How do you repair a door lock?
#1
03-16-2009, 11:37 PM
How do you repair a door lock?
Neither of the door locks on my '81 F150 are working. I have the manual locks that slide horizontally. The doors open and close properly from the inside and outside and you can lock the doors with the key from the outside but you can't lock them from inside the cab. I'm missing some parts, obviously. I am waiting for the arrival of new door panels and I want to fix the door locks when they get here but I have no idea how to fix them. Does anyone know how to do this or where I can get instructions on how to fix the locks? This is an easy repair, right?
#2
03-16-2009, 11:42 PM
#3
03-16-2009, 11:59 PM
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#4
03-17-2009, 04:09 PM
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You can slide the lock back and forth and nothing happens, and when you lock the door with the key, the slide lock doesn't move correct?
Sounds like the actuating rod isn't hooked up to the slidelock.
It sounds like someone took the door panels off, and put them back on without putting the rods back in the slidelocks.
Easy enough to see with the door panels removed. You need to remove the slidelock before the panel comes off, to properly remove the panel. There is a slot at the bottom of the slidelock where you insert a tool to remove them. Be extremely careful! Do not pry on the plastic. Pry on the metal part to remove. The locks are easily damaged and the plastic can be pulled apart from the metal ruining them.
Sounds like the actuating rod isn't hooked up to the slidelock.
It sounds like someone took the door panels off, and put them back on without putting the rods back in the slidelocks.
Easy enough to see with the door panels removed. You need to remove the slidelock before the panel comes off, to properly remove the panel. There is a slot at the bottom of the slidelock where you insert a tool to remove them. Be extremely careful! Do not pry on the plastic. Pry on the metal part to remove. The locks are easily damaged and the plastic can be pulled apart from the metal ruining them.
#5
03-17-2009, 09:21 PM
#6
03-17-2009, 11:57 PM
You can slide the lock back and forth and nothing happens, and when you lock the door with the key, the slide lock doesn't move correct?
Well, not exactly. There isn't any slide lock. All I have is a square hole in the door panel where the slide lock used to be.
Sounds like the actuating rod isn't hooked up to the slidelock.
That must be so because there is no slide lock. So the question is whether all that is wrong is that I need to get two new slide locks and hook them up? Does that sound right? My next question is where can I get slide locks? Can I get them from the dealer? Do I need to look at a junk yard or can I get them from somewhere else. I looked for them at LMC and couldn't find any in their catalog.
It sounds like someone took the door panels off, and put them back on without putting the rods back in the slidelocks.
I just received new door panels today from LMC so I'll be putting them on soon but I still need to solve the lock problem.
Easy enough to see with the door panels removed. You need to remove the slidelock before the panel comes off, to properly remove the panel. There is a slot at the bottom of the slidelock where you insert a tool to remove them. Be extremely careful! Do not pry on the plastic. Pry on the metal part to remove. The locks are easily damaged and the plastic can be pulled apart from the metal ruining them.
Well, not exactly. There isn't any slide lock. All I have is a square hole in the door panel where the slide lock used to be.
Sounds like the actuating rod isn't hooked up to the slidelock.
That must be so because there is no slide lock. So the question is whether all that is wrong is that I need to get two new slide locks and hook them up? Does that sound right? My next question is where can I get slide locks? Can I get them from the dealer? Do I need to look at a junk yard or can I get them from somewhere else. I looked for them at LMC and couldn't find any in their catalog.
It sounds like someone took the door panels off, and put them back on without putting the rods back in the slidelocks.
I just received new door panels today from LMC so I'll be putting them on soon but I still need to solve the lock problem.
Easy enough to see with the door panels removed. You need to remove the slidelock before the panel comes off, to properly remove the panel. There is a slot at the bottom of the slidelock where you insert a tool to remove them. Be extremely careful! Do not pry on the plastic. Pry on the metal part to remove. The locks are easily damaged and the plastic can be pulled apart from the metal ruining them.
#7
03-18-2009, 02:06 PM
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Did 81 trucks have the same crappy slide locks like my 80 did? I would be surprised if your door panels are made for the slide locks. If it were me and I had the slide locks, I would try to convert to the later regular locks with the pin that pulls up and down at the top of the door.
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#8
03-18-2009, 02:17 PM
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That's good to know. I can't remember because it's been so long but maybe I broke the slide lock trying to remove it. I haven't tried to fix these things in years. By the way, what is the "tool" that I need to remove the slide locks without breaking them? I'm wondering now if all that is wrong is I have to get new slide locks then I should be okay. That is unless I screw something up trying to install them in the new panels.
A small flat screwdriver will work. Once you remove one, it's easy.
Typically you need to remove it from the panel, then you can disengage the rod from the lock, then you can remove the door panel. With the lock still in the door panel, if you try and remove the panel, the rod will bend or bind keeping the door panel in place, also potentially damaging the lock and/or rod.
I would get new slide locks anyway if I could, they are obsolete at Ford, they could be brittle or broke at the back.
Once you have the new door panels on, (I hope they are for slide lock doors,) Fish in the door for the rod through the hole, attach the rod to the lock, then snap the lock into the door by installing the top section first and snapping in the bottom.
Hope this helps.
#9
03-20-2009, 01:14 AM
It sounds like the only thing that is really wrong with my truck is that I need some new slide locks. If I understand correctly, what I need to do is connect the slide lock itself to the rod inside the door and then put the slide lock in the opening in the door panel, starting at the top of the opening. The trick to getting the slide locks into the panel is by using a small screwdriver to release it from the bottom. Hopefully, I got that right. Now, the question is where can I find new slide locks. Does anyone know where I can get some of these or am I going to have to get them from a junkyard truck?
As for converting to the "normal" kind of locks that pull up and down at the top of the door panel, is this something worth doing? Is it hard to covert from slide locks to this type of lock? Has anyone converted their slide locks to the other kind? Just curious. Now that I have new door panels to put in it's probably a little late to think about changing to the other style of lock.
As for converting to the "normal" kind of locks that pull up and down at the top of the door panel, is this something worth doing? Is it hard to covert from slide locks to this type of lock? Has anyone converted their slide locks to the other kind? Just curious. Now that I have new door panels to put in it's probably a little late to think about changing to the other style of lock.
#10
03-20-2009, 10:16 AM
You may end up being forced to convert to the vertical locks. I believe the slide locks were trouble for all the trucks that had them, and you may find all of them broken in the junkyard.
I have never converted one before, but I thought all you had to do was get the proper linkage, and drill a hole in the top of the door.
I have never converted one before, but I thought all you had to do was get the proper linkage, and drill a hole in the top of the door.
#12
03-20-2009, 05:30 PM
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It sounds like the only thing that is really wrong with my truck is that I need some new slide locks. If I understand correctly, what I need to do is connect the slide lock itself to the rod inside the door and then put the slide lock in the opening in the door panel, starting at the top of the opening. The trick to getting the slide locks into the panel is by using a small screwdriver to release it from the bottom. Hopefully, I got that right. Now, the question is where can I find new slide locks. Does anyone know where I can get some of these or am I going to have to get them from a junkyard truck?
I know of no one else having them, including Ford, because they are obsolete.
As for converting to the "normal" kind of locks that pull up and down at the top of the door panel, is this something worth doing? Is it hard to covert from slide locks to this type of lock? Has anyone converted their slide locks to the other kind? Just curious. Now that I have new door panels to put in it's probably a little late to think about changing to the other style of lock.
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