random passenger door opening -springs?

98 D1 300tdi ES ("link" in below sig) has random failure of front passenger door to open by either inside or outside handle , intermittent fault , cured by jiggling lock pin up and down .

Now I know this has been discussed a lot before and I have read a bunch including the "how to" (good work , Lerk!) but as I explained in my last post I am stretched for time and the new MOT requires that all doors must open and close properly ...and you can bet that the test will be the time it chooses not to work . Plus this is the only vehicle of mine on the road at present .

So , before I start , does this sound like the common spring problem ? If it was a straight fail to work I would be convinced it was but since its so off and on I have doubts .

Does anyone have any experience of this one ? Short of telling me to just open it up ? I need all the help I can get just now due to family emergencies and anything that saves me time is a godsend . Funny thing is that I have had this problem twice before in D1s and always the passenger door .

Thanks all

shocks

I think you might be able to adjust the linkages from the handles to the catch mechanism although it might only be for the locking bit and not the latch. This is from the Haynes manual:
"Adjustment
Front door lock
The length of the exterior handle-to-lock link rod can be adjusted by screwing/unscrewing it from the lock assembly. The length of the lock assembly interior handle link rod can be altered by rotating the spring-tensioned nyloc nut which is situated at the lock end of the rod."
It's a while since I had my drivers lock apart and I can't remember if I had to adjust it or not but if you have time I think it is worth taking the door card off and having a look.
I think that, as you suspect, if the spring had gone it would be failing all the time and you might be able to get it working ok by just slightly bending some of the linkages.

If it was only the exterior handle giving trouble I would suggest you check that the handle isn't failing - that is what happened to mine and it just got steadily worse over a long time until I had to get replacement handles (I codged it from some Marina handles).
Good luck and I hope your emergencies get sorted ok.
Regards, Peter.