How can I unlock the small compartment driver's side behind the rear wheel on a 2004 U270?
The electronic locking mechanism and the manual key both work fine. So it seems that the mechanical parts are not disengaging from the vertical latch mounted to the frame.
Thank you for your thoughts.
I have had this happen also. Here are some suggestions to unlock it.
Unlocking Stuck Bay Door Lock (http://beamalarm.com/Documents/unlocking_stuck_bay_door_lock.html)
I had the same issue with the most-forward street-side compartment on our '98 U320. The mechanical latch-release mechanism had (apparently) moved at the handle providing inadequate travel to release the latch. The smaller doors have a single latch with the receiver plate bottom-center. I was able to open the compartment by cutting the two small through-bolts holding the latching plate onto the bottom-center of the door. They pass through a channel, accessible from below. I used a Fein Multi-Master tool with a metal-blade. It would be somewhat harder to reach with a hack-saw, thou using a bare-blade it might be doable. Once the bolts have been cut-through the door can be opened and necessary adjustments to the handle mechanism (it slides in elongated mounting holes) can be made. The two small counter-sunk screws are easily replaced.
Don't mean to be funny, but is that an 'enclosed' compartment? Reason I ask, is because on my '95 its not...
Now to answer Chad and Judy, "the boldts do not show through the under carriage. All I see is the 1.25 square steel tubing. than above that starts the floor of the enclosed compartment.
If your coach is like ours the guts of the lock are visible from under the motorhome, look up from the ground and manually move latch from behind door. Look at your other larger side doors to see how the handle releases the latch
The rear doors may not have electric release.
The two rear doors only have a single latch and the handle does not move the latch release as much as the larger doors, so sometimes the latch does not release.
Some have invented a leveraged adapter where large movements are made on the latch side when small movements are made on the handle side of the adapter. This insures a positive latch release.
There may be a difference with your coach (sounds like) but on our '98 the square tubing isn't "tubing" but rather is a channel, open on the bottom, to-which the male half of the bottom-center latch is attached. As I said, there is limited access, but enough for me to cut both bolts and then pull the door open. I removed the bottom portion of the rubber seal, but later determined that step didn't appear to have been required. Unlike Barry's experience, I could see none of the lock, even with the rubber seal removed, so it appears there are several differences through the model-years.
I would get a long hook and reach up and pull the wires. Pull the weather stripping out and you should have enough room. If the solenoid is stuck you can use a long screwdriver to push off the clip on the actuator arm.
The single bottom latch mechanism does not use wires, like the side-latches do; it has a metal rod connecting the handle to the latch. Unfortunate, as the method you suggest works well (I'm told) with the larger bay-doors/side-latches. For what it may be worth, using a block of wood and tapping the handle assembly up will sometimes move it enough to allow the door to open. Didn't work for me, but has for others apparently.
Again "for what it's worth" - if you haven't done so, open another of the small bay-doors and study the latch assembly. Helps you see what might work on your stuck door.
I used to have that style latch on my rear doors. When mine got stuck I reached up and pushed close to the lock stud on the metal latch bar. I think it moved up enough to open there a joint someplace that you might be able to lever. I don't have rear doors anymore.