Help - Door Lock Frozen

[TurboDiverArt]

Hi All,

The right rear door lock on my 1999 Suburban is stuck. I can

[HowieE]

Mine to.
It is not just a thing with the right rear door because last week I had to repair my daughter's left rear door lock. Her's had been giving trouble for some time even when the temperature was above freezing.
Yes you will have to remove the door panel.
It would be best to go to an auto parts store and get a door panel tool, they are just a flat forked piece of sheet metal but will greatly reduce the risk of scratching up the paint and should only be a couple of bucks.
There are 2 screws in the door grip that have to come out. There are several plastic tabs, about 8 ins. apart, holding the panel to the door. Start at the bottom of the panel and work the panel tool in under the panel and then force against the tool and the door with a screw driver to release the first tab. They are much stronge than the last generation of door tabs so give it hell. Once all the tabs have been released on booth side up to the window you can lift the panel up out of the window sill and disconnect the electrical connections to the panel.
Unscrew the 3 tork screws that hold the lock assembly to the door and reach in through the access hole to hold the lock assembly. Drop the lock down so you can roll it and see the back side of the assembly through the lock hole. The electric operading rod should not have to be removed. On the back of the lock assembly you will see the pin that the electric operating rod rotates against. It was this area that needed lub on my daughter's. I used white lithium.
NOTE when you replace the lock assembly there is an operating rod that comes down from the outside door handle that will have slipped out of it's socket when you dropped the lock assembly down to see the backside. If you reach in through the access hole, as you lift the lock assembly back into place, you should feel the hole that this push rod needs to go back into. The rod is painted bright red as a reminder that it is there and needs to be delt with so don't forget it.

[HowieE]

I forgot to mention the removal of the rim around the door latch assembly.
As you look at the door latch handle there is a plastic rim that surounds the door handle. Between this rim and the main latch assembly there are release pins at 12, 6, and 2 30 o clock that can be reached by sliding a thin blade in at these points and pushing the pins outward to release them as you put pulling pressure on the outer rim. There is a pin at 9 o clock but it will release after you get the others released. Start at 2 30.
This rim only holds the door panel in against the door frame. The latch can remain in the door frame while you work on the lock.

[HowieE]

Another up date.
If the lock is just frozen and has not given you problems when the temperature is above freezing I got mine open today by placing a hair dryer on the inside of the door, for 5 mins., at the height of and directed at the door latch.

[diesel65]

Replace the actuators, Had alot of problems with the actuators in the cold weather.

[TurboDiverArt]

Thanks guys! Howie, thanks for the hair dryer idea. I was planning to have to move the truck into the garage. With the snow we are suppose to get today I was wondering how I was going to do that. No way I'm moving either the GN or Camaro into the snow. Hairdryer might be enough to free it up so that I can at least open the door once again. I'll give it a try. Was a little concerned that I needed to get the door open to actually fix it, it being locked, this could have caused a problem.

Art.

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by diesel65:
Replace the actuators, Had alot of problems with the actuators in the cold weather. Actuator? I assume the electrical mechanism that actually pushes and pulls the lock open? Can you get them at the local auto parts store? Any idea how much they cost? My locks seem to snap open and shut very quickly....when not frozen.

Art.

[diesel65]

I don't know if it available thru the local parts store, I work on fleet equipment and mostly get OEM parts.

[TurboDiverArt]

OK, so I was not so successful in my endeavor. I got the door panel off. I was able to reach into the door and feel the back of the lock assembly where the inside lock and handle reside. I could trace the rod all the way to the outside of the door, or at least most of the way.

I didn't have any Torx screws in there, looked like it was all riveted in there so I was not able to remove any of the assemblies. I tried to lube behind there as well as I could using spray Silicone and White Lube.

Opening and closing the latch I was not able to really tell what is binding up. I thought the electrical connections were connected to the inside lock/handle assembly but I couldn

[BUZZ]

You have to drill the rivets to remove the actuator. The problem is there is a nylon bushing
that wears flat because it gets stuck and stops rotating. Once flat it allows the rack gear to not fit tight agaist the actuator motor gear and jams. I cut mine in half where the mold lines are and replaced the nylon bushing. I found one at Lowes that would do the trick with little modification. This fix I did about 2 years ago.
After you remove the stuck actuator your door will lock and unlock manually. So you can take it out and still use the truck while you work on the actuator.
Buzz

[TurboDiverArt]

I don't know if this is my problem, maybe. It only happens in the cold. This morning it's 30 degrees with wet snow and the lock opened so the magic temp seems to be about 28-30 degrees. I know the other day in 26-28 degrees it didn't open electronically. For fear of breaking someone I didn't try it manually but odds I could have forced it. When it's much colder no amount of brute force will open the door.

You think the nylon washer is affected by temperature?

Is the actuator behind the inside door handle or the outside door handle? I'm assuming behind the outside handle.

Art.

[BUZZ]

Sorry I missed the cold issue, probably ice inside.