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Here's another testament as to why I hate Dorman parts.  I recently replaced both Interior door latch cables in my rear doors as they both broke when I removed the panels to replace my speakers.  One of them is just barely too long, you can pull the handle and hears things move but the door won't unlatch.  The outside handle still works though.  The other door worked for a couple weeks then stopped opening entirely.  How can I get the door open to take it apart again?

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  • Here are some videos that will help. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=2001+dodge+ram+rear+door+stuck+   When I removed the rear door panels the cable for the left side broke

  • Sycostang67
    Sycostang67

    I was able to pry the panel open enough to see the lower rod had come off the latch.  I got my hand in there and pulled on it and got the door open.  The rod and clip both appear to be in good shape. 

  • Sycostang67
    Sycostang67

    I've got plenty of clips Mike, it's the plastic on the panels that holds the clips that are breaking off.  Each rear panel has 3 metal clips along with the plastic one.  I only have 2 metal clip still

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  • Staff

Here are some videos that will help.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=2001+dodge+ram+rear+door+stuck+

 

When I removed the rear door panels the cable for the left side broke.  I went to a pick your part yard and took the door handle and cables from both sides of a Ram 1500 truck along with the clips for the door panels.  They worked great and now I have extras.

  • Staff
7 hours ago, IBMobile said:

Here are some videos that will help.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=2001+dodge+ram+rear+door+stuck+

 

When I removed the rear door panels the cable for the left side broke.  I went to a pick your part yard and took the door handle and cables from both sides of a Ram 1500 truck along with the clips for the door panels.  They worked great and now I have extras.

Glad to see you posting IBMobile. You are no doubt better from the Faucci Flu. :thumb1:

  • Author

Awesome, I'll give it a try this weekend.  I bought several more cables just in case, but looks like it might be a latch issue on the one side at least.  

Passengers side would not open latch at bottom hopelessly rusted solid. I had to very carefully use a cutting torch inside the door to burn the latch into pieces and then weld up the now big holes and re drill new holes for a new latch.

  • Author

I was able to pry the panel open enough to see the lower rod had come off the latch.  I got my hand in there and pulled on it and got the door open.  The rod and clip both appear to be in good shape.  I did have to adjust the rod up a bit on both doors to ensure the inside latches would fully release the catches allowing the doors to open.  Hopefully this lasts awhile, not sure how many more times I can pull those door panels off before I lose all the mounting tabs.

Over here in the UK it's always the passenger side rear door that seizes shut as this door is in the road and not used much, my 3500 latch seized, I cut the latch stud on the cab with a hacksaw blade in a pair of mole grips, took forever but no damage to the truck at all, didn't even scratch the paint, must lube my 2500 as that's getting harder to open 

  • Owner

I've got a clients truck in now I got to do a bit of glue work to fix the broken plastics and get the fasteners to hold the panel correctly. I hosed all the pivots and linkage with straight motor oil and it loosen up quite a bit but I got to re-adjust the linkage because the inside handle isn't working quite yet. (Too loose).

I use copper grease either brush on for nuts/bolts etc or aerosol for hard to reach bits, aerosol is good as it is thin to start with so penetrates but it sort of dries a little bit as the petroleum liquid evaporates so it sticks better

Also have aluminium grease but that's just for anything that screws into a DPF or exhaust with a DPF so it's never wasted on anything else

I have mixed feelings about lube, it attracts dirt and gets old and gummy then the latches have problems. On the other hand no lube causes rust.

I tried nearly everything on my truck for a few years, having to lube almost monthly.

Then whatever I used the last time has been great, probably 9-12 months and door still opens great! Unfortunately I don't remember what I used 😂.

It may have been Fluid Film as I had just purchased a couple cans around then and was trying it on all kinds of things.

  • Author

I've got plenty of clips Mike, it's the plastic on the panels that holds the clips that are breaking off.  Each rear panel has 3 metal clips along with the plastic one.  I only have 2 metal clip still attached per panel.  

 

I did hose everything down with some chain/cable lube, had to take the truck to work yesterday to pick up my new hood and doors worked great.