On Thu, 13 Jul 1995, Joerg Rieger wrote:

> 
> Does anybody know how to fix the sliding door lock on an 82 vanagon? In 
> my van (name: turtle, what else could you call a diesel westy), the 
> little knob on the inside that locks the sliding door does not stay in 
> the "open" position any more. To open the door you have to either push 
> the knob up (from the inside) or keep the key turned (from the outside). 
> It seems like a spring or something is missing. 
> Does anybody know how to remove the door panel in order to get to the lock?
> 
The little spring is broken and is practically impossible to fix. What I
did was to unscrew the locking knob and slip a short piece of 1/4 or 3/8 "
surgical tubing over the knob's shaft. When you screw the knob back in the
tubing rubs on the lock mechanism enough to keep it in place.

Alistair