Another problem - Drivers door won't unlock???

[Dan_1981]

Seeming to find lots of little niggling problems at the moment.

Latest is that the drivers door won't unlock. Which is quite annoying. Infact its very annoying. I'm only 5ft 10 but trying to climb into the drivers seat from the passenger side is not amusing!

Started the other day - woudln't unlock with the alarm fob so got in from the other side. Wound window down and tried key in lock - opened!!!

Was ok for a couple of days - just been to get back in and again won't open. Won't open on key fob, won't even open with key.

The little slidey things inside doesn't slide accross - its very very stiff i can't force the bugger to open.

Any ideas? Suggestions??

Cheers

Dan

[Don Phil]

Gave my stiff locks a good spraying with WD40 and they're now hunky dory. Worth a try!

[Dan_1981]

Tried that one - and for once the old WD40 has failed me!

[tuttle]

This happens to mine from time to time, esp if there is a frost, locks seem to freeze up. As above, A good lubing does seem to help some. I think its the return spring. Looks like a bugger to replace in terms of fiddlyness though.

[A2Z]

I "think" you may have the same problem I had. Despite frantic wiggling of the key in the lock, the drivers door would not unlock (from the outside). There was a small sping in the mechanism that had snapped. I got a new one from here:

http://www.mazda-mx5-shop.com/index.php?main_page=...

Easy to fit if you have small hands.

[Dan_1981]

Is it a case of removing the door card and going from there?

I presume if it is snapped its pretty easy to tell!

Although i'd have thought if it was snapped the catch on the sindie (the one that shows if door is locked or not) would move freely? Mine won't move at all?

[yellowbentines]

Sorry to thread hijack but I've been having the same problem since I got my car in December - the thing is that the door will eventually open with repeated locking and unlocking turns with the key, so if it was a snapped spring surely the door would never allow access instead of being an intermittant problem (which I assume is the same issue the OP is having).

In other words is there 2 seperate issues, i.e. if it's intermittant it can't be a snapped spring?

[A2Z]

Yes, you need to remove the door card (a few screws) and peel back the polyethene membrane (don't get the black adhesive on you as it stick like the preverbial to a blanket). You can reach in to change the spring although I used long nose pliers. Dandy Cars sent an instruction sheet with the spring.

However, I don't seem to remember the lock being stiff from the inside. Once in the car I could let myself out of the door, lock it etc. Maybe it needs greasing?

Oh, my problem started intermitently, then it would take about 5 mins of arsing about to open, then it just failed. I think if you jiggled it hard enough it would work.

Edited by A2Z on Tuesday 23 February 15:44

Edited by A2Z on Tuesday 23 February 15:45

[Dan_1981]

Hmm mine won't work from inside or out, neither handle, nor the key, nor the alarm fob.

Hmmm so it seems to be not unlocking rather than not opening.

[snotrag]

Its the spring. I am positive from your description.

You have to get the doorcard off with the door shut - this is possible.

Pull the drivers seat out the top.

Remove the door handle cup. Remove arm rest/handle.

Manhandle doorcar open a bit - reach inside and flip the lock.

There is a slotted arm inside the door - the Spring pulls this slotted arm upwards to take up slack in the mechanism. without it the door wont open.

Its very hard to explain but very easy to see once its in front of you.

The difficult bit is getting your doorcar peeled back with the door shut.

[Gad-Westy]

As Snotrag says.

Had exactly the same problem a few weeks ago. It is a bit of pain getting the door card off with the door shut (our door would open every now and then but when I came to do the job I couldn't get it to open for toffee!).

You'll probably find that the old spring is lying in the bottom of the door.

I've pinched this image from another thread that shows where the spring should go.



Putting the new spring on is a little fiddly I'm afraid. Its one of those jobs that could take you 2 minutes or 2 hours depending on how lucky you are at hooking the spring end through its hole (you're working blind I'm afraid).

Whilst you've got the door card off, it would be worth giving all the moving parts in there a good coat of grease.

[Dan_1981]

Ordered a new spring from MX5 parts - cheaper than dandy cars!

[CY88]

Not necessarily.

Mine does this. What i do to fix the problem is push the door in slightly by applying pressure in the area of the lock (there's a little movement when its on the catch - we're talking mm) and then turn the key in the lock while pressure is applied. This seems to solve the problem with mine every time (Much to my amazement!)

I'd try this before the hassle of taking door cards off.

Edited by CY88 on Thursday 25th February 14:34

[dylan0451]

had exactly the same thing - door wouldn't unlock, inside lock was stuck fast, would barely move

this happened on the first few icy days - damp inside the door collects on the spring, freezes the coils together then you bend the end loop, or snap it when trying to open the door

i bought a spring for each door and did them both. absolutely doused all moving parts in lithium spray grease inside the door, and silicon spray grease through the door key holes (and boot!) until it would take no more

i don't think you need to worry so much about the passenger side as it doesn't get work hardened so much as the drivers side, however, since i'd done one, it didn't take anywhere near as long to do the other

[Dan_1981]

Hmmmm well the spring arrived, and i've managed to get the door card not completly off but away far enough toget my hand in the top, and the spring is still in place!!!

And nothign i pull or push or wiggle seems to open the door - any more ideas guys?

[snotrag]

There's a bar with a slotted hole at one end - find that. You need to release it - it may be seized up. I can't tell you exaclty how without one in front of me but you'll work it out. Get someone to stand outside and operate the lock and door handle - you'll see which way all the linkages move and work it out that way. At least if you can get the door open you'll be able to get a better look. If needs be take the ns doorcard off too so you can see how it all works.

[Dan_1981]

well i'm in!

Not sure how - got my dad to wiggle things from the inside while i turned the key and pulled the handle from the outside.

Suddenly it popped open.

Now idea why though!

But now everythign looks fine inside. Although the switch on the inside that shows if the door is locked or unlocked won't push forward to the unlocked position so i imagine this has something to do with it?

[Dan_1981]

Right.

I'm covered in that horrible black stuff.

And it still doesn't work properly but i'm alittle further along now.

The lock seems to be fine. And the spring definitly is.

The problem seems to lie with the slider that shows if the door is locked or open.

If i'm in the car now and i push hard on the slider and hold it in the open position i can then open the door, same from the outside if i hold the key in the unlock position i can open the door. However the slider will not stay in the open position and won't slide to open on the central locking.

hmmm.

[CY88]

Sounds exactly like my issue. See above.

[Dan_1981]

CY88 said:

Sounds exactly like my issue. See above.

Thanks Cy - did try that one but doesn't seem to make a difference.

I can now get it to lock and unlock - if i'm inside i have to push the little slider all the way over to open and hold it there while i pull the door release.

If i'm outside i jhave to turn the key to unlocked and hold it there while i pull the door release.

So i think it must be the mechanism inside the door handle thats faulty.