Locked out of M1084-A1 ... Looking for Suggestions

[DFarnham]

Howdy! I own a 2004 M1084-A1. As luck would have it, BOTH door latches failed over the winter, so I'm essentially locked out of the truck. I called the fine folks at Midwest Military Equipment (MME) and they suggested the only way in, without breaking a really expensive window, is to pry one of the door latches on the outside of the door off, and try to somehow unlock the door by manipulating the internal locking mechanisms. Just curious to see if anybody has ever had to "break in" to an FMTV and discovered an easier way to do it. Thanks!

 

[Ronmar]

I don't know that I would try and "pry" a handle assembly off, that would surely damage/distort the door skin which would need to get fixed to replace the handle assembly.

I would probably opt to cut thru it(door handle) with a die grinder or Dremel tool cutoff wheel(staying inside the dimensions of the original door opening) to reach the latch op-rod to release the latch and open the door . What do your door handles look like, square or rectangular?

You could also probably pry out the locking strip on the rubber seal of one of the side rear windows and then work the outer lip of the seal over the edge of the opening to push the window inward(round edged tools, lube liberally with soapy water, start at a corner and work both directions all the way around the seal) , but you risk breaking or dropping the window, or damaging the old rubber seal. A suction cup handle might be handy for this, and someone small enough to reach inside to get to the inner door handle...

Since the door handles are most likely toast anyway, I would probably prefer cutting out a handle over pulling a window to gain access...

Good luck!

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Remove the turret cap? Probably leaks and could use re-sealing anyway. They typically come off with just your fingers and a pocket knife once the bolts are removed.

No longer and option for me with the HIMARS hatch..... probably should come up with an alternative.

Raise cab and push up the inner door handle with a rod through the drain holes in the floor pan. Could probably do it from the passenger side without lifting the cab also.

Pull one of the corner marker lights at the top of the cab - there's a hole straight into the interior for the wires. Loop some cable around the door handle to pull it up.

Put me in coach - I'll think of more..... LoL

MME are amateurs. Monkeys with hammers.

 

[Ronmar]

Remove the turret cap?

No longer and option for me with the HIMARS hatch..... probably should come up with an alternative.

Raise cab and push up the inner door handle with a rod through the drain holes in the floor pan. Could probably do it from the passenger side without lifting the cab also.

Put me in coach - I'll think of more..... LoL

OMG, and I just took mine off to fix the seal... It took about 20 minutes with a electric ratchet and an allen socket... Is it friday yet

 

[GeneralDisorder]

OMG, and I just took mine off to fix the seal... It took about 20 minutes with a electric ratchet and an allen socket... Is it friday yet

Us greybeards have to stick together. I'll forget something don't you worry.

 

[Keith Knight]

I favor carefully cutting the old door handle off.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

I favor carefully cutting the old door handle off.

Put down the die grinder chief! We don't need to be deconstructing the truck with the sawzall of life. This isn't a maximum security prison! I think some "field expediency" and some "greybeard ingenuity" might get us over this hurdle.

 

[Keith Knight]

Or maybe a 12 gauge buckshot, like the movies!

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Or maybe a 12 gauge buckshot, like the movies!

Works in the movies. Probably would result in more damage to the shooter and the shotgun than the truck or just dented sheet metal and broken glass if you were far enough to avoid injury. Better off with one of those pneumatic captive bolt guns they use on cattle.

 

[Ronmar]

No, Plasma is the answer…

 

[GeneralDisorder]

No, Plasma is the answer…

I like where this is going. While you're cutting holes you might as well plasma a hole through the floor pan and just attach an abrasive blast cabinet glove to it so you can reach into the glove and operate the inner door handle without having a drafty hole in your cab.

 

[Suprman]

Heat gun warm up the cab back window seal and pop it out with a plastic fork tool. Little silicone spray can help too.

 

[Jbulach]

Put a 4-sale sign on it, “Ran when parked”.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Incidentally - I asked a fellow Motorpool veteran of 25 years and he laughed at me and said in all his time he has NEVER run into that problem......

I've had my actuator rods pop out on a couple of occasions. I fix them at the earliest opportunity. I carry spare rod clips.

 

[DFarnham]

I don't know that I would try and "pry" a handle assembly off, that would surely damage/distort the door skin which would need to get fixed to replace the handle assembly.

I would probably opt to cut thru it(door handle) with a die grinder or Dremel tool cutoff wheel(staying inside the dimensions of the original door opening) to reach the latch op-rod to release the latch and open the door . What do your door handles look like, square or rectangular?

You could also probably pry out the locking strip on the rubber seal of one of the side rear windows and then work the outer lip of the seal over the edge of the opening to push the window inward(round edged tools, lube liberally with soapy water, start at a corner and work both directions all the way around the seal) , but you risk breaking or dropping the window, or damaging the old rubber seal. A suction cup handle might be handy for this, and someone small enough to reach inside to get to the inner door handle...

Since the door handles are most likely toast anyway, I would probably prefer cutting out a handle over pulling a window to gain access...

Good luck!

Thanks! I appreciate the insights.

 

[DFarnham]

Remove the turret cap? Probably leaks and could use re-sealing anyway. They typically come off with just your fingers and a pocket knife once the bolts are removed.

No longer and option for me with the HIMARS hatch..... probably should come up with an alternative.

Raise cab and push up the inner door handle with a rod through the drain holes in the floor pan. Could probably do it from the passenger side without lifting the cab also.

Pull one of the corner marker lights at the top of the cab - there's a hole straight into the interior for the wires. Loop some cable around the door handle to pull it up.

Put me in coach - I'll think of more..... LoL

MME are amateurs. Monkeys with hammers.

Excellent idea re: rod through the drain holes. Will give that a try today. Thanks!

 

[DFarnham]

Remove the turret cap? Probably leaks and could use re-sealing anyway. They typically come off with just your fingers and a pocket knife once the bolts are removed.

No longer and option for me with the HIMARS hatch..... probably should come up with an alternative.

Raise cab and push up the inner door handle with a rod through the drain holes in the floor pan. Could probably do it from the passenger side without lifting the cab also.

Pull one of the corner marker lights at the top of the cab - there's a hole straight into the interior for the wires. Loop some cable around the door handle to pull it up.

Put me in coach - I'll think of more..... LoL

MME are amateurs. Monkeys with hammers.

Oooo .... another great idea. Raining here in WA state for the next day or two (or four) ... but I'm going to take a close look at the turrent removal option. Great idea. Thanks!

 

[DFarnham]

Incidentally - I asked a fellow Motorpool veteran of 25 years and he laughed at me and said in all his time he has NEVER run into that problem......

I've had my actuator rods pop out on a couple of occasions. I fix them at the earliest opportunity. I carry spare rod clips.

Good point re: caring spare rod tips. They do seem to be the weak link in the system. Thanks.

 

[Ronmar]

Oooo .... another great idea. Raining here in WA state for the next day or two (or four) ... but I'm going to take a close look at the turrent removal option. Great idea. Thanks!

Where u at?

 

[DFarnham]

Where u at?

Marblemount, WA