David and Fellow Listers,

I strongly recommend that you spend a couple of
hours and address the "stiff" sliding door
mechanism at your earliest convenience.  My
experience is that you will ultimately damage the
handle and lock mechanism forcing the sticky
latch, an expensive experience.

On both my 1983 and 1987 Vanagons, the problem has
been an accumulation of dirt and grime in both the
locking and latching mechanisms.  You need to take
a selection of phillips screwdrivers, a putty
knife and some rags into the Vanagon, closing the
sliding door behind you.  Remove the handle(s) and
lock button, and the trim piece around the latch
which secures the door in the open position.
Using the rag to protect your paint, slide the
putty knife under the upholstery panel, pop the
upholstery panel off of the door.

Once the upholstery panel is off, it is pretty
clear how the door works.  You need to remove the
locking mechanism (front of door) and the latching
mechanism (rear of door, accessible from outside
of Vanagon), thoroughly clean and lubricate them.
The latch on the rear edge of the door can be a
real pain to get off because of the angle of
access;  you may find it much easier detach the
door from the Vanagon at the back slider, and
swing the door away from the body of the Vanagon
for better access.  Two people is real helpful for
this little project.

--
Regards to all,
Jon B Kanas

Longmont, Colorado
Cultural Center of the Universe
303-678-0658
kanas@qadas.com