PART 2
Are you starting to get the moral to this wordy story? When I tell you, you will recognize the universal truth. It is this:
DON'T BE A CHEAP DUMB SHIT AND just FIX IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. IT MIGHT SAVE YOU SOME GRIEF and bullets of sweat.
There..thats it..
Here is the process the FIRST time you have the issue.
Go to ebay or even the Toyota dealer, and pay whatever is costs to get as close to OEM as possible. And then buy the following. I will list what I paid recently June 2023 (Oh yes..did I forget to say...my door would not open for the THIRD TIME?)
1. Buy this kit. It includes a new handle, new latch and new cable, ($199 or more)
2. Buy a new actuator. ($80 or more)
3. Get some telescoping mirrors and offset screwdrivers. And a good small worklight.
So what you are going to do. Is REPLACE everything with OEM parts. Because no matter what they always promise, the as-good-as-OEM are never as good right? They just don't fit perfect as then need to.
Why telescoping mirrors? Because here is what happened to me the third time...Or was it the fourth I forget.
I pulled the panels off...BUT...I could NOT open the door...the cable had come loose from the handle, but in the past, I could just pull the cable manually and pop the door open. But no matter how many times I press the key FOB...and hear the click...the door would not open. It was locked, This is the infamous case where you see videos on the internet of guys using a sawzall and cutting the latch loop off from the back, or one guy used hits dremel and cut open the black plastic box that covers the actuator and latch. Because if you don't do that...get to the actuator knob that moves in and out and locks the latch...BUT is stuck from grime or age or who knows what...you cannot get your door open.
I knew I need to get my hands down there(or a tool) and move that actuator piece/hinge manually to unlock the latch. Because the FOB could not do it.
I did not want to dremel or sawZall my car or make a big hole in the back.. I found a youtube of a guy who showed that if you can pull the plastic cover off from over the actuator and latch, you should be able to use a tool or something, and unlock your door. Doing the same thing that the actuator and FOB normally are supposed to do.
The problem is...there are two little screws around the back, that you cannot see. And they are very small. And..if they are stripped,,,you will probably need to cut or sawZall I guess. But mine were not stripped, But being blind, I could not get them out by feel. Nor did I have the tools.
I purchased a telescoping mirror set($10 amazon) and some offset screwdrivers. I already had a good LED light. So I by feel put some WD-40 on those small screws, and waited for the Amazon.
Once it came, I was out there. With the light, and little mirrors, I could see the two little screws. My offset screw drivers did not work that great. The space is so tight..not much room there. I was finally able just to hold a small drill bit in my fingers, and get the screws out. The first one was easy. The 2nd one took trying over two different days, often almost giving in to the dremel or going to the body shop or mechanic. But I got the screws out.
Now..i never really got to pull the cover off. As I was wrestling with it, my door popped open. So somehow the jiggling allows the lock mechanism to move. But if that was not the case, once I got the cover off, in time I would have got the door open with the process described.
So...once the door is open. I have access to the latch from the bottom. I removed the latch and actuator. The cable comes out with it. You will need to uplug the actuator from the tailgate. There are two cables.
I attached my new actuator to the top of my new latch mechanism. I bought some Dupont Dry lube, and I sprayed all moving parts, and cleaned all others.
Now...before you put everything back in...you can actually TEST it. Here is how.
1. Connect your new Actuator/latch to the two wire cables with snaps that you disconnected to pull the latch and actuator out.
2. With a screw driver, and your fingers, play around manually to see how the actuator actually locks the latch, When in lock position, if you pull the cable manually, the door will not open. Watch how it does it. Then when in locked position, the cable till move some levers in the bottom of the latch, the ones that close on the metal loop at the tail gate base. To clasp the door shut.
As you observe that bottom opening and closing of the parts that will grab that metal tailgate loop, understand what is OPEN, and what is Closed. BECAUSE, in order to test the KEY FOB you will need to make sure that the latch is in the OPEN position. So use a screwdriver and make sure it is OPEN, not close.
Now...that being done. It's open . Press your key FOB. you will see the actuator do its thing, and move the piece that LOCKS the latch. Now if you pull the cable, you cannot open the latch. Now,...press the FOB again, and you should see the actuator move again it's thing, and unlock the latch...so now you know it works both ways.
SO...now you are ready to put everything back together.
3. Insert the actuator(after you disconnect from the test) into the plastic cover. There are you tube videos on it..It goes in at an angle...Makes sure the cover and all parts are washed and free of dirt. I think this cover is very important. It's a DUST cover..you don't want dirt collecting on the moving latch parts. What I did..DO NOT REPLACE THE TWO LITTLE SCREWS YOU WORKED SO HARD TO REMOVE. From what i can see, the whole cover is held in place fine. And if you ever have another issue, you won't have to struggle with removing those two little screws. If it bugs you, maybe put some electrical tape of something around the cover. But don't think it needs it.
Once you get everything back togethers, you will see the latch works smoothly. Because all the parts fit together as they should, and they are all dirt free.
The point of the story is. Replace everything the first time. Don't piecemeal it. Cause everything is getting old and ready to go.
If you are lucky, you won't have to deal with the lock being stuck. That is the nightmare scenario, although now that I know how it all fits together is really not a big deal.
Oh yes..some guys out there propose putting some sort of emergency latch down there at the bottom of the latch. If I have this issue again, which I don't expect..maybe I will consider that..BUT I do not like leaving openings down there for dirt and mud to get into the moving parts. I think that is what causes a lot of the issues, besides just general aging of the parts.