Passenger Door Would not Open from Inside or Outside - Solved?

[Chuck W.]

I installed leather door panels in my Boxster last week. Yesterday I found that the passenger door would not open from the inside or outside. I figured I failed to connect something correctly. I was able to remove the door panel enough to see that everything was attached correctly.

I searched the web and found the below posting on Pelican.....

"You can try this not sure if it will work in your case though, I assume the top is down and you can get in the car.

You need to sit in the car, lock with remote key fob, pull passenger (inside) door handle, then lock with remote again. Repeat this until the fob stops responding, then stick key in ignition start car, stop car, remove key and repeat the process until the door finally opens.

After this point do NOT double click the fob lock (i.e. deadlock) or your back at square one."

I followed the instructions and tried the the door from the inside after time I pressed the lock function of the fob. After the fifth time the door opened. Nice. However, what's up? Do I have an electronic issue, a bad micro switch or was this just a reset? The posting on Pelican was 2 1/2 years old with no other information or follow up.

TIA

[The Rookie]

Hi there from a newbie, with a 2.7 986.
Unfortunately my passenger door is very deadlocked and has been for months meaning I can’t open the door. It’s my fault for trying the deadlock for the first time over winter…
I have tried locking / unlocking and tugging on the inside handle numerous times with no success. I have now taken the door card off and the plastic cover on top of the actuator to reveal the lock mechanism. Liberal soaking of WD40 hasn’t helped and I seem unable to manually push the lock mechanism to the unlock position.
Am I on the right track & is there is a way to manually open a deadlocked actuator? Or am I going to have to do something drastic like break the thing open…
Any advice appreciated!
Tim

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by The Rookie

Hi there from a newbie, with a 2.7 986.
Unfortunately my passenger door is very deadlocked and has been for months meaning I can’t open the door. It’s my fault for trying the deadlock for the first time over winter…
I have tried locking / unlocking and tugging on the inside handle numerous times with no success. I have now taken the door card off and the plastic cover on top of the actuator to reveal the lock mechanism. Liberal soaking of WD40 hasn’t helped and I seem unable to manually push the lock mechanism to the unlock position.
Am I on the right track & is there is a way to manually open a deadlocked actuator? Or am I going to have to do something drastic like break the thing open…
Any advice appreciated!
Tim

Hi,thanks for searching, the post you found is very old & he sold his Boxster.

I suggest you search the internet for more info,. & give your year model

[The Rookie]

Thought I would post where I got to in case it helps someone else.
The door actuator in the 986 is common with various vw’s so there is a lot of info out there. The most common issue is that the exterior handle stops the lock mechanism ‘reloading’. Unfortunately that wasn’t the problem with my lock either. On the plus side the commonality means replacement lock actuators are cheap. So having tried everything the net had to offer I decided to go drastic.
Parts needed: New actuator, long thin pry bar, spline bit set to remove actuator (check size with other door).
Window down, roof open. I took the interior door card off & removed the foam lining near the actuator. Then I removed the inner window seal that sits on top of the door so I could see the actuator better (it just lifts up). Then I disconnected the various plugs. Next was removing the two nuts holding the exterior handle on (I also removed a metal plate near the actuator so I could get my hand inside the door). Then I disconnected the handle from the actuator (a collar pushes in towards the car allowing a threaded bar to be pushed down) and removed the handle. Looking through the hole from the outside there is a cover on the actuator, held on by a few tiny screws, with the plug sticking out below. I broke this cover off using a pry bar from the top which exposed two small motors. Once the motors & worm screw were removed there was an obvious plastic lever which, with the lightest of touches, moved to unlock the door. Eureka I was in!!
Tim

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by The Rookie

Thought I would post where I got to in case it helps someone else.
The door actuator in the 986 is common with various vw’s so there is a lot of info out there. The most common issue is that the exterior handle stops the lock mechanism ‘reloading’. Unfortunately that wasn’t the problem with my lock either. On the plus side the commonality means replacement lock actuators are cheap. So having tried everything the net had to offer I decided to go drastic.
Parts needed: New actuator, long thin pry bar, spline bit set to remove actuator (check size with other door).
Window down, roof open. I took the interior door card off & removed the foam lining near the actuator. Then I removed the inner window seal that sits on top of the door so I could see the actuator better (it just lifts up). Then I disconnected the various plugs. Next was removing the two nuts holding the exterior handle on (I also removed a metal plate near the actuator so I could get my hand inside the door). Then I disconnected the handle from the actuator (a collar pushes in towards the car allowing a threaded bar to be pushed down) and removed the handle. Looking through the hole from the outside there is a cover on the actuator, held on by a few tiny screws, with the plug sticking out below. I broke this cover off using a pry bar from the top which exposed two small motors. Once the motors & worm screw were removed there was an obvious plastic lever which, with the lightest of touches, moved to unlock the door. Eureka I was in!!
Tim

Awesome, brilliant debut post!