Rear Door Jammed Shut, Tried Everything - 1999 Chevy Astro

[mysticnoodle]

Rear cargo door stuck closed. I removed the interior door paneling and pulled the rods in opposite directions (pulling the rod farthest from me upwards to unlock, pulling the rod closest to me down to open door) and the door won't budge. The rods are both attached properly as far as I can tell. This technique has worked for me in the past with this vehicle, but the other day it didn't work and the door is now stuck closed.

Looking through the rear door crack from outside the vehicle, I can just barely see a latch hooked around a bolt. I assume that latch is supposed to pull off the bolt when I pull down on the rods, but it's stuck for some reason? I asked someone to pull down on the rods from inside while I watched from the outside, and it didn't look like that hook latch was moving at all.

Any ideas? Is there a way to manually pry that latch off the bolt with the doors closed? How can I force the door if the rods aren't working?

Thanks in advance, this has been driving me mad.

[dchan51360]

I don't completely recall how that door worked specifically but IIRC, the door has to be fully latched for the rods to do their magic. A door that's only partially latched may be locked onto the bolt but pulling the rods will not release the latches.

I think you may have something stuck or wedged in the door that is keeping the door from fully closing and "resetting " the latches to the location that the spring would be "pulled" and released by pulling on those rods. I would check the top and bottom of the door and maybe even push hard as if closing the door and see if you hear a "click" then, try pulling on those rod and see if the door releases.

[dchan51360]

the fact that you can "see" the latches through the crack between the door and body sort of confirm this possibility. If the doors are fully shut, you should not be able to see in there. (unless your doors are really out of alignment)

[dcsleeper]

on my cargo, the rod keeps slipping out of the arm so the outside handle wouldn't open the door.
Which led me to inside, where the panel was already removed.
After lots of cussing and trying to figure out how it worked, I reached up and pulled down on the lever that IS the latch. It is above the large panel opening. IIRC

[Rinny]

My rear hatch will not open unless there is power to it. Do not know if cargo doors are the same? Is it locked?

[sixsix]

Rear cargo door stuck closed ...

Would it be too much trouble to maybe help define what you mean by "cargo door" ?
Do you have 2 lg. doors in back or a Hatch w/ 2 sm. doors. The 'Hatch' model doors are also referred to as "Dutch Doors".

Always wondered why they called them that when it was really a regular door cut in half to open the top while keeping the bottom closed. Probably invented by the Lithuanians in the 13th century ( Boris Duchy ).

Probably also why they wore those shoes - so they could just dive in the house over the bottom door and leave the wood shoes out there. And what kind of wood did they use...? Maybe it was ash, like the baseball bats. Covered in tar, they would ... well, I digress



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