Driver door lock has never worked since I have owned my 72. Now that I turned it into a money pit, I would like to be able to lock the door.

The key seems to work but cylinder only turns a little. Inside lock **** only moves a small amount as well, door open or shut. So it appears the issue is in the latch mechanism. I have door panel off. The latch is well lubed. Passenger door is all good.

Any advice or words of wisdom to diagnose and fix? Thanks.

 

If the striker is in too far it might not be fully latching or it might be too high or low. You might want to open the door and trip the latch to see if it is fully latching and not hung up. If the locks work then look at the striker to see where it is sitting. Can you feel the first step in the latch if you don't close it all the way?

 

Thanks Patrick.
I tried closing latch with screwdriver and it seems to fully close. No luck with lock. I removed the key cylinder, but it still cannot be locked from inside rod, open or shut.

 

I have a spare driver's side latch that I got with a door I used to replace my rusty original. It was in a 72 but I think they are all pretty much the same from 68 to 72. It's yours if you want it for shipping, which will be about $10. Send me a PM if interested and we can get the shipping sorted out.

I read an article about using motorcycle chain oil spray on the latches - seeps inside and thick enough to stay in place. So, you can clean this one up, lube it, and you should have working locks.

Gary

 

Seems to me there was another member that had a similar problem years ago. I think he removed the latch and soaked it in oil. So the oil could seep in everywhere. This worked for him.

 

With the inside door panel removed, try to remove the linkages that connect to the lock cylinder.

There's a "U" spring clip that holds the cylinder in place. It acts like a giant "C" clip. It's easy to remove (but it might be mud/crud/rust welded in place).

Check the cylinder operation once it's been removed. If it feels ok, the linkages are the problem. If it feels like it's gummed up, soak it in a solvent; once it's freed up, clean the solvent out and replace it with Tri-flo, then reassemble. check for correct operation before relying on it.

I don't recommend that you disassemble the lock cylinder - unless you have locksmith training and tools. I've done it. I had to make certain that the 10 lock pins went back into the correct holes the correct way. Before I removed them, I took a piece of scrap wood and made 10 small depressions in it, with half labelled "top" and half labeled "bottom". Each pin went into the correct depression until I reassembled the cylinder. Each of the 10 pins was hand-cleaned and polished to remove all of the gummy buildup. For cleaning and polishing, I used some of my jewelry tools - mainly the pin vises and miniature buffing wheels. To clean the gum that had built up inside the holes that hold the pins, I used some beheaded cotton swabs. The cylinder was carefully re-assembled, making completely certain that the pins went back into the correct holes in the correct order (if they go back in the wrong order, the key won't work any more).

If it's the linkage that's at fault, you'll have to replace or repair whatever's worn out or broken.

 

2X Thipdar. I'll just add one thig. After you pry the cap off the cylinder, you will see 5 springs on top of the pins. Don't forget them when putting it back together. I also suggest putting one set of pins and spring back in at a time. Hold the spring down then try the key. If one hole is the rascal, simply leave those pins out.

 

I was able to get this resolved. Issue was that there was a slight preload on the inside door latch. I had bent the rod to take out the slack in the linkage to allow the inner handle to work. I pulled the latch mechanism, cleaned, lubed, and observed operation. Could see that latch action blocks lock action. Cannot have any pre-load, so bend rod back to a happy spot.

Thanks for the help guys, always appreciated.

 

It's good to see that it was a simple fix.