Door latch mechanism trouble

Although the aluminum plate is pop riveted (I installed mine with stainless steel screws) - the latch mechanism should be screwed to it with several bevel head screw which should let you free the latch part. Old grease can petrify - maybe spraying with brake cleaner or even WD40 and hitting with tooth brush might clean and free it. 

 

The threaded rod might be out of adjustment if not equiped with self locking or jam nuts, or as Wolfgang says, old grease or lack of any lube in the mechanism can cause the problem....  If you have the pannel off, its not difficult to adjust, repair or replace...   Lube that push button from the inside of the door also....

 

The upper, slotted end of the vertical tube is adjusted properly and just cannot move the intended part. I'll remove the vertical tube next and see what's stopping that mechanism part from moving. I had this trouble a few years back and cured it but I'm suspecting that it's just a worn part up in there.

 

So, can anyone say if this lock mechanism is a stock VW part ?

 

Thanks

Is it in the lock position?

Not in the locked position either.

It's hard to say, but it should be just be the mech out of the donor car.  What does the CMC manual say for the door / lock mech? Anything crazy or out of the ordinary in the manual?

 

Ted

There are only two types of lock/latch assemblies used from1960 to 1979.  With slight modification the  60-64 units will work in 56-59 VWs...  Take a look at CiP-1 "door locks" and you will see a difference in the strikers...  Hope this helps.

 

It is a 68-79 beetle lock mechanism. The top half of the part that goes into the vertical rod gets trimmed off. I.e, the original part has a C slot, just cut away the stuff above the top half of the C.

Those locks can get pretty jammed up if not greased. It doesn't help that your thumb's leverage gets cut in half because of that vertical rod.

Thanks for that, Justin. As usual, you are correct. I'll get the bugger out in the next several days and see what's up. If need a new mechanism, I'll get it from Cip1 and do the mod.

 

Interestingly, there's an option to use a control cable rather than a rod for the inside door lever and that would preclude the need to tweak the rod itself in length to keep things working right. I've had to do that once already. Perhaps my stuff is so old it's just wearing out.

We're still talking about the car... right?  Just wanted to check.

Oh, Shyt.....! me culpa...

Got the bugger figured out. The main frame of the lock is a stamped piece of steel cut up in various places and bent about 90 deg. The main lever arm that unlocks the thing from the outside door handle has a slightly worn pivot bushing and coupled with that, the surface that the bushing is on somehow became curved ( shortened) . Both faults combined to restrict the full travel of the lever.

 

One minute with the cutoff saw got the clearance needed and it works just fine. Uncharactistically, I ordered a new one anyway. Done.

Who are you, and what have you done with David?!?

He, He...scary stuff, eh ? :-) somehow it just doesn't feel right either.

 

I bet we see the new part for sale on the site after it arrives. Anybody want to take that action?

 

 

Ted

It's all good, David. I'm over here on the other end of the spectrum.

 

If it were my door latch, I'd buy a mechanism and two for spare (because you just never know...) before I ever tore it apart. Six months from the date of purchase, I'd have no idea where any of them were, and I'd buy two more. 2 years down the road, I'd be rifling through the cabinets in the shop and come across the originals... but have no idea whee the other spare was.

 

The theory is: if I buy enough of something, eventually there will be one every where I go.

And that theory is contagious Stan.....   

Stan, I've seen your place, you don't know what a mess really looks like.