drivers door lock very stiff - needs replacing ? Done :)

[spiny]

I've only had my car a few months, but the drivers door lock is getting harder and harder to unlock, it took me about ten minutes of jiggling to unlock it this evening in a supermarket carpark and the key is getting a bit bent.
the tricky bit is unlocking it from the deadlock bit (horizontal) to the normal unlock the doors bit (vertical to clockwise)

can it be oiled / adjusted or will it need replacing ? I'm worried the key is going to snap and I'll be proper stuck then as all the doors will be deadlocked (bar the boot, but that wont really help)

can i swap the mech from the passenger door ?

it's an '89 tourer if that makes a difference

cheers

[Brianmoooore]

Sounds like it's in desperate need of lubrication! Take off the door card, flip the large C shaped retaining clip off forwards with a large screwdriver through the hole for the purpose, and the whole lock barrel assembly can be removed outwards.
Lubricate everything, paying special attention to the L shaped bit on the end that swivels on an 'over centre' spring.
If anything is worn or broken, there is a repair kit available from BMW than contains the bits you need to rebuild.

[spiny]

that sounds nice and easy, thanks

[lemmy99]

or a quick shush with WD40 works wonders

[Brianmoooore]

"A quick shush with WD40" may well provide a temporary cure of sorts, but it will flush old grease and contaminants into places it shouldn't be, such as the electrics, and leave places that should be lubricated totally dry when it's evaporated.
The stuff has its uses in the early stages of renovation of a particular component, but it's not a complete and lasting solution.
Do it properly, and do it once!

[lemmy99]

"A quick shush with WD40" may well provide a temporary cure of sorts, but it will flush old grease and contaminants into places it shouldn't be, such as the electrics, and leave places that should be lubricated totally dry when it's evaporated.
The stuff has its uses in the early stages of renovation of a particular component, but it's not a complete and lasting solution.
Do it properly, and do it once!

I completely agree, but a quick squirt of WD40 now would save breaking the key in the lock, until such time as the OP fixed it as you suggest.

[spiny]

update:

today seemed warm enough to finish this off, when I posted the thread i got as far as taking the door panel off before my hands froze

anyway, popped the clip off and removed the barrel. It was pretty much bone dry, so oiled it to free it up then packed every crevice with grease and now it works fime it's obviously worn as I can see it going out of true when releasing the deadlock, but it'll do for a few years I think.


However,

replacing the spring clip is almost certainly the most frustrating job I have EVER done on a car, and that includes chaning a cam belt on a 2l cortina without taking the radiator off.
I came -very- close to just cutting an access panel in the door with my grinder...

my tips for doing this:

1: gaffa tape the lock in place on the outside of the door
2: get a magnetic pickup tool
3: use mag tool to place clip
4: lever clip in so mag tool can be removed
5: use a drift to tap clip home.


step 3.5 is 'drop clip 1 million times into the door then swear a lot'

anyway, I'm a lot happier now

[Brianmoooore]

Better tip: Undo the single bolt that holds the bottom of the window guide in place, and swing it up out of the way.

[spiny]

mysteriously, the guide channel was rattling about in the bottom of the door when I got the car, and I haven't found the time to refit it yet

[billcarr182]

I've resurrected this old thread as I am repairing my own drivers door lock. My repair kit did not come with grease as the American repair kits appear to (source: e30tech thread). What type of grease should be used? I was thinking silicone for some reason. Any input is much appreciated.