Re: 4kq door locks

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek-eng.com>]

On Tue, 18 Nov 1997 16:55:59 -0800 (PST), Todd Phenneger wrote:

>	My passenger side door lock doesnt' work.  I never has since I
>bought the car 1 year ago but I want it fixed.  The handle works very
>well.  It open better than all the others, the key fits in the hole and
>the key will turn, but it wont lock or unlock the door.  WHat gives.  It
>seems it is keyed right.
>	It is almost like it isn't connected.  When I take the handle off
>should it be straight forward to fix?  ANy tips for what to look for. 

The lock cylinder is connected to the door latch mechanism by a metal
rod with cheesy plastic ends. These age, become brittle and break. They
are often broken when a door handle is R&R'd. In addition the lock
cylinder attaches to this rod with a small ball joint/lever piece screwed
onto the cylinder end. This can be metal or plastic and also serves to
retain the cylinder in the handle recess.  It may either break or come loose.
The latter is unlikely since the lock cylinder would fall out, which it
hasn't.

The outside door latch handle is also connected with this kind of
linkage which is also often damaged during a door handle repair. The
whole arrangement is so shoddy, especially the door handle itself,
that they simply crumble with use and age.

Remove the small rubber access plug located nearby in the door
frame to see what has broken. This hole also gives you access
to the handle's rear mounting screws. I imagine some are pretty adept
at working magic through that little hole, but I usually end up removing
the inner door trim panel to work on this stuff.  If someone has some
good pointers on this, they would be worth repeating here.

DeWitt Harrison    de@aztek-eng.com
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq