I recently got a 1981 308 GTSi. I was told that the driver side would lock but not unlock you would have to unlock the passenger door and then unlock manually. Now the passenger's side does not work either. I can hear clicking and both doors lock, but do not unlock. I rarely leave it unattended, and never leave it unlocked. Any idea's? I have a set manuals but they don't deal with body work. The parts manual has an exploded view of the door, it looks like the key should unlock the door directly.
You'll need to take off the door panels and do some looking. Seems like either 1 of the link rods has come off or broke or you need to lub the whole thing. It is possible that the lock rod came off. Can you turn the key in the lock? Does the door handle work or is it the lock?
The key turns and I can lock the doors. The key turns to unlock the doors (I can hear clicks) but the door locks don't move I have to unlock manually. But that requires some one in the car or else I can't get in. Lucky the top was off when it happened. I live in rural Kansas and am not good 'domestic door panels', I'm not sure if the 308 uses the same system of snaps and clips Fords and Chevrolets do. The exploded door view in the parts manual does not explain how to remove the door panel. The external door handles work if the doors are unlocked.
the door panels are easy to remove. the perimeter is attached with sheet metal screws and there are two studs with 10 mm nuts for the arm rest. you also need to remove a leather trim strip around the inside door handle and on the drivers side as you pull the panel off pull the connector for the outside mirror switch. remove the fasteners and lift the panel out of the window channel at the top of the door. I disconnected the rod connection from the solenoid boxes so the door lock knob to door latch is the only mechanical connection. each door now works directly from the key and also can be locked before closing by depressing knob (you cannot do this if solenoid boxes are still connected). make sure that the rod connection from the door knob to the latch mechanism is ok. good luck. jon s.
once you take the door panel off on the 81 the power window switch are on the senter consoll i think. with the panel off now you can see the door lock there is a 30 mm nut that holds the lock in plase i made my own tool for it becuse a 30 mm open end is way to big to fit in there. once you loosen the 30 mm nut you will need to turn the lock to the left or to the right in very small steps and try it in every adjustment you make to get it to unlock and to lock providing there is nothing broken.
Thank you Jon S for the directions to remove door panels and for the idea to bypass the electrical system just use the key. Thank you Ria for the tip that a 30mm tool should be made for the adjustment of the lock. Thank you Steve King for the suggestion to lube all the locking parts. stephen
I have a passenger door lock that will not lock the door when pushing down on the knob or using the key. It seems to be hitting something inside the lock mechanism. Any thoughts or do I have to pull the assembly out.
Taking the assembly out is a big deal since it is connected to the door lock, internal handle, external handle and the vertical door button. Compare the movement of the external handle between the driver side and the passenger side. It is possible that the passenger side handle does not move far enough. If that is the case, add more cable from the handle to the internal mechanism. It is not easy to do.
Have you tried to just unscrew the knob a bit? I had a similar problem that the passenger door wouldn’t lock with the key and when I unscrewed the knob a few turns it worked.
In the process of trying to get the passenger door to lock without the external handle overriding the lock, the door has jammed at the almost closed position.. I had to remove the inner door panel (difficult) to get at the door locking assembly. At this point the lock assembly will not release the door and the levers appear partially frozen. I will try to get a lock assembly to see what is holding up the mechanical parts.
You probably tried the basic approach of using some lube. Theory being that everything should be aligned, and it's just old and sticky. After that I can only suggest be patient and take it apart and study what's going on. Unfortunately, usually not lucky with the former approach and have always needed to get it apart to find the problem. On a couple of occasions ( w different cars) I've seen some plastic parts held in w rivets for the lock assembly break which necessitated new parts being machined. Take your time
The lock in my 1983 was coated with Ziebart. The door was jammed because a key spring had come off the lock assembly. The door was finally opened by using a screwdriver to work the mechanism. The lock assembly was removed and flushed of Ziebarts and lube materials. Springs put back in including a long spring that keeps the outdoor handle against the door. At one point looking to replace the lock assembly showed that each lock is different depending on the year. Old lock assembly put back in and door aligned with the frame. Key lock is weak on opening but good on closure.