General Tailgate door jammed

[Lil red]

As the title says the tailgate door on my 54 jtd dobelo is jammed it will not open with the key or central locking I have managed to take the panel off and sadly have no idea what to do next.
I have found plenty of posts on here regarding rear doors but they all seem to refer to double doors not tailgate door.
Any advice in simple to understand for a woman as sons no help!!! Seems my car has no street cred until they want a lift to the airport etc but as we can't get in the boot they will be fun.
Thank you in advance.

 

[Andoo]

On the inside of the handle, there is a metal mechanism. The handle pushes on it to release the latch.

There should also be a thin metal rod a few inches long. This should be connected to the lock/unlock solenoid.

My guess is it's either become disconnected or could be jammed with old grease.

Pull it up or push it it down to unlock the door then have someone try the handle on the outside. If it opens, the solenoid could be at fault. You need to disconnect the rod until it can be fixed.

Disconnecting it means the door will not lock, but it can be reversed up against a fence or a wall to prevent anyone getting in until you get it fixed.