Need help with door linkage

[JoeShmoe]

My driver side door doesn’t unlock from the outside but unlocks from the inside. When I pull the linkage rod connecting to the outside door button down it unlocks. So the rod is not getting pulled down enough with the press of the button, is there a type of adjustment that changes how far it gets pulled down or will I have to bend the rod to have it move down farther?
Thanks

 

[Dana67Dart]

Did this just start happening or has it been getting harder to open as time has gone by?

Have you changed anything in the door?

If you push in, pull out ,lift up or down on the door while pushing the outside button does that change how the door opens from the outside?

 

[TrailBeast]

My driver side door doesn’t unlock from the outside but unlocks from the inside. When I pull the linkage rod connecting to the outside door button down it unlocks. So the rod is not getting pulled down enough with the press of the button, is there a type of adjustment that changes how far it gets pulled down or will I have to bend the rod to have it move down farther?
Thanks

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View attachment 1716256966

Hold the phone.
The mechanism you circled is for opening the door, not the lock.
Did you mean you can’t open the door from the outside?

If that is the case there are two places that can be worked with.
The door button has a pin on it that presses a paddle looking part on the mechanism.
If that piece that the pin presses is bent the pin may not be able to press it far enough.
Alternatively, you might be able to bend that paddle looking piece closer to the pin.

It’s also possible that the door button isn’t traveling as far as it is supposed to because of lack of lubrication or the little paddle it presses against is corroded causing the button pin to hang up as it slides across the surface.

From my experience it’s usually one of these two issues.

First check the surface on that paddle and see if it’s all corroded.
You can do this by pulling the paddle away from the pin and feel the surface the pin pushes against.
If it’s grooved or rusty you might want to remove the mechanism and clean/repair that surface.
Wheel bearing grease works well for where the pin hits.

I could see slightly taking a little of the bend out of the rod and see if that helps if needed, but I would start by lubing all those moving parts.
That itself could solve the problem since they look so dry.

 

[JoeShmoe]

Just recently got the car and this has happened since I got it,

Hold the phone.
The mechanism you circled is for opening the door, not the lock.
Did you mean you can’t open the door from the outside?

If that is the case there are two places that can be worked with.
The door button has a pin on it that presses a paddle looking part on the mechanism.
If that piece that the pin presses is bent the pin may not be able to press it far enough.
Alternatively, you might be able to bend that paddle looking piece closer to the pin.

It’s also possible that the door button isn’t traveling as far as it is supposed to because of lack of lubrication or the little paddle it presses against is corroded causing the button pin to hang up as it slides across the surface.

From my experience it’s usually one of these two issues.

First check the surface on that paddle and see if it’s all corroded.
You can do this by pulling the paddle away from the pin and feel the surface the pin pushes against.
If it’s grooved or rusty you might want to remove the mechanism and clean/repair that surface.
Wheel bearing grease works well for where the pin hits.

I could see slightly taking a little of the bend out of the rod and see if that helps if needed, but I would start by lubing all those moving parts.
That itself could solve the problem since they look so dry.

Yeah I meant the door isn’t opening my bad, thanks for the response. I’ll try this today and see if it works!

 

[Dana67Dart]

I had a door mechanism on my front door of my house.

Over time the part that retracts the bolt had worn down (worn a grove) and the lever got harder and harder to open the door.

To the point it would no longer open.

Thoughts...

The pin on the back of the outside button might be worn down
The toggle might have a grove worn into it.
The plastic parts might be worn and loose
The holes the plastic parts go into might be elongated
The link rod might be wrong for the application
The latch mechanism might have some of the above issues


Since you have the door card off, might as well pull the handle and look for issues

You could also get in the car with the doors shut and see if you can move the link rod by hand and have the door open.

 

[cudamark]

The bell crank that attaches to the outside handle can come loose too, causing slop in the linkage. Check to make sure the screw is tight. Also, the plastic clips can wear out causing that same slop in the linkage.