Tailgate won't open after spring change!

Hi,

I am currently replacing all of the broken latch springs on my disco 1....replaced the two rear door springs without issue, but thought i'd attempt the tailgate at the weekend. After disassembling the whole thing just about, I replaced everything (took loads of photos)...
The tab moved with the central locking no issue and the handle felt ok...so I closed the door....unfortunately, I then couldn't open it....!Neither the indoor or outdoor handle would open the door.

I have not yet put the door card back on, so I can see the mechanism, but do not understand where I have gone wrong.. There is a really long coil spring right at the end of the mechanism which I canot reach by hand. If I am correct this should move when the handles are operated?

Is there any way I can open the door from the inside through moving a particular element of the mechanism?

A bit gutted really, but it's my own fault, I should have checked that the door latch was working properly before I closed the door!

Many Thanks for any help.

Paddy

just wiggle bits of mechanism until you find one that will open it, if door card is still off pull the handle and watch how the mechanism moves and see if it comes to a dead end as in one of the levers has slipped out from being nocked whilst changing spring

Thanks Ben, I will try that....do you know of anywhere to get a schematic of the tailgate mechanism?

Regards

I got a landrover service manual at home, should have it in it , i will have a look when i get home and upload a pic and it could just been unlucky that something has now decided to jam, WD-40 never hurts

Hi mate,
I changed three lock springs on my disco before I sold it, and I had this problem with all three (both nearside doors and rear door), I thought I had buggered it up, and needed to replace the actuator or something. In actual fact, it was just a case of winding the long rod, with a thread on the end, one way or another, and trial and error.

Too much one way and the door wouldn't shut at all, or just about shut, but then the handle wouldn't pull enough to open the door up again.
Too much the other way meant that it would close, but then not lock in position, so just bounce back open again.

There's a happy medium where you shut it and it locks into place, but then that nice reassuring click of the handle opens up the door, when you pull it. Also when you do this, check the locks, as I found that it would shut and open absolutely fine, but then if I locked and unlocked it, it wouldn't quite lock the door, or it wouldn't quite unlock it. It's a fiddly job, but comes good after a bit of patient fiddling.

It's just a case of trial and error, and having patience with it. You've done the hard bit already on the back door, if you've managed to squeeze the mechanism back up into place anyway.

Good luck.

Thanks for your help. I will play around with the one bar with a thread on it...and see if i can get it to work. I must admit, on the rear tailgate mechanism, the threaded bar did rotate once or twice.(although I tried to avoid this)...maybe this was enough......I'll let you know how it goes.

Ben, thanks also, the schematic will be a big help if you can find it.

Regards

I posted how I did mine some time back, maybe the pics I took will show if something is not correct or dissconnected?

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f8/rear-door-lock-spring-wrong-right-way-do-137725.html


.

Don't know if you have fixed this yet but I did the same job yesterday with the same problem, I had slightly bent the lock as I removed it from the door. If the door card is off use a long screwdriver or pry bar on the moving parts and you will eventually find the one that opens the door, I realigned the lock and bent it straight and all was fixed. Good Luck
Kev