Driver door won't open from inside. Do I need to replace the bushings or the handle?

[mgriffin113]

I can't seem to open the driver's door. The door sticks and refuses to open. It started happening every so often and then it happened more and more until now I have to roll down the window to open the door from the outside. If I pull the handle as far as it can go without snapping, I can occasionally open the door, but it won't open if I just use regular force. The door may be crooked or a little off because when I do open it I hear metal sliding on metal. I think the handle may be doing its job fine, but if it is then I'm not too sure what the problem is. If the problem is the slight sag in the door, how do I go about fixing this. Please help.

 

[treepete]

check the striker thingy in the door. if you see excessive wear on that post thing that sticks out of the jamb, yeah, you got a saggy door.

We call is SDS, or Saggy Door Syndrome. you can solve this with new pins and bushings. expect those to cost you about 10 bucks or so, maybe 25 from a shop or more from a dealership.lift the door slightly with a jack or pull them upward with straps and a.. a.. somethingthatholdupstrapsfromabove to relieve pressure on the door hinge. then pop out the pin, replace the bushings and tap the new pin in there. then release the pressure and try closing the door again. it should be mint. if something is wrong with your door hardware inside the door then the problem requires removal of the door panel and taking a look at the mechanicals.

check that post in the door jamb. and check the alignment of your outside trim or pinstripes if you have them. these things are a dead giveway.

Post your findings.

Pete

 

[mygreen98]

agree with treepete. if you can lift up and down on the door, then there is too much play in it and the pins/bushings need to be replaced for starters, then check door mechanism.

 

[Scany]

I got the same syndrome. must try fix!

 

[aquaholic]

if you can open the door fine with the outside handle, it has nothing to do with the door striker. your going to have to remove the inner door panel and see whats going on inside there. mine does the exact same thing. have to roll down the window and use the outer handle to get out. its cold and snowy here today but as soon as i figure this out i'll post back. if anyone has a diagram of the inner door workings of a 94-99 tahoe that would help. incidently, mine is a 97 2 door.

 

[aquaholic]

after a little research, it appears others have done this fix by bending the rod inside the door to take up the slack that is causing the inner door release handle to not have enough travel to open the door. apparently something insside the door is stretching over time and causing the inner door release to not have enough travel to release the door latch mechanism. on other gm vehicles the rods do have an adjustment so i'm not sure if people are being lazy and just bending them or if there is really no adjustment on the rod. either way the inner door panel will need to be removed to fix this. once i get mine removed (hopefully with the next few days) i'll post back if the rod is in fact adjustable. again, if anyone has a diagram of the inner door workings for a 94-99 2 door, that would be most appreciated.

 

[aquaholic]

ok. heres what needs to be done. incidently, you do NOT even have to remove the door panel for this fix. just take the black plastic access panel off at the outer end of the door right below the lock mechanism (3 screws hold it in). reach up in there and grab the rod closest to the inside of the truck (or wiggle the inner door release handle to see which rod it is) with a 12" pair of hose end pliers , grab the rod and pull down towards the bottom of the door to bend the rod a little. this will shorten the rod enough to let the inner door release handle work again. takes about 5 minutes to fix .

 

[JP422]

mggriffin.. my yukon must be from the same litter as yours... I have the EXACT symptoms recently. I actually had them a yr ago, but I "fixed" it a little, by opening the door about 10 inches, and pulling the end upward a few times. I didn't think that would do anything, but it allowed my door to open/close again. The alignment was still off (like Treepete said... you can see it)... but the door wouldn't get stuck as bad.. nor as often.

I'm either going to have to lift the door up again (heh heh heh)... or finally change out the bushing and pins. So far my door handles are operating.. but the door just hangs up on the striker pins (I tried adjusting it... but that doesn't help).

Good luck... and do a nice write up w/ pics when you change the bushing/pins... ;o)

 

[JP422]

Damn this truck... I swear... I want to hate it but I can't!

 

[718frankb]

check this out i had the same problem that got worse .the interior handle is made of cast alum mine cracked and little by little i couldnt open the door from the inside the handle is spring loaded so you feel pressure on it try changing the interior handle 20 bucks from ebay not oem but it works or the rear door handle is the same try swaping it out first to see if it fixes it. three rivits need to be drilled -replace with self tappers

 

[Class_D]

::stands up::... Hi everyone, My name is Class_D and I too have SDS

My question is for those who have replaced the pins & bushings: are they sold in packs of 3/5 or individually? I hate having to open my door and then damn near closeing it with some force just to get my door to close securly...

 

[fowlbusiness]

i had this same problem....both driver and front passenger door were hard to open...i was told that the rods inside the door can stretch and so can the handle over time..so i replaced the handles...they have worked like a champ ever since...didnt have much choice but to fix them especially since deer season was coming up...had to have quick exiting of the vehicle

 

[Ojustracing]

I have had many of the old style trucks come through doors here and I have found alot of the time the inner door handle is broken. Now SDS is a whole other subject.......

John

 

[chevbro]

Sagging door sticky handle

Hey If that door is sagging and you hear that medal grinding you may as well go after those door pins, because if you don't your inner handle will be broken soon enough.
I bought replacement pins (pr) at the dealer for around 30 bucks Canadian aftermarket, GM brand were 30 bucks a piece but hardened steel.
I replaced my inner handle was easy only had to drill one rivet (1999 4dr), I want an extra set of hand to do my pins, and haven't had time.

 

[JP422]

Haha... my front door is noticeably saggin... When closed, the body crease line doesnt even line up! I have my new pins and bushings. Just gotta find time, and some extra hands to hold the door while I swap the pins/bushings... heh heh

 

[NYrr496]

With me, it was the passenger door. My wife yanks on the door release handle like a damn bear trap. The lever was cracked. She also snapped the exterior handle yankin' on it when the door was frozen shut. What a joy it is changing those...

I like my doors to operate like new. I've swapped the bear claws, the striker pins, the pins and bushings and even installed poly body bushings so the body doesn't flex. No more wind noise from my driver's door gasket.

 

[Passport]

ok. heres what needs to be done. incidently, you do NOT even have to remove the door panel for this fix. just take the black plastic access panel off at the outer end of the door right below the lock mechanism (3 screws hold it in). reach up in there and grab the rod closest to the inside of the truck (or wiggle the inner door release handle to see which rod it is) with a 12" pair of hose end pliers , grab the rod and pull down towards the bottom of the door to bend the rod a little. this will shorten the rod enough to let the inner door release handle work again. takes about 5 minutes to fix .

Thanks for posting this, works like a charm!

 

[Passport]

Update.............. The bend the wire thing is not the proper fix IMO.... Worked for 1 day then business as usual. Today I ripped the door down and installed a new handle assembly, 15 bucks at the auto parts store and an easy fix.

When they wont open either you have a crack in the handle, mine did, or something else that a bend in the rod wont fix.

These handles are just pot metal and will crack easy over time.

YMMV