Chevy & GMC Vans

I know this is a common problem with Astro's.My 1994 LT's door latch will release,but when I go to close it the plastic latch doesn't lock the door closed.I would guess it is on a cable of some kind and wanted to know if I can lube it from the outside or how is the cable run??.Do I need to get under the van to get to it or does the pannel inside have to be taken off to get to it?.Is there a common part that fails all the time??. :-k :-k

Before I shaved mine I had that problem Gary. My thoughts are that dirt gets in around the release handle on the floor causing the cable to not return to the proper postion to latch door. Seems like I shot some PB in the cable housing around the handle and that took care of it but that was several years back.

Rebel wrote:Before I shaved mine I had that problem Gary. My thoughts are that dirt gets in around the release handle on the floor causing the cable to not return to the proper postion to latch door. Seems like I shot some PB in the cable housing around the handle and that took care of it but that was several years back.

How do you get to the cable housing??.From the bottom??.

Gary, I can't remember to tell you the truth. Seems like it ran through or along the rocker and up through rear panel to door but not sure. Wish I could be more help but has just been so long since I removed mine. Maybe some of these other guys can steer you in the right direction.

Rebel wrote:Gary, I can't remember to tell you the truth. Seems like it ran through or along the rocker and up through rear panel to door but not sure. Wish I could be more help but has just been so long since I removed mine. Maybe some of these other guys can steer you in the right direction.

Rebel-I might have missed it,but I did do a search and didn't find a thread for it.

I've never seen anything posted on the gas door cable before. No pics or anything that I can remember.
Good luck,,you'll get an answer sooner or later I'm sure.

heres what i did...
the wire for the latch trigger broke, so i ripped the whole thing out. took the plastic latch off the gas door, and then took the steel piece that hold the door closed, from another gas door and put it on mine along with the other one, so it would hold itself shut tighter.
just the one alone doesnt do good enough without the latch.
it worked the whole time i had the van, except you had to get your fingers under the door to open it...
i was gonna post it so many times but i just forgot...

if you dont understand what im talkin about, next time you get gas, just check what holds it shut, and theres a place for another one right near it.

I'm pretty sure that this would help: http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/cable_luber Well, that, plus some cable lube.
You will have to take the cable off the van and let it hang vertically. Clamp the tool to the top part of the cable and squirt the lubricant through to the bottom of the cable.
Motorcyclist use this on the throttle cables, and also cable actuated clutches and (if you've got a really old bike) some brake systems as well. Now, I have seen this approach NOT work sometimes, but it's mainly been on dirtbikes. In which case you just replace the cables. The cables weren't so expensive on motorcycles, but I might imagine the stealership isn't so cheap for this part.

HELP please!!!

My problem is that the door won't open when the lever is pulled. Same problem on both of the 1994 Safari's I've owned. This one started out being just a winter problem, apparently freezing so the cable wouldn't move. Now it's getting iffy even in non-freezing conditions - I have to simultaneously pull the level, and pull on the door with my fingernails - my arms are barely long enough to reach, and in freezing conditions I'm sure this won't work.

My two solutions so far have been: 1) use a little Swiss Army Knife blade and insert between the body and gas door to depress the white plastic closer latch directly which releases the door. This only works if lighting is good, so I keep a flash light in the van. 2) I open the gas fill door before leaving the heated garage in the morning and drive straight to the filling station for fuel. But this doesn't work on road trips in winter months.

So I gather that the cable lube described earlier in this thread might help. Or replacing the cable?

It's a good excuse for never letting anyone else use MY van, but it's annoying, and becoming downright difficult even for me.

Any other advice??

(a veritable vault of info, this site is!!)

Thanks in advance

I ended up spraying the door latch with white greese and that cure it.Now with winter I am going to spray it with LPS 3.

Don't forget silicone lube is your friend in freezing conditions - that crap is great for lots of applications - not just weather stripping - its funny actually because my 2001 doesn't have a locking gas door.... FYI

My gas door is manual. What's up with that?

i believe 1994 was the last year for the remote release gas door.

Man, I would like a remote release door. I know with a pry bar someone could still open it, but it would prevent access for most people.

Rileysowner wrote:Man, I would like a remote release door. I know with a pry bar someone could still open it, but it would prevent access for most people.

When Justice said 1994 was the last yr for that,I was thinking oh great-I had to buy the last yr it was still a problem.Yeah,my luck. #-o #-o

So to be fair about it Jim,and the above said.You wanta swap doors???.