Stuck Door Locks

Jan Gullett

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I remember that my door locks did not work prior to my resto. Then I cleaned all of the gunk off the parts and they worked fine. That was good for eighteen years but now they are stuck again. I have tried WD-40 in the tumblers which appear to be free, at least for about 1/6th of a turn. So I assume I have grease turned to gunk causing the internal actuating rods to be stuck somewhere.

Does anyone know the precise point where this problem may lie? I would rather not have to disassemble and remove my entire door latch locking system and was hoping someone might know here to target the WD-40 inside the door. I guess I could just spray the rear of the tumbler and the door latch area and hope that frees it up?
 
The entire mechanism

When I sort out the inside of the doors, which is major work to do properly on these cars, I free the actual mechanism from all the old grease, oil spray, dirt etc. I then lube it and work all parts so they move very easily. I am a bit careful with the locking cylinder. Brush off the loose dirt with a metal brush, air pressure it, insert some thin locking oil, work the key and then put back BEFORE I put the whole mechanism back. The last item affecting the key action is the locking pin with its black screw on cap. If that does not move freely, via a correct angle into the tight plastic/rubber piece in the chrome bar, it will severely hamper the action of a turning key.
Good luck
Peder
 
having worked on many locks over the years, and re-keying, including master-keying them. the only function that keeps the cylinder from rotating is the pins not moving - which is generally the springs that move them. once the pins are in with the key in the cylinder, the cylinder should rotate. grease / corrosion can build up to prevent the pins from moving and make it difficult for the springs to push the pins. yes this could happen with water/dirt getting into the keyhole ... but it is more remote in my opinion - unless the key door is stuck open.

my guess is the lock itself is not the issue, its the inability of the lack of leverage (turning the key) to move the rest of the mechanism. the first thing i would try is the actual latch, to make sure it moves as freely as possible. if you remove the door panel, see what mechanisms are moving properly ... try lubricating the latch and use a combination of action - pulling the inner door handle, pulling up the pin knob.
 
Clarification

I wrote that very early this morning. I should have stated that I remove the latch/mechanism and the cylinder from the door and do the work on a bench, or wherever.
Good occasion to replace the broken or missing grommets (3/door) which add to the good solid feel of opening and locking the door.
 
Thought a postscript here might be helpful.

I used a product called Door Ease (seems to be like WD-40 but with graphite suspended) which I sprayed inside the locks where the key is inserted. This made the tumblers much more free, but did not solve the problem which seems to have been related to the unlocking mechanism not the key tumblers. So I sprayed the tumblers full of WD-40 and also sprayed the door latch near the door latch axle joint. At first this did not seem to help. But after a couple of days my locks freed up and now are working fine. I guess they are not kidding when they say WD-40 penetrates. I was relieved not to have to disassemble my door though I suspect I dissolved some protective body wax. I will remember to add some to the bottom of the doors next time I have my door apart.
 
Stuck Driver's Door Lock

I cannot lock my Driver's side door, and the passenger side is iffy as well. Is there any spray I could use in the door lock or key that might help without removing the door panel ?
 
a graphite powder is the best thing to lubricate tumblers in locks. don't spray any petroleum product as it will gum up things.
 
a graphite powder is the best thing to lubricate tumblers in locks. don't spray any petroleum product as it will gum up things.

absolutely +1

graphite powder is the lubricant for locks, i never spray anything inside a lock, never
grease and oils must be kept for the outer mechanisms
graphite inside
you can coat the key with graphite powder and then introduce the key in the lock
if you had already sprayed oil inside you should clean everything first, not sure if brake or carb cleaner will work
 
Cleaning the lock cylinders

I made the mistake of spraying WD-40 into all the lock cylinders thus gumming them up. Opening the trunk became a problem but with A LOT of fiddling I was able to get it open.

Once open I decided to rebuild the lock cylinder. It was surprisingly easier than I thought as everything was serviceable (read: not permanently sealed).
Granted once I did take the tumbler cover off the springs and tumblers came shooting out. But with patience and a clean work area it can be done. I am sure the door locks are also serviceable.

Cheers.
 

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