Date:         Wed, 23 Nov 1994 21:25:33 -0600 (CST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Gerald Skerbitz <gsker@lenti>
Subject:      Re: Sliding door operation

On Wed, 23 Nov 1994, Joel Walker wrote:

> On Wed, 23 Nov 94 10:43:31 CST Gerald Skerbitz said:
> >nothing.  Can someone tell me what the front SHOULD do?  Does moving the
> >lever pull the upper (rectangular) part of the latch BACK, or does it
> >just push the hook up.  I can't imagine what might have broken here.
> 
> before you spend lots of money on new parts, get some wd-40 and spray the
> hell out of the latching mechanism. my 88 did that and it was just the grease
                                            ^^^^^^^^ Froze up? Did the 
                                                     hook get caught?
> on the latching gizmos freezing up in cold weather (and it is rather cold
> up there, right?).  about a half-can of wd-40 later, it was working fine ...
> and hasn't done it again. :)

Me spend lots of money?  <grin> I've sprayed all kinds of stuff on the 
mechanism now, and even took the rollers of the bottom rails and cleaned 
and greased those while I was at it.  The mechanism was always pretty 
free, and doesn't seem to do anything different.  No one has confirmed 
(nor denied) SStones claim that the hook doesn't move. Oh help.

> and, just in case it really is something wrong, your 84 is the last year of
> that type latching mechanism ... the 85's have a redesigned door mechanism
> that is 'easier' to open/close, with part of the mechanism at the rear of
> the sliding door.  just so you don't get the wrong one from a junk yard. ;)

Actually, this one has part of the mechanism at the rear of the sliding door.
I noticed the designation in the Green Book, but can't tell from there 
what the change was from 84 to >m.y. 85

--
Gerry
Gerald Skerbitz <gsker@med.umn.edu> U of MN Med School Admin 6-5379