Driver Door Want Unlock

Thanks guys for your advise. I will try them and let you know. I don't want to destroy the panel unless I have to and also one to replace it.

Am wondering if the following Forum item from 2002 might help? Going through the outside mirror mount opening sounds like a feasible approach. As George Camp indicated, it would be advisable to first have a look inside the passenger door panel, for guidance.
http://jcna.com/forums/view.php?Vref=JCNA&Vfnum=150&Vthread=12

Not sure if this will help, but.....

I've worked on a couple Ser III XJ6s with doors that wouldn't open from inside or outside. In those cases I was able to remove the door trim panel even though the door was closed. Awkward, but nothing was destroyed.

My memory of XJS trim panels isn't good enough to promise that the same would be possible in this case. My gut feeling is that it can be done, though.

Anyhow.....

With the trim panel removed I found that the latch mechanism itself was inoperative. With a bit of experimenting I was also able to "trip" the mechanism and open the door.

In one case the latch was flat-out broken and required replacement. In the other case the latch was just stuck. That is, the little levers and widgets within the latch itself weren't actuating as they should. I removed the latch, cleaned with solvent, re-lubricated everything and....presto!

Cheers
DD

Linda hopefully we have understood your plight correctly. If you can not open the door from either the inside or the outside you have had a failure of both the inside and outside operating rods. Williams idea would not work if this is true as it seems that the rod to the servo is still in place and disconnecting it will not help plus diving into the A post with the door closed would be an epic journey. As I wrote before you are going to need to access the latch mech. one way or another. Destroying the door panel would do it but in thinking about it there is one more slight option. Someone very familiar with the latch assembly might--and I mean might--be able to slip some purpose made tool into the window slot and engage the latch to open it. I think if I were faced with this problem I would remove the passengers door panel and form my tool to do the job on that side as the entire job on the locked door will be by feel only--completely blind. As I said in a prev. post I have seen the rod clips fail but never both at once. Was your door hit or abused such as being slammed very hard repeatedly?

Linda, if the door relocks itsself when you try to open it it could be a fault in the locking system. You could have someone find the wiring to the drivers side only, (possibly in the drivers leg side panel) disconnect them and with a positive feed the lock can be then worked remotely open and closed .

This is a message for Messrs: Petry and Sexton:
C'mon guys, we have a damsel in serious distress here!
While being impressed at her ability to climb in/out of the windows,
I think it is time for you two to chime in with your normal good guidance.

It seems like the door goes back to automatic lock when I use the key or passenger side lock. Does that mean anything? Also how bad would I have to destroy the door panel?

Door will not open from inside or outside. The handle operates and the inside latch does move back and forth, but the door want budge. The latches on both doors do go back and forth together when one is being moved. Thanks. Let me know if you have any other suggestions.

Edited on 2013-12-09 9:48:31
Edited on 2013-12-09 9:45:18
Hi Linda: of course, what George says, also, I have a 1994 XJS, and on occasion the same thing happens to my driver side too. What I have done is to exercise the door handle on the passenger side, moving it back and forth several times, and have found that to solve my problem, when both latches are in sync with one another. George is right if the rods are out of the holders, as I opened this note with. Ali, EastNC

Edited on 2013-12-09 9:43:41
Hi Linda: of course, what George says, also, I have a 1994 XJS, and on occasion the same thing happens to my driver side too. What I have done is to exercise the door handle on the passenger side, moving it back and forth several times, and have found that to solve my problem, when both latches are in sync with one another. George is right if the rods are out of the holders, as I opened this note with. Ali, EastNC

Linda are you saying that you can not open the door by either the internal door handle or the external handle? If you can open it by the external handle then the rod from the inside handle has slipped out of its keeper (or retaining plastic clip has broken). However if it will not open by either way both rods have come off (never seen that) and the only way I can think of opening the door for repair at that point would require destruction of the door panel. Good luck.