Hi all -

I'm a new member to the site, but it's been hugely helpful in the past. I haven't seen the issue I'm having addressed and am hoping someone might be able to shed some light on the problem. The driver side door of my 97 Blazer won't open. The exterior handle is a little loose, but only noticable when you pull on it. Beyond that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. I can get the key in the lock, and lock and unlock it, but when I lift the handle nothing happens. It won't open from the inside, either. Is there a way to get into the door panel and poke around with the door stuck in the closed position, and should I assume that the latch is broken? And more importantly is it an easy fix? I'm not really looking forward to getting in from the passenger side and climbing over, and am quite sure the ladies won't be too impressed with that move, either.
Thanks.

 

Man that really sucks... I don't even know if you can remove the door panel with the door shut... You might just have to break your current door panel to get into it and then manually pop the latch from inside the door... That's a tough one. If both of the latches don't work, then it would almost have to be the latch itself. Have you tried to kinda pop in on the door (push really quickly) while pulling up on the latch from the outside. Or possibly have someone on the inside pushing out while pulling on the handle (not pulling too hard though) while you pop the door from the outside... Shocking the door like that sometimes will free up a stuck latch, but not always. If you get it open, you'll definitely want to get that latch either replaced or lubed up really good!

Good Luck!

 

It almost sounds like the plastic clip on the rod broke off. It happened to me on my 93. If you have access to a slimjim and a wedge, you should be able to separate the door skin from the window with the wedge, and slide the slimjim downto the rod to release the doorlatch. This should be easy for a locksmith, if you don't have access to the tools. Good luck man

 

Thanks for the advice, guys. I actually was able to get the panel off from the inside far enough to look in and see what may have been the problem. I wish I could say I know what I did, but I basically just stuck a long screwdriver into the area where the latch mechanism is, while at the same time applying a little pressure to the inside of the door, and eventually it opened. I lubed it up and it seems to be working fine now. All plastic clips were intact and nothing seemed to be broken. I think it may have just been stuck. Thanks for the words of encouragement.
And advice for anyone who runs into this problem and comes across this post:
If you need to get the interior panel off while the door is closed, make sure you first roll down the window. Then unscrew the two little bolts that are housed in the handle you use to pull the door shut (they should be protected by a little cover that pops right off), and remove the one screw behind the pull handle you use to open the door from the inside. Once that one's out, you can pop off the plastic piece that surrounds the handle (it's technically two pieces, and you just need to use a little light force to separate them), and begin to pry the panel off. If you lift up and towards you it comes out a little easier (and is why it helps to have the window down, otherwise you can't really pull up). It takes a little effort, and a few moments of wondering if you're screwing things up beyond repair, but in the end everything pops right back into place.
I'm not sure if you can get the whole panel off doing it this way, but it seemed like it was off far enough where I could fiddle around with some of the other things housed back there if I needed to. Thanks again.

 

Glad you got it! You could have just welded the doors shut and gone Bo & Luke Duke on it!!!

 

Glad you got it fixed.
I would like to add to this post if you don't mind.

Over time the grease used to lubricate the locking mechanisms in the doors attracts moisture and dirt. Eventually leading to a clob of filthy and making everything get stuck. The best thing to do is regular maintenance about every 5 years or so. I use a good degreaser and clean all the old grease off, then regrease with pretty much any grease in the most convient dispenser. GM has a specific grease to use. Bearing grease would be over kill, however if you have a tube of it on the shelf, use it. Vasoline wouldn't be a good choice and neither would WD-40.

Locks, these tricky little things that control access to your vehicle are really sensative, especially in colder climates. The best thing to do here is preventive maintenance. Buy a couple dollar tube of graphite in pwder form, not graphite in spray form, but in powder form. A few puffs in each lock once a year will keep them working trouble free for a very long time. Those that have been in Cub Scouts or have kids in Cub Scouts know the graphite I am talking about, same stuff used on PineWood Derby cars axles. It can be found in your autoparts, home improvment, hardware, and hobby stores. DO NOT USE any other type of lubricant. Graphite is the only thing to use on locks, any and all locks, home, auto, shop, work, etc.

 

Yeeeeeeee-Hawwwwwwww!!!!!!

[IMG]local://upfiles/1246/CA4DFD523C8044828268484B79888893.jpg[/IMG]

 

I'm updating this post to state unequivically that this Blazer is without question the worst vehicle I've ever owned. Since my original post about the door problem, it's happened two more times, and this latest time it seems to be beyond repair. Add this to the problems I've had with the rear door latch (that broke because the geniuses at GM decided it would be a good idea to make that piece, a piece that sees constant wear, out of plastic), and a similar problem with the rear passenger door, and it seems like it's just a matter of time before I won't be able to get into my car at all. On top of that, in the past year both the heater core and A/C have conked out, and I just had to replace the radiator b/c the Dex coolant apparently clogs the radiator to a point where the engine never gets warm enough (granted that one may have been due to my negligence, but still, I've been told never to use that stuff again). I could also mention the gas gauge always showing as full, and the 4WD engaging at random intervals, but that might seem like overkill.
I'd say that maybe I just was unlucky and got a lemon, but my mechanic has the exact same car, and he's had similar problems, so I think something else is at play.
This is a great site, and since I'm stuck with this thing until I have enough sheckles to buy something else, I'm sure I'll be visiting frequently, but if anyone happens to come across this post looking for advice on whether to buy a Blazer or not, I can't advise against it strongly enough. It's literally been one problem after another the six years I've owned it. I only hope that no one else has been as frustrated as I have, and I truly hope that GM can get their act together and stay a viable automobile manufacturer, but if my vehicle is any indication I'm afraid of what the future holds.

 

The saddest part is that Any Vehicle left Un-Maintained, will end up with the same type's of problems, Not just Blazers. When something goes wrong ona vehicle, It should befixed ASAP. Just soyou don't end up with 5 things wrong all at the same time. Always try figure out the root cause of the problem. Try not to get frustrated, Remember, it could be a whole lot worse,Your truckcould be sitting at the Dealership racking up an $80 per hour bill, At least you can work on yours, and your Blazer problems are all very very minor. Take your time and you will get that door open again.

 

Ok... So you revive a thread over a year old (even if you are the original author) to complain about a USED vehicle to which you have NO idea what the past history of it is??? Right.. And it's all GMs fault... Yeah...

I do hope you get the problems fixed, but your attitude sucks. Stuff like this can happen with ANY manufacturer.

*THREAD LOCKED*