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MG MGB Technical - HELP. Door wont open.

Hi all.
Tried to get into the B this evening and the door wont open! I had not locked it and had opened it minutes earlier. I tried the key in case it locked itself but no luck. I then tried to lock/unlock it from the inside but the catch just springs back. Please any ideas would be very welcome. Thanks, Chris.
Chris82

It's possible that your car might be sagging...assuming that it's a roadster?

Does it look like the door gap is closed up?

Dave O'Neill 2

Sounds like your lock control rod may have fallen out of its connection to the lock. It is secured by a piece of plastic which is easy to damage when taking the door insides apart. I was able to get my rod to stay attached with a push stay similar to the ones used on the trunk emblem.

Jim
JMcHugh

Car is definatly not sagging. Have tried all morning to open it from the window gap but to no avail,door seems to have locked itself. All linkages 'appear' to be working OK. Had to stop as i kept looking at my 14lb hammer sitting in the corner (very tempting at this point). Had enough. Has anybody else had this problem and if so how was it opened. Please help.
Chris.
Chris82

You may have to sacrifice the door card the screwws that retain are hidden when the door is closed. Have you removed the plastic handles and ensured the square shaft is actually turning, try it with a spanner across it. You may get somewhere by removing the trim panel behind the door, you can see the plate the striker bolts to there, if that has come loose and jammed you may be able to fiddle it. It may be possible to drift it outwards engough to relaese the door.
Stan Best

Stan,
Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure what you mean by the'square shaft turning'. I'm trying all ways to release the latch but i fear i may have to hole the door card, but at £125 a pair i'm sure the eyes will be a tad watery. Thanks again, Chris.

74 1/2 Roadster.
Chris82

Hi Chris, we were out in the B tonight and I did think about you as I opened the door. I noticed that in our car the screws holding the leading edge of the card are visible, but thats all. By the square shaft I meant the actual metal acutauting shaft that goes through the card, just in case the plastic handle has failed and is not turning it. The cost of the dor cards is eye watering!! Maybe a craft knife and a very careful cut, then you could glue it back onto some new cheap backing hardboard?
The only other thing you might try is forcing the wooden top rail finisher off its brackets You could always ensure the woood screws keyed in OK with a bit of matchstick jamed in the hole. Mine are like that anyway after years of use and being taken on and off (this is where the chrome end brackets attach to the rail. ) This will give you slightly more room at the top of the door
Stan Best

Chris,

I can't give any more advice on the handle/locking mechanism, but can give you a suggestion for saving the interior door panel skin.

When I bought my 73B the interior door panels were rotted out at the bottom. The vinyl coverings were in decent condition, but the hardboard panel behind were very weak over the bottom 3 or 4 inches (sorry........75 to 100 mm....hehe).

I removed the panels from the doors and carefully peeled off the vinyl coverings. I used the old hardboard as templates for making new ones, and then glued and stapled the vinyl onto the remakes. It wasn't just an issue of buying new ones as I like to have as much truly original detail and material on my car as possible.

If you can carefully slice and peel back the vinyl and cut your way into the door through the hardboard backer, then you can either repair or replace the hardboard when the door opening problem has been solved.

BH Davis
BH Davis

As I recall whilst the internal handle on a push-button car does act via rods the external button acts directly on a lever coming out of the lock. So if *neither* are working either the lock is broken or the door is stuck. In the latter case a good bunt might shift it, but in the former I can't see how anything non-destructive will help. If you get another lock you might be able to work out how to poke a bit of metal in to release the lock, going in via the inner skin, which would mean removing the door trim. I'd imagine you could get that off with a bit of fiddling, but even if not destroying that to get at the lock has got to be better than destroying the door.
Paul Hunt 2

I had this problem - I went in the drivers door, wound down the passengers window and used a slippery to pop the lock. You can see down it with a torch.

Use the good door internals to get a picture of what you are doing.

Liam H

<<used a slippery to pop the lock>>

What's a slippery?
Dave O'Neill 2

A thin flat spatula type bit of metal with a notch in it - like they used to use to break into cars in Starsky and Hutch.
Liam H

Hi all,
Thanks for all your help. I,ve made a slippery and some hooks and will give this a try first. If this fails i now have some good ideas to fall back on. Thanks again. chris.
Chris82

Like a"Slim Jim" in the USA
Rich Osterhout

I've just realised the crucial thing is whether the external button goes fully down or not when you are trying to open it. If it does then the lock is *not* engaged. This could mean that both release linkages have failed, but as these are two separate levers on the latch itself it is rather unlikely, so it is a problem inside the latch assembly. Unless you have an extra latch to play with, to see how to insert a slippery/slim-jim and release it, I don't see how it would help, those 'tools' are designed to release working latch assemblies.

If the button doesn't go down then the lock *is* engaged. Both key and internal lever are connected to different parts of the latch assembly, but I can't remeber whether these are joined together externally or internally. If externally then it is possible that the common external part has failed, in which case using an implement may release it. But if they join together internally like the opening levers, or if the failure is again inside the latch mechanism, again you will be stymied.
Paul Hunt 2

I suppose as a last resort you could drill out the 3 countersunk screws that hold the striker plate after taking the trim panel out behind the door. Unless I'm missing something the door, door lock and what remainns of the striker should all come out in one lump from there. This would be an appaling job to do, and get a replacemet striker assy before you do it.
Stan Best

That should work, if anyone has a drill small enough to get in there with enough space left to see what you are doing, and powerful enough to drill along those three screws! Personally I'd go for bending the door aperture seal flange back and using a power saw to cut through the pins on the striker plate. Even if bending back doesn't work and you have to cut a small section of the flange away, that will be easier to repair than anything else.
Paul Hunt 2

You can also get in with a long bit of wire, like a coat hanger, from the drain holes at the bottom of the door.
Liam H

But again that will only act on the levers and rods external to the lock assembly, i.e. when you have a linkage problem. If the problem is inside the lock assembly then that will be no more help than a slippery/slim-jim.
Paul Hunt 2

Paul is right that drilling out the striker plate screws might be impossible, I did not take my car apart to check, but I wonder if you might get somewhere by taking off the furflex trim around the edge of the door opening. I thought of this earlier, but discrasded it as too difficult and likely to damage it, but it might turn out to be the least bad option. You would remove the alumiium end cap, I would then lean on the door to relieve the pressure and try to pull ithe furflex out (check you can still buy your colour new). You might the get access to all the screws on the door card and so to the lock.(possible you wil have to brute force off the top trim as noted above) If all else fails then you could make 2 cuts in the lip the furflex attaches to , bend it back and get in with a padsaw to cut throught the striker pins. I will look at my door later and post some more.
Stan Best

Forgive me if this is obvious, but have you tried getting someone to push the button in fully and pull outwards, and then giving the door an almighty kick with the sole of your foot (whilst sitting on the armrest)?

Have the assistant aware that they might suddenly fall over or break their wrist if it opens!
Martin Layton

You can look at all this on the door that still works, as you shut the door the metal tongue rotates as it hits the pin on the striker and this hinges up the retaining lug you can see in the last picture. The button and handle should rotate this back down to allow the door to open. You may even be able to see this with the furflex removed and get a piece of bent steel wire looped over it, if the problem is that the button is no longer linked to it and it isn't jammed you may be luck, even if you have to drill a hole in the flange the furflex clips onto and visit some violence on the lock , it will be hidden when you put it back :-)

Stan Best

another pic

Stan Best

striker plate

Stan Best

Hi again,
Two and a half days now trying to open the door. All linkages worked but the door is locked solid. I managed to remove the door card without damage but i'm still stuffed. I have tried everything suggested by you all, but to no avail. I have a replacement door lock, new striker plate and all new screws for when i finally (if ever) open the door. I must admit that this is now begining to affect my mind (as well a my body) as i cant ever remember being so stumped with something and feeling so low. I really appreciate all your help you've given me with this, but i fear i will need to do a fair bit of damage to her in order to open the door. I'm now going to have another go, another day as they say.
Many thanks again guys, Chris.
Chris82

Gentleman,
All done. A diesel fitter friend of mine had a look this morning and after studying how the new lock worked, had the door open in less than five minutes! The best part about the whole affair was that there is very very minor damage which is now repaired and is in a place thats hidden. Chuffed isnt the word. I would like to thank you all again for your valuable input on all boards on this forum as it has been an exellent source of information in the 18 months that i have owned my B. Many many thanks again, Chris.
Chris82

Diesel Fitter?

"Sven & Ole worked together and both were laid off,so they went to the unemployment office.



Asked his occupation, Ole said, "Panty Stitcher. I sew the elastic onto ladies cotton panties." The clerk looked up panty stitcher and found it classified as unskilled labor, so she gave him $300 a week employment pay.



Sven was asked his occupation."Diesel fitter" he replied. Since diesel fitter was a skilled job, the clerk gave Sven $600 a week.



When Ole found out he was furious. He stormed back into the office to find out why his friend and coworker was collecting double his pay. The clerk explained, "Panty stichers are unskilled and diesel fitters are skilled labor." "What skill?" yelled Ole. "I sew the elastic on the panties, Sven puts them over his head and says, yah, diesel fitter."
"
Dan

For the benefit of the rest of us what was the problem? Inside the lock or the linkages? And what did he do to get the lock open?
Paul Hunt 2

yea what happened ? We are not a woman, dont get what you want from us and then leave us high and dry...
James

Hi gents,
The problem was inside the lock itself. All the linkages worked as they should but something had broken inside so they had no effect. I carefully bent the metal part that held the rubber door seal, so it gave better access and then chiseled the lock so that a small part of the inside was accessable. I tried all ways to free it but it would have none of it. A friend of mine studied the lock and worked out that there was a pin on the bottom edge of the lock wheel (just below the door pull locking mechanism) that if it was either sheared or bent it should free the lock, which he did. Sounds easy as i type this but i had to do a lot of chiseling (and swearing)just so i could see a minute part of the inside of the lock. The lock itself was obviously damaged quite badly when removed from the car so its a mystery as to what actually broke. Hope this will help anyone who the same problem, but having phoned around many MGB workshops it appears to be very rare indeed. Thanks for all your help and advice once again. Chris.

James, what ever your on, give it a miss.
Chris82

That was a good one, Dan.
Liam H

Chris,
Its called being bored at work, but today is much better... Glad you got the door opened... James
James

This thread was discussed between 13/07/2007 and 25/07/2007

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