With mechanics, I am well-versed. My 1985 Range Rover Classic (which has been mine since 1992) has had its blend motors and other parts replaced with the help of this forum. My plan is to start over with the door lock problem, claim ignorance about some parts of it, and then hopefully get my questions answered and the problem fixed.
First of all, my vehicle is left-hand drive (Spain), so it makes me a little confused when I see terms like "driver side door," "passenger side door," "nearside door," "left hand door," etc. in some posts. Assuming we're seated in the front rows, facing forward, I get that the door to my left is the left door and the door to my right is the right door. Consequently, it raises some questions. The manual door lock with key, for instance, is typically found on the right-hand side of a right-hand drive vehicle, and on the left-hand side of a left-hand drive vehicle.
This leads me to believe, naively, that RHD and LHD vehicles likely have different configurations. It might be helpful to refer to the nautical system as "red" for left, "port," and "green" for starboard and right.
This brings us to our current predicament.
A gratifying clunk or thunk is usually the sound I hear when my door locks open and close. Great. My left-hand drive (LHD) vehicle's right-hand door (the green one on the port side) has been opening smoothly but won't close. It needs to be closed by hand. Remove the interior panel and check it out. In addition to the seemingly dirty connectors, the latch appears to be extremely dry. The black ono single wire wrapped in somewhat sticky foam tape.
From what I've read in other threads, it seems like we should clean up the connector. It was finished. Regarding the comments, I squirted WD40 (contact cleaner was not available) over the mechanism—I'm a little confused about this part—of the lock, specifically the mechanical latch and the actuator that control it. Great, here is the end product. Even a week later, I still have the inside panel taken off. It seemed like everything was running smoothly.
However, a few days ago, I tried opening and closing the door several times while standing beside the vehicle when I heard a low-volume sound, similar to a cat's mewing, coming from behind. Somebody mentioned a link between the tailboard and the door in another thread. I proceed to open and close the tailboard. Once again, the door opens and closes with a charming clunk.
The reaction has been absolutely delightful, and this has happened again.There must be a link here, but I'd rather not start pulling hair out of my ears until I have a better grasp of the issue.
Many people on this forum go out of their way to help newcomers like me, and I'm grateful to them. Sorry for the long post, but I really need someone to explain this issue to me. Much obliged, Lee.