I have power door locks on both doors and the key no longer work. The locking mechanism doesn’t hold the arm tight that locks and unlocks the door. But all the venders seem to only have 1 electric and 1 manual door locks on their product lists. Any suggestions?

 

I'm not 100% sure what you are asking, but perhaps you will find the answer in this tale.

In my 79, the power door locks didn't work well. The power door lock actuators were very stiff, binding the rest of the mechanism. The door could be locked manually with the key in the lock cylinder (perhaps this is the manual lock you see), but even the pull tab was stiff.

I removed the door panel and replaced the (power) door lock actuator with one from RockAuto (a half dozen choices, instead of just whatever the vendor sells, link below), and lubricated the lever mechanism. That seemed to fix it!

The OEM actuators can (possibly) be rebuilt, but NCRS isn't going to climb inside my doors, so I solved the problem and trashed the old parts.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...actuator,13257

 

I believe the power locks use a relay. Have you checked it? Do the doors lock and unlock with the interior switches?

 

Bikespace has the right idea!

Several years ago, I had to take on my 78 with a condition not unlike yours or that of Bikespace. The rubber boots over the actuator plunger get brittle, crack and then deteriorate allowing moisture to penetrate the plunger. Even the linkage binds up from white grease that has calcified! Essentially, you are rebuilding and restoring the linkage, actuator and even troubleshooting the switches. As I recall no relay used here. The actuators are riveted in place...just drill out and then, as I recall, use 1/4 20 screws and nuts. The article link below captures the work I did on the 78 and you find it useful. Once you get the door panel off, may as well troubleshoot the entire mechanism.

Hope this helps!

http://www.hunt4cleanair.net/Article...lockrepair.pdf

 

The other area that literally 'gums up' the door lock mechanism is the latch itself. The grease on them attracts a lot of dust and debris over the years.

You might try to spray some penetrating fluid like WD-40, on the door latch from outside your door. This isn't the best (the best is to spray from inside your door with the panel off), but if you can work the straw "up" in the latch a little you might be able to loosen up some of that old and gummy grease and get the latch to worrk pretty well. If not, remove the door panel and spray some (lightly) from the inside. Don't get carried away and hose the whole thing down. While you're at it, inspect your latch and see if the door striker has worn it silly. Weak hinges (sagging door) really wears out the door latches, and eventually they won't work very well. And lube up the other areas per the suggestions above.

A lot of times it isn't one area that becomes 'stiff' but multiple lube points get gummed up and together they all make the mechanism stiffer than the electric lock solenoid can overcome.

If thats not your problem, you might have a broken wire between the door and the body ...right there where the door opening is. After thousands of door open/close cycles, and brittle aged wires they can break. You could undo the rubber boot ends and pull back ...and forward to inspect the wires. Focus on the driver's door since most of the wiring and wear is on that side ..and can affect both doors. Oh, and I forgot to recommend checking the fuse too. Probably do that first if you haven't.

If you do get inside your door/s, take time to lube up your window tracks too and all wear points. Don't forget a small daub for that hidden little white nub on your window (by the mirror) that makes contact with the frame when the door glass reaches 'top'. Nobody every lubes that spot up. There are so many parts/pieces and wear points in Corvette doors. An ounce of prevention can go a looong way on corvette doors. (and check your hinges too -- for door sag). .

 

I also do not know what you are asking really. However, buy a GM service manual and you WILL be able to figure out what is going on in that circuit. GL

 

I will try again. The power locks work on both doors. However, the keys do not work on either door. When you take the door panel off and unhook the locking mechanism from the arm the key moves that interior bracket. But it is not connected tight enough to the rest of the locking mechanism and doesn’t move the arm up or down to lock or unlock the door.