door opens sometimes wont others...

Hey guys my drivers door will open fine sometimes and sometimes wont open from the inside or outside. What causes this? To open it i have to reach behind everything and push a lever down to open. Is there something to adjust? Just wanna make it reliable as possible. My exterior door handle is a little loose if it matters. Its a 1987 b2000 if it maters too. thanks in advance

you should pull your inner door panel/card and look into the door latch and lock mechanism, including rods and door handles. it has to do with your interior door lock not being pushed/pulled all the way up when you use the key to unlock the door, or pull it manually. might just need some lube, or could be damaged and need a part or 2

I dont have a key, door panels off, and the little rodfrom keyhole to mechanism wont stay in, it doesnt matter whether its on or off it will work when its attatched and wont work when attatched, im lost here... i wanna be able to use my door panel

You have a broken door lock spring on the latch mechanism of that door! Here are a few pictures of what/where the little bugger is!

Here is the culprit!



And what it looks like when it's broken.





You'll need to grab a spare spring from the JY and put it on your latch mechanism, or just change the whole mechanism.
Take off the door panel (the next time you get the door opened that is!) and disconnect the plastic rod clips from the associated rods that are part of the latch mechanism, then remove the 3 phillips head screws that secure the latch mechanism to the door......





You will probably need to remove the bolt that holds the window channel track in place so you can push it out of the way slightly to gain enough room to remove the latch mechanism from the inside of the door......



The latch mechanism has 3 rods that come off of it, I unhook them from the devices they hook to instead of trying to unhook any of the rods from the latch mechanism itself, it's easier that way......and the rods run to your........

exterior door handle....


Interior door handle....
I don't have a "inside the door pic of that! I'm losing it I guess!

And the exterior door lock.


There is a 4th rod, but it is the interior lock button that your arm always happens to lock when you rest your arm on top of the door! Anyway, it just slides down and out when your taking the latch mechanism out of the door.

Install your "new" spring in the proper position, and re-install the latch mechanism into your door, and you will be able to get in & out of your truck when YOU want to!





Enjoy!!

another well documented write up by ABE! lol very valuable

Sweet write up Earl!! Another example of why you are the write up king!!

LOL, thanks guys........unfortunately, some things I know all too well, so I just have to write about them!

thanks man if i dont trade it for this f150 460bb 4x4 ill try it

It sounds like a lot to do, but it really isn't. A fairly easy fix.....you could probably take the small broken spring into a good hardware store and get a new one as well.

Sort of related to this.

The drivers side door lock to my 1990 b2200 cab plus keeps getting stuck.

I have to either get in from the passenger side, leave it unlocked, or keep the window down and enter Duke of Hazzard style. As I am now 41 years old, the latter isn't an option.

If I try to pull up and down on the inside lock with one hand and forcefully turn the key with the other hand with some serious force I can get it to unlock. My key is starting to get bent so I need to stop doing this.

I need to remove the door panel and see what's going on inside there. I searched here on how to remove the panel, but didn't find anything. Does it simply pop out? Or do I have to remove the screws I see on the latch and arm rest/handle part?