could it just be stuck?  
The rear doors on my E30 318i don't get opened very often (once per month 
MAX), and when I try to open them from the outside, they must be pulled 
open.  The door gets stuck to the rubber seal, and it won't release by 
itself.  They stick together so well that my kids can't pull them open!

So, a combination of the child safety latch being engaged, and the sticky 
door seal, could be your problem.

When the cable connecting the inside handle to the door latch breaks, you 
won't be able to open the door from the inside, but can still open it from 
the outside.  When this happens, the inside latch won't have any resistance 
when trying to open it.  It won't even return to it's "closed" position.  
Are you seeing this?

If I remember correctly, the outside handle links to the door latch via 
metal linkage, so it isn't likely to break.

Also, it isn't likely that BOTH would break at the same time.  Now, if 
something connected to the outside handle broke, and the child safety 
feature was engaged (meaning you can't open it from the inside), you have a 
problem.  You won't be able to remove the door panel to access the inside of 
the door.  If this is the case, you should remove the inside panel from the 
other door and use it as a guide to see if it's possible to reach in 
(through the window slot?) and grab the latch mechanism to open the door.

I hope that this isn't your problem.....  8^#


Good luck,

- -rb

>
>Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 14:13:14 -0700
>From: "Obie Fayth" <bibendum59@domain.elided>
>Subject: Door won't open
>
>Hi all.
>	I'm new to this list and am posting a questions for my dad, who is having 
>a bit of trouble with the left rear door on his '93 525 wagon. The door 
>seems to lock and unlock fine, but he can't get it to open with either the 
>inside or outside handles.
>	I thought maybe there is a child safety latch mechanism that got partially 
>switched, but I took a look at the opposite door and couldn't see anything. 
>I'm sure someone has had this happen before. Any tips on how to fix the 
>problem would be greatly appreciated.
>
>thanks in advance,
>- -Obie


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