Sporty Door

The soccer game's over and five muddy kids are waiting to get into the team Pontiac® Trans Sport®. The only problem is, the power sliding door won't open. Mom thumbs the button on the key chain transmitter frantically with no luck. Then dad tries cranking on the outside door handle. Still, the door won't open. The end result - two mud trampled front seats and one scratched center console from the kid's trek over the front seats into the back. So early Monday afternoon, a frustrated couple sits in your customer lounge, anxiously awaiting your expert diagnosis. A productive review of the factory technical service bulletins reveals a fix that will elate your two disheartened customers. The culprit in this case, is the interference between the inner door panel and the outside door handle rod. The following repair is fairly easy to accomplish and requires no new parts.

1. Remove the power sliding door inside trim panel.

2. Referring to the illustration, visually inspect item #1 for interference. If interference is present, proceed to step 3.

3. Remove the outside handle rod. With the rod removed, create a bend as shown in the illustration's item #2. Bend rod 5 mm (3/8 inch) at interference for clearance.

4. Insert the rear side door outside handle rod through the access hole in the door inner panel.

5. Snap front end of the handle rod into the outside handle assemble.

6. Snap center of the handle rod into the rod guide.

7. Pull the rod lightly rearward to remove all slack from the system, insuring the outside handle is centered.

8. Position the threaded end into the latch clip and snap the clip closed to secure.

9. Check operation of the door - repeatedly.

10. Reinstall the door trim.

The couple's apprehension was initiated by their neighbor's armchair diagnosis of "it's probably those sliding door module 'thingies' and that will probably cost you a fortune to replace." Your quick, accurate and inexpensive repair leaves them extremely relieved. Gratefully paying the bill, they shake your hand, jump into their mini-van and speed off to the detail shop to get the seats cleaned and then over to the school to pick the kids up for soccer practice and then.

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