My door handle and latch were not working great so I removed the inner panels to get at the mechanism. I cleaned out all the old grease using carburetor cleaner and brake cleaner. Then I lubricated the latch and handle mechanisms. The latch works great now.
While in there I took some measurements and made a template so in case the mechanism failed to open at some point in the future, I could open the door. To release the latch you need to lift the "L" shaped lever at the top of the latching mechanism. This lever is shown in the photo below. The template shows where you can drill a 3/8" hole in the outer skin of the door so that you can use a screw driver to reach in and lift this lever. Lifting this leave also raises the lock button on the door.
The hole can then be plugged with a plastic 3/8" hole plug. You can pick one of them up at a radio communications Dealer. I was in that business and they are used to plug antenna holes when trading vehicles. Look for a Motorola or Kenwood radio dealer in your area.
Link to template in Resources:
www.gmcmotorhome.org
While in there I took some measurements and made a template so in case the mechanism failed to open at some point in the future, I could open the door. To release the latch you need to lift the "L" shaped lever at the top of the latching mechanism. This lever is shown in the photo below. The template shows where you can drill a 3/8" hole in the outer skin of the door so that you can use a screw driver to reach in and lift this lever. Lifting this leave also raises the lock button on the door.
The hole can then be plugged with a plastic 3/8" hole plug. You can pick one of them up at a radio communications Dealer. I was in that business and they are used to plug antenna holes when trading vehicles. Look for a Motorola or Kenwood radio dealer in your area.
Link to template in Resources:
Emergency door latch release instruction
Here is a template showing where you can drill a hole in the door to allow a screwdriver to flip the latch release leaver and open the door. Download the Resource PDF for the template. Center the Lock Tumbler circle over the door key tumble and...
www.gmcmotorhome.org
