Back when I lost my mind and moved from Tampa to Philadelphia, my '71 
"Station Wagon" (all that chrome! :-) breadloaf did not take kindly to 
the PA winters.

One of its many, many manifestations this was that the rear edge of the 
sliding door wouldn't pop out -- as this thread has described.  I drowned 
it in WD-40, still broke fingernails prying it open, and considered 
mounting an external pull handle there.

FInally I got the cumpulsive's wild hair and took the dang door 
completely off.  Clymer is terrified of doing this, of course, and to 
Muir it was too new to even consider repairing, but I think Haynes or 
Bentley have a little about it.

Your '71 has two adjustable linkages that go from the front handle to
rear latch.  Pull the interior panel.  Both latch assemblies as well as
the top and bottom front rollers come out.  The swing-pin and its
track-runner can be removed (remove the beltline trim). Take that puppy 
off and _soak_ them parts in solvent.

(I may be forgetting some sealed bearings here.  Don't soak them.)

I did this --- no parts were broken, BTW, just filmed with old grease -- 
and the results were like new.  Realigning the door is tedious, but doable.

If your WD-40 showers don't do it and ain't nothin broken, try taking it 
apart and cleaning the crap out of it, then relubing it with an 
appropriately slippery substance.

Good luck, man.  That used to drive me _nuts_.  I got so's I would exit 
the van thru the slider, just to try and work it loose.  Gnarrrrr.

Joe

joeclark@freenet.scri.fsu.edu                      Where there's no sense,
Tallahassee, Fla.                                      there's no feeling.
Florida info, original fiction, VW stuff, IVD & kids' links:
<a href="http://freenet3.scri.fsu.edu:81/users/joeclark/index.html">Me</a>