Vacuum Locks

[Henry A Harper III]

> Hi all,
>
> Car was unlocked, trunk was still locked. later when I unlocked
> the car, trunk this time was unlocked. I did not hear noise from
> trunk when locking or unlocking car with key at driver's door the
> first time when trunk did not unlock, then later the trunk
> unlocked. Fortunately anyway can unlock trunk with key by turning
> clockwise to end.
> any ideas what happened?

The trunk lock cylinder, at least on my '91 200q, contains a spring-loaded
ball bearing that can rotate between two detents to "remember" the
lock/unlock status. There is supposed to be a small amount of grease in
there for lubrication. Mine got contaminated with dirt several years ago,
and I chose to remove the ball bearing because it was sticking. Others have
been able to disassemble and re-lube successfully. Has there been an
increase in effort required to open the trunk lock with the key?