SAAB 9000 CDE door lock problems

You know what?

That may be trickier than it at first sounds. Particularly if you and the

9000 don't don't want to be sporting at a tatty seal for the rest of your motoring lives together.

I'll bet the rod is probably off the little arm on the mechanism on the door (it's rattling when you move the handle - and like many things in a SAAB - that can't be good).

My best guess would be to try to get a 1/4 inch slim-jim down on the inside of the glass - use a bit of baby powder or rub it on some dry soap so it doesn't hang up on the rubber window seal. You would want to try to get it astern the lock tab heading towards the door jab against the glass by not forcing it down too hard and by using a slim-jim made of flat spring or a highly rigid 1/16 round wire bent at the end with a 1 inch hook. 1/8 is too much I think - it will bend the seal frame and leave a gap.

The inside of the latch is about 8 inches down. You'll know you're scratching it as I don't remember anything else being attached on the door jab around it. You should be able to find it by sound, then finger around with the slim-jim until you hook on to the arm. You will want to close your eyes and kind of follow the end in. You may have to withdraw and arc the slim-jim a bit so it comes off the glass towards the inside of the car to as I think the bit you want to grab is towards the inside of the machine.

However, some very clever Swede spent a lot of time thinking about just exactly how to stop you trying to open the doors on the 9000 in any thing other than the prescribed method and it may be that the latch arm is tucked in somewhere. They are a rum bunch that way.

Anyway, if I remember correctly from my last adventure in the door panel, the rod is linked to a flat arm on a the inside side of the latch mechanism and will pull towards the front of the car to trip the latch. My unrelated adventure trying to fix a jumped power window cable was not as successful as I had hoped, but the heavy tie wraps did manage to keep the window closed using ring holes in the glass carrier after I messed up the job. Here's wishing you better luck, you would do well to tread gently while working in there.

Think I'll pull my door panels in the spring and see about a little safety wire in there. Thanks for posting in. Best of luck.

Thanks for the reply, Dexter. I'll give it a try, but as you say, I guess a clever Swede has done thikgs to make the job difficult.

I may drive round to a local Saab trader and see whether I can extract some extra info from him, though I don't really want to part with any cash for this. :)

Kind regards,

Mike

Salutations:

I had one other thought later in the evening on this (I was adding 'safety wire door latch rod' to my own spring list).

I really don't know about this - but I wonder if there are actual nuts on the body side latch catch that you could remove? If so and if it is a rear door, you might be able to get to them through the wheel well by removing the splash shroud.

Be interested in what they/you finally come up with. It's the kind of problem that sounds simple enough - but might well be a lot deeper than it at first appears depending on where the rod hopped. Don't be shy about posting back the final solution please.

It is a real door, so it may well be worth removing the splash shroud and seeing if there are any nuts there. I'll take a look later.

Also, I will report back when I have a solution.

Cheers,

Mike

Sorry for the late reply (and probable incorrect reading of the thread).

I had to strip the inside rear door panel when my lock stuck, and it was fairly easy with the door shut. This was on a '91 9000 CS, so maybe yours is later and not the same.

I don't recall the details of how I did it, so it can't have been very tricky. I do remember being delighted when I managed it! Have you tried to remove the panel, or are you assuming it won't come off?

Cheers J

I've added 'safety wire the door rods' to my spring work list.

I actually closed my door and started to look around as to how he might remove the panel and still can't figure out a way. I'm running a '93 Aero with Recarro's and I don't think I could get it off without damaging the door panel or the seat regardless of what I did. I orginally suggested a slim-jim to throw the latch from above.

If you can remember what you did - I'll bet the original poster would be deeply appreciative and future googlers would be forever in your debt.

Take the seat out then!!

When I previously looked at removing the panel, in the days when the door would open, there were some screws to undo at the bottom of the panel that I can't see with the door closed. Maybe removing the seat would reveal them ... I'll look into it.

Thanks Jools,

Mike

Trust a southern cross Colonial boy.. :) ..

Actually - that would probably do it. Good call brother Richard.

Maybe you could even just lift the seat bench foward to get at the panel bolt you need to, then kind of slip the panel around the bench as you lift it out.

Still wiring my door rods down come the spring though.

That was how I did it! Not sure about a 'booted' 9000, but my '91 (pre-facelift, not as smart) allows the door liners to come off if the bolts from armrests etc are all undone, then the seats are moved around. I checked tonight. I didn't get to check my beloved's later ('97'? post-facelift)

9000. If the panels are secured under the door, then the game is up.

However, is this a major difference between hatch & booted models?

HTH J

I'm riding an '93 Aero (CS platform) and it appears that it should be possible with the seat bench up. The doors seems to be unchanged. I had an

89 CD and while the seats didn't lay down to extend the trunk/boot - I think the bench did come up with a little pull.

Again - good call guys.

Now - if the original poster remembers to drop in one more time tonight before he starts lifting the splash sreen in the wheel well as per my erroneous advise - I'll sleep better knowing I haven't sent a brother SAAB flagellant down a dusty road.

.. :/ ..

Sleep easy, Dexter.

Mike

Glad to read your sig. Cheers and good luck.