Problems With Sliding Door

[DRKOK]

Hello everyone,

I am having problems with the sliding door, which has got a self-shutting mechanism on 1995 Lucida X limited Luxury. I can not open the door at all! Could you give me any idea how can I open it? What might be the problem? Mechanically it seems the door handle is in one piece and trying to do something, i.e. I can pull it as it was before

I had got installed a remote control alarm 3 months a go. Could this be the part of the problem? How does self-shutting mechanism works i.e. does the problem mechanical or electrical? . It really is a lot of headache since all the children has to go through front door every time. Every little help please…

I look forward to your helps as always. Thank you in advance.

[Gareth B]

The self shutting mechanism has electrical contacts. Sorry i don't know much about them but you should probably go back where you had the alarm fitted and ask them.

[Tatra 603T2]

Have a look at this topic http://www.estimaownersclub.com/community/...opic,146.0.html as the problems are similar. :bookworm:

[DRKOK]

The self shutting mechanism has electrical contacts. Sorry i don't know much about them but you should probably go back where you had the alarm fitted and ask them.

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thank very much however it was fitted in Turkey last summer. Therefore that option is not available to me I am afraid. Any more ideas?

[DRKOK]

Have a look at this topic http://www.estimaownersclub.com/community/...opic,146.0.html as the problems are similar. :bookworm:

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Thank you ever so much Tatra. I have not tried about the suggestions were made on your link side. However it has got the best knowledge that I found so far. Cheers.

[DRKOK]

I still can not open my door I am affraid. I even could not open the cover from inside. I am afraid of damaging the interior. Please help at least how can I get inse the door to look at what might be wrong.

Thanks

[miti-babe]

Hello everyone,

I am having problems with the sliding door, which has got a self-shutting mechanism on 1995 Lucida X limited Luxury. I can not open the door at all! Could you give me any idea how can I open it? What might be the problem? Mechanically it seems the door handle is in one piece and trying to do something, i.e. I can pull it as it was before

I had got installed a remote control alarm 3 months a go. Could this be the part of the problem? How does self-shutting mechanism works i.e. does the problem mechanical or electrical? . It really is a lot of headache since all the children has to go through front door every time. Every little help please…

I look forward to your helps as always. Thank you in advance.

←

[miti-babe]

DRKOK

You'll need to break the problem down into either electrical or mechanical before you get to the bottom of this...  All the MPV sliding doors locks have two "modes" (same as all other car dors really..)  The first is "Latched"... This is a mechanical function and prevents the door from simply swinging back open again once it's been shut.  The second mode is "locked" this can be a nechanical function, but since nearly every Previa/Lucida/Emina/Whatever built by Toyota has central locking, it's fairly safe to assume that the lock function will be electrical on your Lucida...

Next thing to check is whether or not the lock is operetaing (or even trying to operate...).  With your current situation, the best you can do is to have someone operate the passenger or driver's door lock while you have a good listen to the sliding door for any signs of the lock switching back and forth.  If it's all quiet in there, then you're going to have to get the interior trim off the door and physically pull the locking lever across... the latch is 100% disabled until this lever moves across and the door will not open if you can't unlatch it...

Also...

The contact pads for the door electrics can only be accessed with the door open, so fault finding the circuits up to that point can only be done with the door open...

My Haynes Manual for the Previa says that the trim panel is held on by "pop-on" trim clips all the way around and that the door hande and lock trim bezel must be removed before the trim panel is pried away from the door...

Beware of any electrical harnesses that may be affixed to the rear of the trim panel, if you have speakers or any other electrical equipment in that sliding door...

One last point... check for any other failed electrical items... you may have a blown fuse and it's often the case that one fuse feeds a number of circuits.  Identifying the other failed items may identify which fuse to check...

Good Luck..!

Jeff

Hello everyone,

I am having problems with the sliding door, which has got a self-shutting mechanism on 1995 Lucida X limited Luxury. I can not open the door at all! Could you give me any idea how can I open it? What might be the problem? Mechanically it seems the door handle is in one piece and trying to do something, i.e. I can pull it as it was before

I had got installed a remote control alarm 3 months a go. Could this be the part of the problem? How does self-shutting mechanism works i.e. does the problem mechanical or electrical? . It really is a lot of headache since all the children has to go through front door every time. Every little help please…

I look forward to your helps as always. Thank you in advance.

←

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[Big Ed]

:hokus-pokus: Your luck is in. (Sorry, they don't call me big ed for nothing.) I have had the problem too on my 1994 Lucy. I assume from notes above you have a Previa manual, regardless here goes;

Remove inside handle: You will need a 12" - 18" peice of cloth (Highly technical) summer dress type material (Don't tell the mrs) proably 6" - 8" wide. You need to wrap it round the shaft holding the handle on. So that it slips between the handle and the trim of the door. You need then to dislodge a clip by using a polishing motion (This took about 15mins first time so be warned). The clip can be replaced in a number of ways so you'll have to work round to find which way it's facing. It's basically a C shaped clip with sticky outy bits at each end. Good luck! When the spring clip pops out the handle slides off and a plastic washer thing the purpose of which remains a mystery. Remember how they came off though!

The rest is simple!!!

One posidrive screw in the lock switch surround and two in the lower half of the door. The one in the lock will allow you to remove the switch surround which slides to the side before coming away. The switch stays in place. (You'll probably end up with a bruise from the seat which gets in the way during all these operations!) You then have to pry off the panel, there are a number of clips so take your time as the panel is in two halves and only joined with staples.

The panel can then be slid out towards the back of the car checking for any further attachements as you go. Mine didn't have any.

Now you will be confronted by a plastic sheet stuck down around the edges by the most sticky substance known to man. My preference at this stage would be to slice a hole in this in the right place rather than try and remove the whole sheet. This is to protect the inner skin from moisture damage so make only the minimum incision. The right place is roughly central to the whole door and a magic box with a number of electrical connections, one of which heads towards the handle end of the door low down. If you disconnect and reconnect each electrical connection in turn one of them will result in the very satisfying sopund you hear when shutting the door. Replace the handle temporarily and you should open it. I hope you do.

Now the painful bit: On the leading edge of the door are two black things with a number of spring loaded connectors in. The lower one has two connectors I bet that one of these has a broken spring and therein lies the source of the problem. This unit unscrews and weighe about an ounce but will set you back £24 at the dealers who will order it and take two weeks to get it.

And as they say in all the good manuals reffitting is simply a revers of dismantle.

Have lots of fun.

If the above doesn't work try all other electrical connections and the springs in the three pronged connector as well.

Please let me know how you get on.

If ordering the bit I would advise (kids allowing) leave the trim off the inside, disconnect the two pronged connector and use the door wityout the luxury of the auto closer. If not it may stick again and you have to do it all again.

Big Ed

[Tatra 603T2]

Hi Ed,

That sounds like the sort of tip that should be added to the Tips section of the Estima Forum at http://www.estimaownersclub.com/community/index.php ! Any chance?

[pod51]

Hello everyone,

I am having problems with the sliding door, which has got a self-shutting mechanism on 1995 Lucida X limited Luxury. I can not open the door at all! Could you give me any idea how can I open it? What might be the problem? Mechanically it seems the door handle is in one piece and trying to do something, i.e. I can pull it as it was before

I had got installed a remote control alarm 3 months a go. Could this be the part of the problem? How does self-shutting mechanism works i.e. does the problem mechanical or electrical? . It really is a lot of headache since all the children has to go through front door every time. Every little help please…

I look forward to your helps as always. Thank you in advance.

←

Before you do anything take a look at this as the same thing happened to me on Boxing Day and after following the instructions In this thread I repaired the problem at no cost.

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.p...=0entry251994

[DRKOK]

Thank you all especially for Jeff and Big Ed who had contributed to my problem significantly. I really mean about my gratitude because you had spent a lot of your valuable time in replying. I will give my best this weekend in the light of your suggestions and promise you will be the first to know about the outcome.

DRKOK

:)

[the harlequin]

:D hi Big Ed

Have had the same problem with the sliding door of my estima but after reading your solution I managed to rectify with a bit of diy therefore saving myself approx £60 to have it done at a local garage. Many thanks for your tips, I have now joined the TOC and look forward to many hours of tips, advice and general chit chat in the coming months.

Regards

the harlequin

:hokus-pokus: Your luck is in. (Sorry, they don't call me big ed for nothing.) I have had the problem too on my 1994 Lucy. I assume from notes above you have a Previa manual, regardless here goes;

Remove inside handle: You will need a 12" - 18" peice of cloth (Highly technical) summer dress type material (Don't tell the mrs) proably 6" - 8" wide. You need to wrap it round the shaft holding the handle on. So that it slips between the handle and the trim of the door. You need then to dislodge a clip by using a polishing motion (This took about 15mins first time so be warned). The clip can be replaced in a number of ways so you'll have to work round to find which way it's facing. It's basically a C shaped clip with sticky outy bits at each end. Good luck! When the spring clip pops out the handle slides off and a plastic washer thing the purpose of which remains a mystery. Remember how they came off though!

The rest is simple!!!

One posidrive screw in the lock switch surround and two in the lower half of the door. The one in the lock will allow you to remove the switch surround which slides to the side before coming away. The switch stays in place. (You'll probably end up with a bruise from the seat which gets in the way during all these operations!) You then have to pry off the panel, there are a number of clips so take your time as the panel is in two halves and only joined with staples.

The panel can then be slid out towards the back of the car checking for any further attachements as you go. Mine didn't have any.

Now you will be confronted by a plastic sheet stuck down around the edges by the most sticky substance known to man. My preference at this stage would be to slice a hole in this in the right place rather than try and remove the whole sheet. This is to protect the inner skin from moisture damage so make only the minimum incision. The right place is roughly central to the whole door and a magic box with a number of electrical connections, one of which heads towards the handle end of the door low down. If you disconnect and reconnect each electrical connection in turn one of them will result in the very satisfying sopund you hear when shutting the door. Replace the handle temporarily and you should open it. I hope you do.

Now the painful bit: On the leading edge of the door are two black things with a number of spring loaded connectors in. The lower one has two connectors I bet that one of these has a broken spring and therein lies the source of the problem. This unit unscrews and weighe about an ounce but will set you back £24 at the dealers who will order it and take two weeks to get it.

And as they say in all the good manuals reffitting is simply a revers of dismantle.

Have lots of fun.

If the above doesn't work try all other electrical connections and the springs in the three pronged connector as well.

Please let me know how you get on.

If ordering the bit I would advise (kids allowing) leave the trim off the inside, disconnect the two pronged connector and use the door wityout the luxury of the auto closer. If not it may stick again and you have to do it all again.

Big Ed

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[DRKOK]

:D hi Big Ed

Have had the same problem with the sliding door of my estima but after reading your solution I managed to rectify with a bit of diy therefore saving myself approx £60 to have it done at a local garage. Many thanks for your tips, I have now joined the TOC and look forward to many hours of tips, advice and general chit chat in the coming months.

Regards

the harlequin

:hokus-pokus: Your luck is in. (Sorry, they don't call me big ed for nothing.) I have had the problem too on my 1994 Lucy. I assume from notes above you have a Previa manual, regardless here goes;

Remove inside handle: You will need a 12" - 18" peice of cloth (Highly technical) summer dress type material (Don't tell the mrs) proably 6" - 8" wide. You need to wrap it round the shaft holding the handle on. So that it slips between the handle and the trim of the door. You need then to dislodge a clip by using a polishing motion (This took about 15mins first time so be warned). The clip can be replaced in a number of ways so you'll have to work round to find which way it's facing. It's basically a C shaped clip with sticky outy bits at each end. Good luck! When the spring clip pops out the handle slides off and a plastic washer thing the purpose of which remains a mystery. Remember how they came off though!

The rest is simple!!!

One posidrive screw in the lock switch surround and two in the lower half of the door. The one in the lock will allow you to remove the switch surround which slides to the side before coming away. The switch stays in place. (You'll probably end up with a bruise from the seat which gets in the way during all these operations!) You then have to pry off the panel, there are a number of clips so take your time as the panel is in two halves and only joined with staples.

The panel can then be slid out towards the back of the car checking for any further attachements as you go. Mine didn't have any.

Now you will be confronted by a plastic sheet stuck down around the edges by the most sticky substance known to man. My preference at this stage would be to slice a hole in this in the right place rather than try and remove the whole sheet. This is to protect the inner skin from moisture damage so make only the minimum incision. The right place is roughly central to the whole door and a magic box with a number of electrical connections, one of which heads towards the handle end of the door low down. If you disconnect and reconnect each electrical connection in turn one of them will result in the very satisfying sopund you hear when shutting the door. Replace the handle temporarily and you should open it. I hope you do.

Now the painful bit: On the leading edge of the door are two black things with a number of spring loaded connectors in. The lower one has two connectors I bet that one of these has a broken spring and therein lies the source of the problem. This unit unscrews and weighe about an ounce but will set you back £24 at the dealers who will order it and take two weeks to get it.

And as they say in all the good manuals reffitting is simply a revers of dismantle.

Have lots of fun.

If the above doesn't work try all other electrical connections and the springs in the three pronged connector as well.

Please let me know how you get on.

If ordering the bit I would advise (kids allowing) leave the trim off the inside, disconnect the two pronged connector and use the door wityout the luxury of the auto closer. If not it may stick again and you have to do it all again.

Big Ed

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:) :) :) :D How wonderful to have an access to back seat after all it is a 8 seater not 2. Thank you for all your helps again.

I tried to follow the instructions given by all the members and quite mixed up. It took two days to sort it out. It is quite difficult and we needed to remove the passenger seat to work as well.

You better follow one of them. The most difficult one was to take the motor out since it is difficult to put it back and it is in a rather difficult area to work with.

We ended up loosing the springs for the motor and in the end going all around Nottingham. We could not find any suitable ones ended up using a pen spring by cutting to size.

My problem seemed to be different than others. Open inspection it was not clear where the problem was so we needed to do bit of everything. I suppose we could have given a test to motor first whether it was working before dismantling it but when you are frustrated and without a sliding door for too long you don’t have much patience.

Any way the problem was a sliding door jam. It was faulty from the beginning which I did not understand it. I told the dealer and he told me quite normal!!!! Although it had a self shutting mechanism we needed to shut quite strong in order for the door to operate. It used to get jammed quite often but we got away by pushing the door until the self shutting mechanism kicked in. It appears that after a while door completely fell on the door catchers so that the motor on the self shutting was unable to operate any more. The catchers are rather u shaped type of operating though circular in shape. When it is on the open end the door opens. When we in lined the door where it should have been and put the motor and other bits back the whole system worked luckily my case quite well even with the pen springs!

We now only have to shut it ever so gently in order to self shutting system takes over and shut it properly.

I appreciate all your helps even though every case is individual. I learned how to take the door out (cloth around it was the best option) the panel out and had some idea how the system works through your recommendations. Without you I would have not even attempted in the first place.

Thank again and please keep sharing your experiences please.

Dr KÖK

P.S. In the long process I have lost the c shape clip despite your warnings. Where can I get one???

[Big Ed]

I think a Toyota dealer is the best option. A breakers yard may be another but the clip should only be cheap!!!! (knowing Toyota main dealers that's probably a fiver!)

You could always make your own then you couls leave a little handle on it for getting it out next time. (hopefully there won't be a next time)

Ed.

[Nickfixit]

Same problem but as DRKOK not enough power to move the motor.

Not having any spare wires (or the nerve to try to bypass the proper electrics) I removed the moter casing. This is two alan keybolts top and bottom (be careful not to drop them particularly the bottom one as the door is very unforgiving of dropped screws etc.) carefully whithdraw the motor housing but as soon as you can see the comm insert an electrical screwdriver to stop the motor being withdran with the housing. (The housing is magnetic) If you fail to get a screwdriver in early enough you will have to lift the brushes and push the motor back into place. If you pull the housing off without holding the motor in place the brush springs will shoot off and have to be replaced (find an electrical motor rewinder).

Once you succeeded in that turn the motor by hand clockwise keeping a constant inward pressure until you hear a click. Job done.

Hold the motor inplace again with a small screwdriver and push the housing back into place, replace the allan bolts.

Open the door and fix the switch.

I stripped the switch down.

Push the lugs in on each side and push the rear cover plate out through the back with a screwdriver.

The broken spring should be obvious.

The black plastic pin cover twists to loosen and then pulls off.

A small c clip holds the spring cover in place then remove the spring.

A replacement for the spring was much harder a was eventually found in a push switch on a toy lorry.

It is quite a heavy spring.

Real pain in the neck job. Should have fixed it when the door first started playing up.

Good luck to the next guy.

Ps Tried to get into the wiring in the door post to loop round the problem. Found it not accessable. There are some wries leading into the post but they dont match up.

[Donald M]

Big Ed,

Thank you thank you thank you. :)

I have 95 Estima. It was almost exactly as you described. Following your instructions I got the door open. Then removed that spring loaded contact. Managed to open the plastic housing and indeed a spring was broken. Went to a local hardware store and found a matching spring for $2.50 New Zealand (about 1GBP) couldn't slide the spring on but wound it on then cut it to length. Tested everything worked. Now all back together again.

Took about 2 hours of fiddling but I'm very happy.

For anyone that is new to removing panels like I am. In my vehicle:

- the screw holding on the lock surround was hidden in a recess, I never saw it until I'd been trying to pull the housing off for a couple of minutes.

- the plastic bits that hold on the door from the inside (there were two) come off if you press in the centre with something like a nail or chopstick.

Donald

Your luck is in. (Sorry, they don't call me big ed for nothing.) I have had the problem too on my 1994 Lucy. I assume from notes above you have a Previa manual, regardless here goes....