I did a quick search but didn't really find what I was thinking. I have an '81 3/4 ton, and the passenger door won't open. I'm thinking there must be something wrong with the door lock, but I'm not sure. The lock will pull up after pulling on the interior handle, but the exterior handle button will not budge. Anyone have an idea for me to try?

Or a better picture than the one in the Chilton Manual. I've been meaning to get a Haynes manual, but I am 50 miles away from the truck most days of the week currently so I can't run out and look at it as often as I'd like, so I've kind of put buying the manual on hold.

 

You may be able to get a manual from the library for 71-93 trucks

 

soak everything you can with liquid wrench penetrating oil or something similar(wd40 is not a penetrating oil). if you can get the door panel off i would spray the latch and everything that moves or is suppose to move with it. eventually it will do its job and you will most like be able to open up the latch.

 

Thats kind of what I was afraid you would say. I will try that again. And I already have a Chilton book for the truck, but the door latch diagram is not as easy to see as some of the other ones I have seen.

 

that is pretty much the only thing you can do. hopefully with enough penetrating oil it will free everything up and the door will just pop open.

 

Half of my driver door look mechanism is missing. I have to lock and unlock it from the inside. You may be in a similar position.

 

If you need to, the door handles are pretty easy to take off. I took mine off when I painted the truck. On my '89, there's a little plastic vent that comes out of the door just above the latch mechanism. You may be able to look in there and see if something is jammed up or if it's corroded.

 

Pull the interior panel and look at the mechanism. You can see if any of the rods have come off due to clip failure and you can get the oil in all of the moving points. If you have to the seat comes out easy enough. Sure wish I could post this picture from my Chilton manual #8166, it shows the mechanism and labels what each part does. My scanner won't work since I upgraded my operating system.

EDIT: I just looked and all 3 of my manuals have the picture. Two are Haynes.

 

on his truck there is not likely a vent. both my truck don't have vent but my 91 has a manual release like on the back of the latch just like the tailgate but my 81 does not. even if there was a vent he would have to get the door open to find out and then he would not be having this problem. when i first got my 91 the passenger side door had been stuck shut for about 4 years. i kept soaking everything in penetrating oil and eventually with my dad pushing the button a pulling the handle and me push from the inside we managed to get it open. once open i soaked everything with oil and kept open and closing the mechanism without closing the door.

 

My bad, I misunderstood, thought he could get the door open, just not from the outside.