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Date:         Tue, 24 Jan 1995 19:17:09 -0500 (EST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joe Clark <joeclark@freenet.scri.fsu.edu>
Subject:      Stinkin' stickin' slidin' door

Back when I lost my mind and moved from Tampa to Philadelphia, my '71 "Station Wagon" (all that chrome! :-) breadloaf did not take kindly to the PA winters.

One of its many, many manifestations this was that the rear edge of the sliding door wouldn't pop out -- as this thread has described. I drowned it in WD-40, still broke fingernails prying it open, and considered mounting an external pull handle there.

FInally I got the cumpulsive's wild hair and took the dang door completely off. Clymer is terrified of doing this, of course, and to Muir it was too new to even consider repairing, but I think Haynes or Bentley have a little about it.

Your '71 has two adjustable linkages that go from the front handle to rear latch. Pull the interior panel. Both latch assemblies as well as the top and bottom front rollers come out. The swing-pin and its track-runner can be removed (remove the beltline trim). Take that puppy off and _soak_ them parts in solvent.

(I may be forgetting some sealed bearings here. Don't soak them.)

I did this --- no parts were broken, BTW, just filmed with old grease -- and the results were like new. Realigning the door is tedious, but doable.

If your WD-40 showers don't do it and ain't nothin broken, try taking it apart and cleaning the crap out of it, then relubing it with an appropriately slippery substance.

Good luck, man. That used to drive me _nuts_. I got so's I would exit the van thru the slider, just to try and work it loose. Gnarrrrr.

Joe

joeclark@freenet.scri.fsu.edu Where there's no sense, Tallahassee, Fla. there's no feeling. Florida info, original fiction, VW stuff, IVD & kids' links: <a href="http://freenet3.scri.fsu.edu:81/users/joeclark/index.html">Me</a>


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