Car in storage for 20 years; doors stuck shut!

[GEORGE GEORGIADES]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to recover a DeLorean which has been hidden in a closed warehouse for the past 20 years. The original owner has handed me the keys, but after multiple tries I cannot get either door to open.

When I turn the key I can hear inside the door that the mechanism is moving / latch is opening(?) but the doors remain firmly shut.

Is there a way (even if near impossible if what I've been reading in the forum is true) to open the doors from the outside without damage to the car / locks?

George

[Rich]

First things first. And a few ground rules.

A. Question: Did you turn the door key in the unlock direction? All the way? Before lifting the handle?

Unlock directions for both doors: Rotate the top of the door key toward rear of the car before lifting the handle.

No need to force the key. The lock cylinder should rotate easily about 90 deg. at least on the two-key cars. Just be sure they key turns all the way to its stop position, then lift the door handle.

B. Info: Do NOT lift the door handle with a lot of force hoping to un-stick the door. The original handles are weak and can break/crack.

Even if the rubber seals are sort of stuck the door should move a least a little after the front and rear latches start to release. If you want to try lifting the door with more force keep the door handle in the full up/release position with normal force after unlocking then add more force by lifting the door from its lower edge, just above the black plastic sill below it.

The mechanism you hear when you turn the key is the lock-unlock linkage. You should be able to look at the inside door lock rocker in the middle of the door armrest and see it move forward and back when you turn the key back and forth. The handle-to-latch linkage is separate but connected to the lock linkage.

[lazabby]

It almost sounds like the linkage is messed up. There is a clip in the door that holds tension on the linkage. Kinda hard to explain without seeing it. I'm surprise both doors won't open. You may need to contact one of the DMC facilities for advice. Keep us posted.

[David T]

It could be that you have the door unlocked but it is stuck closed because the door gasket is sticking. Try lifting the door as you pull on the handle. Do NOT pull hard on the door handle or it can break. You should be able to feel the mechanism locking and unlocking as you turn the key.

[TTait]

Even better, lift the door handle to disengage the latches only, and then use another hand or better another person to lift the door itself by gripping at the bottom edge with their fingertips. One hand near the front of the door and one near the rear. You may be able to tell if one latch has disengaged but the other has not.

You also should tell us where you are. Its possible that someone here lives a mile away...

[GEORGE GEORGIADES]

Hi all,

Many thanks for your responses and suggestions.

I've tried moving the lock cylinder to the unlock position, lifted the door handle without excessive force but the door is still not opening. My guess was that the rubber seals are stuck; after trying with extra force by lifting from the lower edge, the door wouldnt move at the slightest. This brings to mind that the issue is greater than it appears.

I'm considering to bring over a locksmith and attempt again.

Disclaimer: I am located in Cyprus, and this car is absolutely unique over here. We unfortunately have no experience with it and i'm afraid that even an expert locksmith may do damage to the door.

If you have any further suggestions do please let me know.

George

[iflights]

As mentioned above, it is strange that both doors have the same behavior. What is the most likely cause that would both doors have the exact same symptoms? The principle of Occam's razor comes to mind here.

[Rich]

From post #2 there is still one diagnosis question to answer before locksmithing.

See boldface below. If you see the interior lock rocker move forward and back as you turn the key to full lock-unlock positions then you know the lock cylinder linkage is connected between those points. That rocker is black, about 4cm x 8cm and is not labeled.

Can you verify interior lock rocker moves in unison with exterior lock-key?


First things first. And a few ground rules.....

Even if the rubber seals are sort of stuck the door should move a least a little after the front and rear latches start to release. If you want to try lifting the door with more force keep the door handle in the full up/release position with normal force after unlocking then add more force by lifting the door from its lower edge, just above the black plastic sill below it.

The mechanism you hear when you turn the key is the lock-unlock linkage. You should be able to look at the inside door lock rocker in the middle of the door armrest and see it move forward and back when you turn the key back and forth. The handle-to-latch linkage is separate but connected to the lock linkage.

[DMC-81]

This is great advice so far, but you can also try lifting the door handle enough the release the latch, while simultaneously pressing down on the front latch area, then the rear latch area, and if necessary, both areas. Press down on the door and jiggle/vibrate the latch.

What you're trying to do is release a latch mechanism that is stuck by excessive upward force.

One of my doors would stick when I first got my car because the door striker pins were out of alignment. Therefore, the front latch was getting stuck as described above. This is the way I was able to open the door. Before I was able to adjust the pins, the door would stick if closed too hard.

[bfloyd]

Like the post before mine said, although it seems the opposite of what you think would work, when my drivers side door became stuck I found that pressing DOWN on the door (while lifting the handle) got it to free up. It's never a cool look to have to crawl over the console to exit out the passenger side - especially at 54 years old!

[mhanch]

This might be the wrong approach, but I found this over at the old tech page: https://dmcnews.com/Techsection/lockout.html

Author/source: Mike Clemens / DML
EDITOR NOTE - normally we don't publish ways to break into a DeLorean, but this is complex enough that the casual crook isn't going to be doing this in your driveway.

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Okay, This may take a while to read and understand, but enough of you folks asked, so I'll post the opening procedure that worked for me with zero damage to the car.

First, you need to open the engine compartment. Open up the coat hangar completely and make a small hook in it. From under the backside, hook the latch to open the engine cover.

Next remove the right angle cover (plastic) that covers the electrics in the front right of the engine compartment. Locate the automatic transmission plug and tag the "LIGHT GREEN/WHITE" wire for future reference.

Next, carefully disconnect the car battery from the alternator, so there is no power on the car. Tape the cable so it cannot touch anything. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF THE NEXT STEP!!

Next, jack up the car and remove the front left wheel. Then take that same coat hanger and wiggle it aroundthe rubber grommet (hook side first) at the rear of the wheel well. After you push it in about a foot or so, you will see it emerging in the drivers footwell. Keep pushing and shaping the wire so it angles over to the drivers side window switch. This will take numerous tries and much getting up and down because you can't see the wire while you feed it. Lots of patience is required!!

Once you have got it next to the switch, hook under the backside of it so it will force the top (backside) of the switch up. This is the same as pushing the window "down" side. Now you are almost home.

Now, go back to the automatic transmission plug that you thought you'd never use, if you have a manual
trans. Take the small jumper and connect the negative side of the battery to a metal part on the engine. Connect the second jumper to the positive side of the battery and touch the other end of the lead to the (LIGHT GREEN/WHITE) wire in the plug. Your toll window will come down and you can open the door using the inside handle. You should hear the window moving.

For those of you who are wondering----the LIGHT GREEN/WHITE wire connects to fuse #16, out of there it becomes WHITE/BLUE to a junction, then down to fuse #11, out of there it LIGHT GREEN/WHITE to another junction and then up to the power window switch #77 and into the motor.

This worked very well for me and as I said before, it beats the hell out of breaking a window. If anyone sees a flaw in this, electrically, let me know since it has been a year since I had to do it.