3D87C4

Driver's side door lock switch failed this morning. I've ordered a replacemnt and between the FSM and thread below it looks fairly straight forward to replace:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...or-switch.html

I do have a couple of questions though:

Is it really necessary to disconnect the battery as recommended by the FSM?

It appears the switch just presses into the harness, is that correct?

Does the armrest really have to be removed to pull the accessory trim plate?

Any other gotcha's I should know about?

Thanks

oldalaskaman

I vote, follow the directions

3D87C4

Ok, in the week or so since I ordered the new switch there have been 61 views and one answer (thank you OldAlaskaMan). While it's quite likely 61 folks opened it out of curiosity then hit return when they realized how mundane the OP was, there is also a chance (hope?) a couple of you are actually interested in how to replace the door lock switch. So...here's what I did today in gory detail:

First the relevant FSM page:


Disconnect the battery:


Remove two screws attaching armrest to trim pannel:


Filler removed:


Push armrest inward to remove plastic hooks on armrest from slot on door trim panel. Trickier than it sounds. The FSM seems to show three hooks but I only found two.

One toward the rear of the armrest:


and one in the front:


I found a dime!


Next remove 5 accessory trim plate screws. The first four are pretty obvious:


The fifth scew is harder to find & you need a small screwdriver or an offset driver:


The door lock **** has to be removed. Pull the "bump" toward you & it comes right out:


Actually pulling out the accessory trim plate is difficult. The thing that finally helped was disconnecting the windshield wiper connector (indicated by red arrows). Beyond that you just have to pull & tug being carefull not to break anything. The door handle and lock **** pull are in the way too and just have to be maneuvered around.



With the trim plate out disconnect the door switch harness from the back of the switch:



Heres a wider view with the windshield wiper connector, door lock harness, and door lock switch indicated:


The switch is held in a bracket (not shown in the FSM) machine screwed into the trim plate:


As I feared, my bracket is missing a tab.


Here the switch has been removed from the bracket:


Here's the new switch on the left and the old switch, in pieces, on the right:



Putting it all back together is just a matter of reversing all of the above. Here's a picture showing the washer I added to support the remaining bracket tab:



Getting the trim plate in was just as hard as getting it out. Key points are making sure the door handle and lock bar are in place and re-connecting the windshield washer connector when the trim plate is almost in. Here's a picture of everything back in place:



And it works!

Lock:



Unlock:



If you've read this far thank you for your attention. I'm sorry for the poor focus, I don't have a very good camera. I hope someone finds this helpfull.

VA50th

Since you've already bought a replacement switch I assume you are sure the old one was bad.

In my case on my 96 coupe, the door would make the sound of the door locking but it didn't. Took the door panel off to find that the rod from the switch to the lock had come off it's eye 'hook'. I pushed it back in placed and put some duck tape over the hook. Good to go!

3D87C4

Yes. I could feel that the switch had come loose & was flopping about. If I pushed just right it still functioned correctly electrically, but it was clearly broken. It fell into two pieces when I took it out of the bracket (there's a comparison of the new and old switch about 5 pictures up). A little epoxy might have fixed the switch but opening all this up to check before ordering the switch really didn't make sense.

One thing I wish I had thought of when I ordered the switch (besides comparing prices, d'oh!): A lot of the plastic trim in my car are cracked and are still available for sale. My accessory trim plate has cracks near the screws and this would have been the logical time to replace it.

P.S. I realise this isn't the coolest thing to post a repair thread on, but this is what broke.

DRidgeway

Thank you for the write up.
I have to replace mine. The previous owner hadn't got around to replacing it before I brought it. Its just been sitting in my center console.
I've been having too much fun driving to fix it.

AGENT 86

Nice work, I'm sure this will help many.

3D87C4

Thanks Guys.

I just discovered the "bracket" with the missing tab mentioned above is available from Corvette Central:

power door lock switch bezel

part number: 484552

tjw1970

I found this thread on a search. Thanks for the write up! I'm going to need this very soon as my driver side lock failed over the weekend.

ghoastrider1

thanks for the write up.

3D87C4

Thanks.

I'm glad photobucket hasn't trashed all the pictures...I may have to do this again...

corvette_realtor

Bookmarking.. thank you.. I need to do this on my driver side door. Switch just wiggles freely left to right.