body and interior Door lock problem

[sweitzer]

So the lock on my driver side door is acting up and I figured I would ask for some advice before I started to take out the door panel and poke around. So basically what happens is when I go to unlock the door by turning the key nothing really happens. I can feel resistance, and if i wiggle it back and fourth a number of times the lock slowly moves up so that the door will eventually open, but it doesn't feel good. My guess just from the feel of it is that there is a rod in the assembly that is fatigued and maybe bent which is making it so that the lock does not open on the first try. That is just my guess though, so I wanted to see if anyone has had any similar experiences or suggestions? Let me know what you think.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Henning]

The inner end of the lock cylinder is a kind of latch, not bigger than a fingernail. Its end moves up and down and draws resp. pushes a C-profile up and down. When the grease is gone with the years, the latch begins to scratch in the C-profile instead of sliding and it needs much more force to move it.

The second reason may be the lock at the rear doorwall that has a lot of moving parts in it. The grease will be old, stiff, dusty, dirty and prevents the parts from moving easily.

My guess is to remove the door panel, remove lock and outside handle, clean everything carefully, check for remaining scratches and reassemble everything with fine, fresh and well-smelling grease. This should solve your problem. In this opportunity, check all the small plastic bushings in the linkages, also to the inner door handle. Think about a stereo-action to the passenger door.

Do it the sooner, the better because the cylinder in the outside handle gets more duty now and begins to slubber out. This can cause difficulties in getting in the key and rotating it.

Go poking!

 

Hen

[wegweiser]

The above is good information. Also...I *NEVER* use lithium grease on mechanisms like this. The shit turns in to CLAY, and just makes things worse. My favorite latch lubricant is "Wurth HHK-2000" (now called Wurth HHS-K, or something similar?) for the actual latch, and lock assemblies. Sprays on thin, then adheres to the assemblies and set up like a gel. Haven't seen it harden and collect dust, like the lithium crap.

 

On my own car, it was simply the vertical rod, which had a slight bend in it, inhibiting it's movement through the door panel grommet. I use lacquer thinner and a small paint brush to thoroughly clean ALL the latches and locks, then re-lube. Those door lock rod grommets are worth their weight in gold, too. get three of them, per door. 

 

 

remove and clean all the latches, and you'll be amazed at how quietly your door closes. No more rattles on city streets. Do the window lifter tracks, too.

Edited May 9, 2015 by wegweiser

[zinz]

I had the exact same problem and worried I would break my key in the latch. I solved it very simply...

Open the door and roll the window down. Using a bright flashlight, look down into the door thru the window channel and you will see the door lock mechanism. First, use a can of carb cleaner with the little straw to blast the mechanism clean of old oil/grease. I then sprayed it with PB Blaster. You can use your key to operate the mechanism while doing this and I found it was instantly smoother. That lock has worked perfectly ever since.

The suggestions from the other guys will give you a chance to understand the mechanisms and more thoroughly clean and lubricate everything... I just didn't want to remove the door panel.

Ed Z

[GreenSwede]

I had the whole out and threw in the dishwasher. Lubed it up, and it has worked fine since. Also, check that the latch (right word?) that engages with the corresponding part at the body works well. There's a piece of plastic that I think is of some importance. And lube makes things better. And the position of the door, latch and such in relation to the body. If it doesn't disengage easily here, it won't open with one click of the key either.

[Mike Self]

Word of caution:  If you remove the lock cylinder from the door handle pushbutton, either sketch out or take pictures before dismantling--there are lots of ways to reassemble the pieces, but only one is correct (ask me how I learned that!)--and the passenger door setup can't be used as an example because it's a mirror image.

 

Never force things on your door locks--especially trying to turn the key.  There's a real good possibility you'll break the key off in the lock.  Not a Good Thing.

 

mike

[sweitzer]

Awesome, thanks for the advice, I'll clean up both the lock assemblies, relube them, and see how they work!

[peterschop]

Before taking the door panel off, I would try spraying some electrical cleaner into the key slot. Let it evaporate and then spray some dry graphite in. Try your key to see if that helped. If you do have to go into your door, the hardest part is taking off the door panel. The door handle and lock are only held on with two screws. The latch is held in place with four screws accessible from the outside edge of the door.

 

You can remove the lock cylinder by inserting the key (holds the pins in place) and then remove the screw on the rear of the cylinder. With the screw removed, it will slide right out. Once removed, spray with cleaner.

 

The latch is complex but does not need to be dissembled. I cleaned mine in the parts washer, let dry and then sprayed it with Wurth HHK. Make sure it latches and unlatches smoothly and to spread the lubricant. Install the two plastic bushings on the latch and one on the inside handle mechanism and put back on the car.

[JohnP_02]

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Edited May 10, 2015 by JNP

[OriginalOwner]

I've been fortunate over the years to simply spray some lube into the key slot to solve the "key drag" problem.  These days I'm using RemOil, and use it on a regular basis:  both door keys and the trunk lock.

     Recently I've used the RemOil treatment on the door keys of the 3 loaner cars I've had in the past 4 months.  All were sticky/sticking ..... insert little plastic tube into key slot and hose down ..... no more sticking/dragging.

 

Cheers,

 

Carl