Date:         Thu, 13 Jul 95 14:48:31 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      Re: sliding door lock, 82 vanagon

On Thu, 13 Jul 95 14:42:28 CDT Erik Soule said:
Joerg writes:
> Does anybody know how to fix the sliding door lock on an 82 vanagon? In
> my van (name: turtle, what else could you call a diesel westy), the
> little knob on the inside that locks the sliding door does not stay in
> the "open" position any more. To open the door you have to either push
> the knob up (from the inside) or keep the key turned (from the outside).
> It seems like a spring or something is missing.
> Does anybody know how to remove the door panel in order to get to the lock?

then Erik replies:
>I've got the same problem on my '82. I looked into it once, and reached the
>conclusion that you need to remove the inside door panel. This looks like a
>major PITA since the plastic fasteners that hold the door panel on seem like
>they'll break and need to be replaced when you pry them off.
>Anybody have any luck with this operation?

then Phattass, the Half-fast Shade-tree Mechanic pompously says:

there is a "trick" to getting the panels off the inside of buses. those
little plastic fasteners are shaped like a T in one direction and like a
figure eight (8) in the other. what you need to do is get a wide blade
screwdriver under the T and pry up gently. it helps a lot if you have a
special tool: a bent screwdriver, with a wide blade ... and the blade has a
slot in it. you can see them in the do-it-yourself section of your local
Autozone, Pep-boys, or whatever. the slot may not be wide enough for the vw
fasteners, though ... i had to file the slot wider on mine.

warning: the older the bus, the more likely these things are to break. :(
so check around at the local parts-whatever in that same section and see if
they have any replacements. the vw dealer can get them (most likely has them
in stock), but they'll be like 40 cents each. :(

now, as to the sliding door panel. it's NOT all plastic fasteners!! there are
a couple of sheet metal screws in there as well, back toward the back bottom.
so watch for that.

what i have had to do (as best i can recall) was this:
remove the inner handle. then pry up one of the fasteners (you can feel the
bump where they are). that allowed me to remove that big plastic cover that
is over part of the lock mechanism. once you get this out of the way, you
can work your way back toward the rear of the door by prying one fastener up
at a time. you may find that you do NOT need to completely remove the panel.
BUT if you do not, remember to be very careful when you open the door to get
out!!!! (i ruined a panel in learning this!). :(

to put the panel back on, line up the fasteners with the holes, and just
kinda bump it with the heel of your hand ... not too hard, just a tap. sorta.
then work your way back around the edge of the panel. don't forget to put
that plastic cover back onto the panel before you do the fasteners near it.

a thought: while you are taking the panel off, why not get some Rubberized
Undercoating and spray inside the door on the metal skin ... it dampens the
vibrating and makes the car quieter. just don't spray it on the panel or on
anything else!! that stuff will NOT come out of cloth and such.

i don't recall anything specific about the locking mechanism, except that
you might try some WD-40 or some such first ... it might just be all crudded
up with old grease and dirt.

joel