HELP! GM Techs, an emergency...

[El Caballo]

1997 Suburban

My son fiddled with the claw on the door lock and pushed it closed while the door was open. Now we can't close the door on his side because, obviously, I can't get the damn thing to open. I have cycled the door locks a zillion times, nothing. My wife needs the car to go to work and take the children to school. If I don't get this fixed, I'm fucked.

My son is grounded in his room until this is fixed, for his own safety and for the nerve endings in his behind. Be his get out of jail free card. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

[Fat Hack]

Slip the tip of a screwdriver under the jaw and lift it open again.

Should work if the latch is the same as most older models.

(My neice and nephew like to pull that one too...luckily, I knew what to do cuz I was curious as a kid myself!!)

[Tony]

I run into this a lot at the shop.
here's what ya do..

While holding the door handle on the outside in the open possition, lift the claw up with your finger, or screwdriver.

The only reason it wont open now is because it's in the closed (shut) possition.
By holding the handle open, it's like your opening the door.

[El Caballo]

You are both wrong, I fixed it with a little reverse engineering. After I calmed down and opened a beer, I gave it a look once more and reviewed the situation. I tried the electric lock, I tried the handle (in and out). I was starting to get amped again and I just took a knee and looked a bit closer.

The lock claw actually goes up instead of down. I thought to myself that there must be some sort of spring loaded key that keeps it from reversing down. I wiped away some of the grease and noticed a thin (from the side) piece of metal that the back part of the claw (which also has a tooth on it) contacted. Ahhh, put a screwdriver tip on it and it went up easy as pie. I then rotated the claw back with my finger, and voila'! Open sesame...

My son will have to wait until I have had another beer to further decompress. All is well that ends well. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[J Man]

make him wash the truck for punishment.

[Tony]

LOL!

well, all the one's i've run up against i've done the way i said..
Ya learn something new everyday..

Glad ya got it latched http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Fat Hack]

I had a Jeep with a rear tailgate that wouldn't open at all today. My boss swooped in before I broke out the prybars and hammers and butted the gate with his ass while pulling the lever hard...tailgate popped right open!

I never woulda thunk of that!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

We all learn something new every day! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif