348 door stuck

A friend of mine bought this '92 348 a couple of days ago so I went to check it out. Apparently the passenger door button is seized in the open position, it feels like the lock is a bit loose but maybe catching the pin on the door pillar. Trying to open from the interior won't work either but the power door locks just lock & unlock. I tried first spraying some WD40 round the button first & when that didn't work I tried PB Breaker & let it sit for a while, that didn't work either. I drove it around with the tagra off thinking maybe that might unsettle it & relieve stress from the door, but to no avail that did help. I thought about removing the strike side panel try to get to the lock from there but think it's secured also from the inside so the door panel would have to be removed. Anyone got some ideas on how to get the door open? Also if anyone has the schematics of the inside of the door lock assembly, I would really appreciate it posting that info as well.

Thanks,

Will
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I ran out of daylight So I'll try again tomorrow, as many times as I tried it's a real bastard.

Jack, Thanks for the info. There's going to be a a small list of various items that most likely be ordered from Ricambi.

 

I worked on it for more than an hour today until I was told about something that happened when the car was delivered. Apparently when the door button was pressed in something made a horrible noise like a spring coming undone & small parts rattling around. I called James at Norwood to give him an idea of what going on & he explained it all in detail just as everyone else here did. The owner, (hopefully he will join in with us soon) wanted to get the door working as much as I did. Being in Fort Worth there not a lot of Ferrari Mechanics here, the closest is in mid cities & I don't know how to get a hold of him. Norwood was going to be too far of a drive & also the car is in need of a PPI. (Post Purchase Inspection) Not only that, I'd would driving 35+ miles into Dallas "jehad traffic" with possible unseen mechanical issues. Not wanting to risk that, the only idea I had was to call Don Istook, a veteran Porsche mechanic two miles from the owners home. He worked with Ferraris before, & has an excellent reputation so I know it will be in trusted hands. The most frustrating thing is I was completely sure I was very close solving the problem & getting this resolved. Urrghh....sometimes you get to call in an expert, I'll keep you guys posted.

www.istooks.com

 

I was about to try that but after examining the drivers door it's not even possible when the door is closed. I'm going by Istook's in a bit to see how it's coming along.

 

Problem solved, the door is now open. The cable became detached & was dangling freely so that is one reason why I couldn't find it. Also the nylon button backing is damaged, I'm still not sure how that happened but a new one will be ordered. Maybe it was pushed in at a odd angle. (if that's possible) Parts will be ordered from Ricambi so the 348 will back on the road unless another unforeseen problem arises.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The button was jammed in somehow, I noticed several areas of the car that that didn't have any grease. (door hinges, catches, etc..) That might have been a contribution to the issue. The painted button piece can be removed, it's held on with two clips but as for the nylon cylinder I hope it doesn't have to be acquired by purchasing the whole $800 kit. I'm not sure about any hope of repair of that part.