new lock cylinder?

[1990LTD]

My drivers door won't lock from the inside because the lock rod connecting the switch inside to the mechanism is kind of fucked up. That might be part of the problem, I don't know.


On a good day (read: room temperature) the drivers door key is kind of hard to turn, but it still works. On a freezing day, it's almost impossible to turn and I have to go in from the passenger side door and push the drivers open.


It feels like I might be able to turn the key all of the way but I don't wanna break the thing off in a frozen lock and get stuck at work or at the store or something. I know I'm going to have to pull the door apart to fix whatever it is, but I don't wanna do it in the freezing cold more times than I have to so knowing the problem before I open it would be cool but might not be possible.

I have manual locks, FWIW.


Is it hard to replace just the lock cylinder?

[87gtVIC]

Not hard replacing the cylinder. A little slide in clip (that shows itself on the door jamb) needs to be slid out and the lock rod has to be fished out of the cylinder's bushing. Just use a rag and pry the clip off with a screw driver or door panel removal tool retaining the cylinder.

[1990LTD]

awesome Dave, thanks. It will suck having two keys but whatever it will be nice to not worry about my lock freezing up as easily.

[BerniniCaCO3]

You can have the cylinder cut to match
I did my ignition switch over the summer: found a place that did it for $40-something, cut to match my main key. Costs more than the $18 that the switch itself cost, but likewise: I'm glad I don't have to deal with 2 keys. A couple places wanted $100, so shop around. Locally Easter Lock & Key is a bigger, higher-volume place, so they did it cheaper than the one-man operations.

Question though:
I think I've had precisely the same problem these past 2 days.
It snowed heavily last week, and this is the first winter I've owned this car (bought last March);
the driver door lock, which has always been stiff for myself as well, wouldn't budge. I crawled in from the passenger side. The locks are power locks, but not powerful enough to unlock the driver door! At best it unlocked but partially. I couldn't even open the door from the inside, I had to use the passenger door.
Seems to me the lock is simply frozen up with ice.
By the time I made the 25minute drive to work, it had thawed out and could be locked and unlocked and locked again with ease
Repeat, again, this morning. *sigh*

So I was actually wondering if it's not as much a worn lock, but, if maybe there's a rubber seal somewhere that could be replaced and better keep the ice out of the cylinder?
Alternatively, it must be a known issue in some cars, as I had a friend telling me about a car, some european brand but I can't recall which, that had a lock cylinder heater coil just for this reason-- it would melt any ice before you got into the car Unfortunately it was shorting, making the lock far too hot to handle, and draining the battery, hahaha. Wonder if something like that could be rigged... pain in the ass to safely wire (read, no hot coil touching flammables), but seems plausible at least.

Anyone have additional thoughts? Obviously my passenger door was not freezing up, unless that's the sun side... *checks map* OH, yeah, the passenger door the way I park faces perfectly south. I might just back in tomorrow, hahaha.

[1990LTD]

I just usually make sure the lock cylinders are lubricated and when they ice up, I use lock-d-icer

[marquisman]

sounds like your power lock actuator is seized. when it gets cold, the moisture in the actuator freezes and wont let any movement. iv had this happen a few times.

[1990LTD]

I don't have power locks, fortunately.

[marquisman]

ooooohhhhhhh...that narrows it down some, huh?lol i would remove the door panel and inspect the lock/latch. get some WD40 to spray in there. make sure the lock rod moves freely. then, spray the lock/latch with some lube. iv seen them get a bit rusty. the tailgate latch on my dads wagon was similar. the latch wouldent latch on to the striker, cause all the moving parts were seized due to rust.

[gadget73]

water in the latch assembly will do the same thing. Soak the BS out of it with wd40 to drive out the moisture and old grease, work it till it moves properly, then re-lube with white lithium grease. If that doesn't work, try heating the latch with a hair drier or something to melt the ice out.

[1990LTD]

Does anyone have a pic of the actuator/solenoid when installed in the door, with the interior panel off? I think I might have the solenoids installed but that's about it.. Might be what is causing my door to freeze, because when that happens I can manually open the door from the inside via the handle, but the exterior handle still acts like it's locked (and the lock slider on my arm rest won't move)


Usually when it's locked and I open it from inside with the handle, it unlocks

[marquisman]

i thought you dont have power locks?lol best way to tell, is look bellow the door VIN decal. do you have a big rivet in the middle of no where? if you do, that rivet holds the actuator bracket. then you have the actuators. but, i doubt it.

[1990LTD]

I don't have power locks but there's something inside the door (along the rear of the door) I can't identify as lights, window, or mirror related. My guess was it was supposed to have power locks but someone changed their minds. Gonna go check for the rivet right now.

[1990LTD]

no rivet under the door sticker, just the 3 screws presumably holding the latch etc on.

[marquisman]

even by the bottom of the door? im gonna say, no lock actuatos lol

[1990LTD]

I just looked right under the jamb sticker. Further down there IS a rivet that looks randomly placed.