Hey guys, my passenger side power door lock will not lock. You can push it in and it will unlock when you push the button, but it will not lock when the button is pushed. Any ideas on whats wrong and how i can fix it?

 

Sorry, I cant offer any help, but mine is doing the exact same thing. You get used to it. I had the door panel off for some reason, ever since then it hasnt locked right? Anyone know the answer?

 

mine does that too, but its the drivers side that doesn't lock. its not too much of a pain since I hit the lock button a couple of times to lock the pass. side and then move the slider to lock my side. but I would like to know how to fix it.

 

I'm fighting the same battle,I put a post and got some replies in here not to long ago...

 

You can add me to that list... my passenger side won't UNLOCK with the push of its own button. I installed my own alarm system and hooked it up to the lock wiring on my drivers side and it controls both locks from there. I never have to push the buttons anymore. Until I get the panel off to see whats going on, its gonna have to stay that way.

------------------
'91 Firebird
305/TBI(L03)/700R4/T-tops
Mods: Catco high flow cat - B&M Shift kit - K&N Air Filter - Trans Am tail light conversion
Stereo: Pioneer DEH-P8200R - Pioneer 6x9's - Kenwood 8" Tube

'87 Firebird
2.8L/MPFI/700R4/220K
Totalled it but saved a bunch of parts before it went to the junk yard.
Firebird parts

 

wow i thought i hade it bad, my problem is that the person who sold me my car didn't give me the door unlock key. I found this out the hard way. then to unlock it i had to crawl through the hatch.

 

Wow, so many people with the smae problem.
With my car I have to hit the lock button around 4 times for the passengers side to lock. One thing that i noticed about this is that when it is raining i dont have that problem. I think it is because after long periods of time lubricants tend to get sticky and gummy and dont work right which could cause my problem and most o yours. I would suggest taking of the door panel and clean it up and re-lub it. I haven't tried that yet nor have i even had the door panel off, but it seems sensable that would work.

 

Well, pretty much all of you are going to have to take off the door panel to fix it right. When you disassemble it(look in the tech articles on door panel restoration for removal) get at the latch mech., lock piviot, and all other moving parts in that setup, and spray it liberally with WD40 or some other type of light oil. Work the interior lock rod back and forth until it feels fliud in movement. wehn you think it is freed up enough, reatach the doorlock switch and try it out before you reassemble the whole door panel again.
Hope this helps!

 

This may not be much help, but are you guys sure it's the mechanisms, meaning that does it do the same thing if you try to lock/unlock it from either door? Or does it happen from the driver door switches only? Just asking cuz when I had my '85 Z way back when, I had to replace the switch itself cuz it went bad...

KAM

 

I would not suggest using WD40, dont think it would last long enough. Try some silicon spray or white lith. greese.

 

Lol. I figured the problem I have must be pretty common. I have to slide my driver's side lock the rest of the way with my finger to get it to lock. I had mine apart once, and I rebent the linkage rod for more travel. This fixed it only for a little while, but I think what probably wears out is the 90 degree piece between the two linkage rods back at the motor. I'm going to try and replace that with another one the next time I have my door apart.

 

Yeah, I have the exact same problem too. Except neither one of my doors lock, and my passenger side key doesn't open up the car door either.. heh. Oh well, when I redo the interior w/ a remote keyless entry, I will make sure those work.

------------------
Houston f-body Member Page
Home Page (and pics of my car too!)
1989 305 tbi Camaro RS Red/Red
Flowmasters
K&N

 

Okay, we have 11 replies and I'm still not sure on how to fix the problem, so I'm taking it into the shop tomorrow. I'll ask them how they fixed it and post it so you guys can check it out.

 

same damn problem here. i took my door panels off to get to the mirror because i was painting my car and when i put everything back together the damn electric door locks wont lock. im hoping its a fuse or something. hopefully nothin big. if any of you can help i would appreciate it alot...oh and also after i took my drivers side mirror off and then put it back on. it wont move right.thanks again

 

okay guys, i took it to the shop and they said the problem was some kind of door lock "part". I couldn't understand the guy to tell ya the truth. Anyways, it's gonna be a $114.00 to fix it.

 

I just got back from fixing mine after it did the same thing, I'd hit the lock button and the driver's side would only move in about half way, and I'd need to press it in with my finger to actually lock it. I just opened up the door panel, applied plenty of lithum grease on the moving parts and it worked! $1.99 at Pep Boys.

 

I just picked up a donor car w/ power locks/windows and i had this problem w/ the drivers side (had to hit the swith a few times to lock it). after taking everything apart, i saw that the lock motor on the drivers side had become loose over the years, i guess the holes that the rivets go through got worn or something....anyway the loose motor allowed for a lot of play in the rod from the motor; when you hit the switch, the motor moved rather than the lock linkage...the fix...drill the rivets out and bolt the motor in tightly

------------------
350, Comp 262, Edelbrock Performer intake 600 cfm carb and exhaust, headers
-JVC, Eclipse, Pioneer, MTX, Phoenix Gold, Planet Audio

 

after you drill the rivets, can you just bolt it? or do you have to make threads in the sheet metal?

 

from looking at his profile, his last activity was in 2008, chances are he might not reply to your quote. but im sure someone else can help you

 

you'd think there would be an organized guide out there that discusses all the aspects of repairing/maintaining the door ... a do-it-yourself guide! and free (of course)

 

The following link (and several links inside of it), though not comprehensive, offers some info that may prove useful:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...servation.html

JamesC

 

I had the similar problem with both door locks and there were many problems.
1st you will need a service manual (most of us can fix this sit without one but it is nice to have one.)
2nd volt meter, check voltage to the switch, voltage out of switch, and at the lock solenoid.
3rd take you door latch mechanisms off and clean then in a solvent tank and check for smooth operation, repair/ replace, and lubricate with lithium greases.
4th clean/replace the locking actuator.
5th make sure that all locking rods move freely with no binding, if your pivot points bind, use a small sleeve over the screw/bolt, or rivet so you don’t create a new binding point.
My problems consisted of a bad wire to the switch, a bad switch, a bad actuator, dirty door latch mechanisms, and a binding rod.
This is the nature of the beast we are driving cars that are 19-29 years old.

 

I had the similar problem with both door locks and there were many problems.
1st you will need a service manual (most of us can fix this sit without one but it is nice to have one.)
2nd volt meter, check voltage to the switch, voltage out of switch, and at the lock solenoid.
3rd take you door latch mechanisms off and clean then in a solvent tank and check for smooth operation, repair/ replace, and lubricate with lithium greases.
4th clean/replace the locking actuator.
5th make sure that all locking rods move freely with no binding, if your pivot points bind, use a small sleeve over the screw/bolt, or rivet so you don’t create a new binding point.
My problems consisted of a bad wire to the switch, a bad switch, a bad actuator, dirty door latch mechanisms, and a binding rod.
This is the nature of the beast we are driving cars that are 19-29 years old.

 

I had a car (1990 olds cutlass) that did the exact same thing and I did just as bomax did took the door panel off and looked for EVERY moving part when I locked and unlocked the door and sprayed them except I did use wd40 but I never had another problem and I had the car for about 3 years. If I remember correctly on that car there was a spot in the middle of the door about a foot down from the top of the door that had a pivot point for the door lock rods and a big fender washer over the top and this is where the problem was. Again this was a different car but they were from the same era.

 

I have the exact same problem with my driver side power door lock

 

I'm guessing everyone fixed theirs but if not, what I did is pulled off the door panels, pulled back the plastic sheet. Use wd40 with the red tube extender, spray every moving linkage, and wipe down with a rag. After that, spray each linkage with white lithium grease aerosol spray. For extra credit, after that, wipe white lithium grease paste on each linkage with the tip of your finger ... its thicker and will remain longer, assuming your hands can fit into the small openings. While you're at it, do the same for the window motor gear teeth and the window slide rails. If you are planning to replace the outer window sill strip, removing that first will give you much better vantage points to doing this lube op well. Its a dirty job and I recommend wearing latex gloves or similar... don't want to go catching cancer to do this op!