C3 Door locks
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,051
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From: Inside every color vette there is a blue one trying to come out!
C3 Door locks
Has anyone had an older C3's door lock key tumbler freeze up in the summer? or any time other than cold weather? Mine just did, and now when I try to lock the door, the tumbler won't move...any ideas?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,166
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa Ok
Re: C3 Door locks (Skruball73)
If you take off your door panels and look at the actuator for the door lock you'll see what a cheesy mess GM designed but the problem will probably be obvious. :rolleyes:
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 0
From: Inside every color vette there is a blue one trying to come out!
Re: C3 Door locks (Skruball73)
Please Vaal...don't keep me in suspence !!! I am currently at work and won't be able to dig into it until I get home...What do you suspect that I will see? Has a rod come loose? has a pin dropped out of the tumbler? What?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,166
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa Ok
Re: C3 Door locks (Skruball73)
I'm not implying that I'm psychic, merely that it's a simple - in fact too simple design that allows for tremendous play. It is probably not the lock itself but the lever/rod combination that has wacked out/fallen off etc...If you start playing with door handle/lock adjusting be sure everything is working BEFORE closing the door. I spent a frustrating hour figuring out how to open the door when the handles don't work. I'm just thankful I had the panel off or I would have been :cry
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 0
From: Inside every color vette there is a blue one trying to come out!
Re: C3 Door locks (FeedVaal)
Hopefully that will be it...I truely hope that the key tumbler hasn't actually frozen up or dropped some kind of pin that keeps the mechanism together...If that is the case I will be :cry then :mad and :cuss then :cry again.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 0
From: Inside every color vette there is a blue one trying to come out!
Re: C3 Door locks (Skruball73)
This issue remains a mystery. Once again, as told by countless people "well it just started working right, now that the repair man is here."
Same deal here...I took off the door panel and looked around and tried to jiggle a rod that did not move, put in the key to observe any movement...and it started moving like it should...I touched nothing at all in the area of the locking tumbler or door handle...go figure. :crazy:
Same deal here...I took off the door panel and looked around and tried to jiggle a rod that did not move, put in the key to observe any movement...and it started moving like it should...I touched nothing at all in the area of the locking tumbler or door handle...go figure. :crazy:
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,336
Likes: 4
From: Springfield MA
Re: C3 Door locks (Skruball73)
Try spraying a little powdered graphite into the lock. If it's an occasional thing, it may just need to be lubricated.
Otherwise, check that everything is tight since you already have the door panel off.
On the upside, replacing the door locks isn't a huge deal. It is a knuckle skinner though if you don't have some long needle nose pliers. :)
Otherwise, check that everything is tight since you already have the door panel off.
On the upside, replacing the door locks isn't a huge deal. It is a knuckle skinner though if you don't have some long needle nose pliers. :)
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Pro
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 582
Likes: 72
From: Near Raleigh NC
Re: C3 Door locks (phoenix)
I agree with phoenix, use a "dry " lubricant, LPS and others. That should clear it up. In my 81 locks were a problem. so I replaced both sides with new ones, since they had to come out for painting anyway. :smash: