2000 Astro Back Door issue..

[Ms Grumpy]

I have owned my Astro for 9 years and we love this van. In the past few years we have had problems with the back door locking mechanism. We now it is totally broken. I turn the key to lock, and have no tension or "click", same goes when I try to unlock.

With these vans there is no handle on the inside of the door, and I have tried to take off the inside panels. But I am pretty sure that they are not panels, just the cloth glued to the door.

Anyway, I am looking for any suggestions on what to do to fix this problem. I went to my friends body shop today and asked him what it would cost for him to fix it. He told me that in the past when they have seen vans with this problem, they have broken the trim to get into the door and that the cost could be over $400.00 for his shop to fix it.

HELP !!!!

[fleming23]

Any good junk yards around you?? I can't imagine the back door of a 2000 Astro is in very high demand. An entirely different door might be cheaper than the actual repair.

Just a thought.

[Ms Grumpy]

You know what, my van is in very nice condition. It is not that the back door is bad at all, it is the locking mechanism on the inside of the door. I know that we may have to damage the door to open it, I am just looking to suggestions on trying to minimize the damage. Thank you for the idea Eric.

[shadowgray396]

This is what I found, Not sure if this really helps. Never tried to take one off.

Astro door panels are secured by trim fasteners on both sides, as well as the bottom of the door panel. These fasteners are plastic plugs with shards on their shank. The fasteners are pressed into predrilled holes in the door. Care should be taken when removing these fasteners so they do not break; however, if they do break, every auto parts store carries replacements. The removal process is an easy one, and can be accomplished with little or no automotive experience.

Usually, the upholstery panel can be carefully pried off using long (flat-head) screwdrivers or something similar. The fasteners used to hold the panel on are very strong, and the panel has a relatively weak core -- so if you don't want to damage the panel, expect to spend 30 minutes or more removing it.

[earthquake68]

I agree. Take your time and take off the panel from the inside. (yes, it has a panel) I'm willing to bet a large sum of money the plastic clip holding the linkage rods in place broke off. It's quite common on GM's. ....and Fords, and Mopars, etc.

[grumpy]

Thanks for all your advice. We got some nice weather today so I'm gonna go out and see if we can fix this very annoying problem.

Dave

[Ms Grumpy]

I have made arrangements to drop the van at my brothers tonight, he is going to drive it to work tomorrow and work on it between jobs. I have a second car so it is no big deal for him to keep it, even if it is for a few days. Let's keep our fingers crossed. I have heard that the mechanism for the lock is over $200, I am hoping that maybe we just need a part. But we all know how that goes.

[fleming23]

Good luck! My guess is the engineer who designed the mechanism has never turned a wrench in his/her life. I will not allow myself to believe that people who actually know anything about working on a car are the same ones who engineer them.

[Ms Grumpy]

Originally Posted by fleming23

Good luck! My guess is the engineer who designed the mechanism has never turned a wrench in his/her life. I will not allow myself to believe that people who actually know anything about working on a car are the same ones who engineer them.

I totally agree ! We have replaced the plastic door handle a couple of times. And I am thinking that maybe we will go to the dealership and pay twice as much to get a genuine GM part, even if it doesn't need to be replaced.

[Ms Grumpy]

Got a call this morning from my brother. It was a bolt that fell/broke off in the locking mechanism. It was a cheap part...yeah ! Total cost on this was a lot less than what we thought it would be. Thanks Eric....you are the best !