Door latch stuck open

[Aspen03]

Well, leave it to great timing on a day I work till 11pm for this to happen. Everything has worked fine since I've owned the expy. I go out to leave for lunch today and the door opens as usual then just bounces back open when trying to shut it. I can manually actuate the latch w a screwdriver and it moves freely, it just refuses to catch and hold on.

Any odds a blast of wd40 may help or am I ripping a door panel off and latch out at midnight? I have access to an installation bay so I wont be stuck in the cold or anything. Not too familiar with them not a totally working. Ive experienced issues with friends and family vehicles where theyll hold open the circuit and keep lights and the like on but never prevent the door from using properly. Just wasnt sure how common of a failure this was and want to mentally prepare myself for it after working a 10hr day.

 

[Plati]

What's the temp outside? My 2003 does this every winter. I have been able to get it to latch by using the electronic door lock. There are threads on this Forum if it's cold related. In the past I had to strap the two front doors together inside at times which is absurd of course but you have to get going sometimes. My theory for my situation was the ... I think it's called actuator. YMMV


https://www.expeditionforum.com/posts/286936/

 

[Fordgirl01]

My 04 Navigator randomly does this in the cold too. I take the hair dryer after it and then hose silicone or wd40 wherever I can poke the straw into. I’ll think it’s all good, then it will do it again when it’s freezing cold and I need to get to work.[emoji2959]


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[Plati]

My 04 Navigator randomly does this in the cold too. I take the hair dryer after it and then hose silicone or wd40 wherever I can poke the straw into. I’ll think it’s all good, then it will do it again when it’s freezing cold and I need to get to work.[emoji2959]


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Never gets cold in Potsdam does it?

 

[Fordgirl01]

Never gets cold in Potsdam does it?

Yes.....yes it does!![emoji3063]


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[Plati]

Yes.....yes it does!![emoji3063]


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I went to Clarkson! I know Tom from the bowling alley too. Good guy.

 

[red-russian1]

We had a similar issue over the past couple of winters. Our drivers side door wouldn't stay latched when real cold outside. I used to liberally spray PB Blaster into the latch to loosen things up but eventually it went back to not latching again. The 1st time I pulled the latch out of the door, I degreased it as best as possible and relubed it with PB. That same season, I had to remove it again because the door ajar warning would not stay off. Turns out I had to remove the door ajar switch, disassemble, clean the contacts, apply dielectric grease, reassemble and reinstall. I'm not saying that's what's wrong with yours but that's where I'd look. Best thing is to Google or search YouTube. I also ended up having to replace the door hinge pins and bushings the following year. Ford Tech Mackuloco on YouTube is a great go-to.
Good luck!

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[Aspen03]

It's about 20 out right now with a bit of wind. I kind of assumed it was likely cold related though now that I've had a couple of minutes to mess with it I think the linkage to the door handle inside the door may be broken though I'd think the latch would still work in that instance. When you go to open like normal there is little resistance, where you can usually feel a slight pull. Time to pop the door panel off it seems. I did give it a good blast of wd40 about an hour ago and will have a chance to deal with it shortly.

When trying to lock it either w the fob or buttons on the door the lock doesnt move so something inside is likely not right. Guessing something made of old brittle plastic is the cause and is probably broken.

 

[Aspen03]

It ended up being a quick fix. Turns out a combination of a minor hit of corrosion on the linkage that connects the lock cylinder to the latch, coupled with what I assume was the cold let the plastic clip have enough force put on it when the car unlocked that it came off the rod/assembly and let it lay loose. Essentially it was like it was still locked and wouldnt let the latch operate normally. Odd that the door opened as it should. WD40'd everything in/around the latch assembly, used some scotch brite to clean up the little elbow that contact is made with and everything feels much more smooth and works correctly. Snapped a couple quick pics while in there and will update tomorrow. Pretty self explanatory but they may help someone, someday.

Fortunately I was at work when this happened and had tools on hand. I still havent figured out why Ford uses a Philip's, a T20, and 7mm all on the same panel, all fasteners attach to the same piece of door skin so there is no particular reason for it other than just because they can. Maybe one day I'll be smart and change them all out to something all the same.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I have had an issue w the door ajar message like just about everyone else I know and a little cleaning and silicone spray took care of it for now. I plan to install dynamat in all of the doors this spring and will remove the latches to properly clean up while I'm in there and hopefully never have an issue again.