BMW E30 Rear Passenger Door Stuck Shut

[lalaman]

Car: 1987 BMW E30 325i Sedan
Issue: Rear door stuck shut

Hey so I recently bought myself a 1987 BMW e30 325i and one of the issues with the car was that the rear passenger door was stuck shut. The rear/interior handles do not work, neither does the lock. I know there have been posts about this but they've all been pretty ambiguous and I can't really follow to a certain degree.

Ex: they'll say "take off you panel and then remove the actuator" like ok but how do I remove the actuator.

I am sure it's most likely the actuator which is frozen or broken or whatever it is but I still need help knowing what to do after I have taken the rear panel/card off.

I'm sure this is fairly simple but I am new to BMW's and working on my own car as a whole (first real project) and so far I have managed to remove the rear panel/card and I believe I can see the actuator (red thing) but I am unsure of how to replace/remove it.

I will attach pictures pictures help out, thanks guys

ps: i added pictures of the broken door lock and fixed one so you can see the difference between non broken & broke. (right side is ok, left isn't a ok)
ok thx



https://www.dropbox.com/sh/svzq951de...fccMYjl6a?dl=0

[tomstin]

A few thoughts. Is the car outside and how cold is it? Possible some moisture got in there and it is frozen (I see you're in Canada)? Next, does the lock button come up and down freely? Does it feel like it's working the lock mechanism correctly? The rod that is connected to the outside door handle, is that moving freely? Feel like its working?

The picture of the mechanism appears to be the electric lock mechanism, my guess is that's not your problem. If the unlock rod or door pull rods don't move, then the physical lock mechanism is the culprit. Get an adjustable mirror and get a good look at the mechanism itself. I little WD40 or equivalent may help free things up.

Sorry, no easy answer for you!

[superj]

its funny but this is a common issue. I don't know why the back doors stick, maybe from lack of use? I don't know but if you search, you will see this happens enough that its odd.

my youngest son's 87 325 has a rear door that you have to really yank on to open, also. I have no idea why but I just get in on the other side if I have to sit in the back

[lalaman]

It was sitting in a garage for sometime but then in the cold. It's starting to get warmer now with spring approaching.

The door lock button doesn't come up and down freely, in the pictures I have linked it shows the one side door that works and how much more the door lock moves vs the broken one.

The electric lock mechanism you're referring to, is that the red object?

I decided to unscrew the red lock thing that I posted a picture of and I was able to get my door open but the inside door handle is still messed up and the lock is still weird..

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yeah it seems to happen to a lot of people, it's pretty annoying

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can you link me to a picture of the unlock rod/door pull rods ? just so I can be sure I am looking at the correct item. Thanks !

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Last thing, if it is the rods, how can I fix this issue, you mentioned dw-40 but what part am i spraying here. Thanks again

[tomstin]

Last thing, if it is the rods, how can I fix this issue, you mentioned dw-40 but what part am i spraying here. Thanks again

My guess is it's not the rods but the lock mechanism itself. Now with the door open, spray the WD-40 into the latch mechanism as far as you can. I think you need to get those rods (lock and outside door latch) moving freely. As mentioned earlier, not uncommon for those rear door latches to cause trouble as they are not used often.

[lalaman]

My guess is it's not the rods but the lock mechanism itself. Now with the door open, spray the WD-40 into the latch mechanism as far as you can. I think you need to get those rods (lock and outside door latch) moving freely. As mentioned earlier, not uncommon for those rear door latches to cause trouble as they are not used often.

alright I'll give it a go