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I made an awesome door lock discovery after 12 years of locking with the key, waiting for the passenger to close the door so I can push the button while I hit the lock switch, replacing lock motors etc... finally I had enough and took a closer look and discovered that if you take a dremmel to the little round spring that holds the lock lever up or down, cut the spring and pull it all out with a pair of needle nose pliers the door locks will work beautifully. I can now lock and unlock the doors every time with the remote, just like other cars JUST like it should be. The spring is NOT necessary as the lock motor will hold the locking lever in the locked and unlocked positions, basically all the spring does it make it difficult for the lock motors to do their job as a result of the resistance. Pull the door panel, buzz the spring and your door locks will work awesome provided your motors and connections are good.
Weak door lock actuator action is very often due to one or both switches having high resistance internally. I usually just replace both switches for $20.
power door locks... is this C3 general? When did they offer power door locks?
standard equipment in the 78 pace car edition and an option for all others that year. certain that it was offered before 78 as an option, but would have to get out my black book to see exactly when.
I didn't take any pics but once you get inside the door and look at the linkage you will see what I am talking about. I am very happy with the fix especially because I have remote controlled door locks, so no more using the key or physically locking the doors.!!!!!!!!
I didn't take any pics but once you get inside the door and look at the linkage you will see what I am talking about. I am very happy with the fix especially because I have remote controlled door locks, so no more using the key or physically locking the doors.!!!!!!!!
I know this is a really old thread, but I just found it when looking for a fix on my hard to open/close power locks. This guy's fix works really well, because the power lock actuators hold the mechanism in position perfectly. I think many others could benefit from this simple fix. I did it without removing my door panels. I have no anti-theft shields, so I could see the spring in question through the door felts. BTW, here is a photo highlighting the spring which you would remove for this fix.
Last edited by myohpe@gmail.com; Feb 23, 2018 at 11:06 AM.
So glad I found this post. Wish it had been before I paid the price for new latches. I was having same issue after installing new switches, actuators and latches. All I need to do was remove this 2 dollar spring to fix the problem. Locks now worth perfectly. Thanks!!