Door Locks Not working fully

[GS81vett]

Ok here it is my doors are not locking all the way. The actuator on the electric locks are working and the locks go in and out but they seem to not fully release. The driver side works best but the passenger side does not lock all the way and if I force it then it will not unlock and I have to really work it to get the door open. Do these get gummed up and just need a good cleaning and new grease? Anyone else have this issue? Thoughts?

[Metalkid]

Originally Posted by GS81vett

Do these get gummed up and just need a good cleaning and new grease? Anyone else have this issue? Thoughts?

If you've never had the insides of the doors worked on, then YES, gumming up is the most likely cause.

OEM grease deteroirates, dirt accumulates etc, leading to failure.

I did a complete tear down of my drivers side door, last year, detailing everything, and once the latching mechanism was pristine, it worked like a charm, very little effort needed by key or actuator to lock/unlock the doors.

[XQIZT]

The grease turns into a thick goo with age and dirt. I just had mine apart as well. Clean them up and you should be good. Mine was 100% better If its still an issue (and assuming the door interior is the same as our 77) then there are threads ends to the lock actuator rods that can be adjusted to perfect the mechanism. You'll see it once you open up the door.

[GS81vett]

Thanks guys I am going to dig into it today......I will keep you posted on the work

[F Bodies]

Originally Posted by GS81vett

Ok here it is my doors are not locking all the way. The actuator on the electric locks are working and the locks go in and out but they seem to not fully release. The driver side works best but the passenger side does not lock all the way and if I force it then it will not unlock and I have to really work it to get the door open. Do these get gummed up and just need a good cleaning and new grease? Anyone else have this issue? Thoughts?

I am having the exact same problem you are having with my 82. I replaced both actuators and switches and it is somewhat the same. There are times when you hit the switch and it seems to get a stronger current running through the switch to either lock or unlock. It also seems at times that it works better with the door open as opposed to being closed.
I get locked in the car sometimes and since my door panels are still off the car, I use the old screwdriver trick to let myself out
And my driver's side seems stronger then the passenger side., but it is my driver's side that give me the most trouble. So I am thinking about removing the latch and do the cleaning. Will be looking forward to reading your results........Tom

Also near impossible to use the key on the driver's side to lock or unlock the door.....

[GS81vett]

Ok one side done! I took the door panel off on the drivers side and went to work. I did not take the lock out of the door so what I did was use carb cleaner to really soak down the lock and rods and actuators including the window slides. Now if you use this method I recommend being careful because carb and brake cleaner are not nice to paint but in my case I don't care about my paint. I sprayed the lock and worked it at the same time. After about 15 min or so the lock CAME LOOSE! it must have been really clogged up. Once it was clean I sprayed it with air to dry it off and then worked it over with WD-40 and it really loosened up. I then put some graphite in the key lock and worked it as well. It really is back to what it is supposed to feel like. It was really dirty but now it is clean. I put on more WD-40 and let it set in and now it is smooth as silk! While I was in it I replaced the weather stripping as well I had bought a new set a while ago and never put it in so I figured today was a good day to do it as well as adjust the window. I taped the weather strip and closed the door and now it goes THUD like it should! Tomorrow I will do the passenger side. I did not take any pics as they would not have been very reveling.