Old Library

Does anyone the part number for the piece that always breaks in the door
locks. My lock cylinder just spins around and will come out if I just pull
on the key but I made sure not to pull it out. I tried to search the
archives with no luck so any help would be appreciated.

Jay 
95 GTI (Always opens the door for the passenger edition)

At 05:22 PM 12/7/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
>This morning (it was cold ~25F) I went out to my car and tried to turn the
>key in the driver's-side door.  It wouldn't budge, so I stuck my thumb
>on it and held it there for a minute.  I turned the key to the right
>(what was I thinking-it's already locked...) and it turned fine and the horn
>chirped.  Then I went to turn it to the left to unlock and *SNAP*!!  The
>cylinder broke!!  Anybody know what it costs to get this fixed?  I'm a
>month outside of the 2/24.  Damn cars.  All of 'em break as soon as the
>warranty is up.
>
 Same thing happened to me the lock actuators are made of cheesy pot metal
and are very weak, I broke it twice before I learned my lesson. Your dealer
will probably take care of it since the part costs like $2 retail and takes
very little time to install.

Jaason Whipple
turn2

--
For info on: how to subscribe & unsubscribe, the list's mailing errors,
    list archive, etc.  see:   http://www.panix.com/~aqn/gti_vr6_list/

If you've had your door lock cylinder quit funtioning, then you'll probably
know what I'm talking about.  For those that haven't, there's a cheap
piece of pot metal that connects the lock cylinder and the door lock
actuator.  Well, it likes to break.  Anyways, it's a really simple fix.
I just took care of mine.

Here's a couple tips for you other guys out there with out-of-warranty
cars...  After you remove the bolt from the inside of the door
that fixes the handle and go to pull the handle out(after first sliding
it towad the front of the car), it will come out a little ways then
stop.  There are two pieces of white plastic that frame the opening in the
door panel.  Remove these.  Then you can pull it out far enough to fix it
without tearing into the door(they serve no other purpose than keeping
you from pulling the handle all the way out, so I didn't put them back
on.  While you're in there, there's a spacer(also cheap pot metal) on the
back side of the lock cylinder that has some tabs that wear off.
Replace that, too.  Each piece is only like $3.00 from the dealer, for a
total of $6.oo.  Just ask the parts guys to let you look at the diagram
on the microfiche, and you'll see how easy it is.

-Dave
--
For info on: how to subscribe & unsubscribe, the list's mailing errors,
    list archive, etc.  see:   http://www.panix.com/~aqn/gti_vr6_list/

Mark Kilty wrote:
>
> The door handle on my 94 GLX broke the other day.  When I turn the key there
> is no resistance and the lock nor the lock motor is engaged.  I started to
> play around with it to see what was wrong and the lock cylinder pulled right
> out of the handle.  I then decided I would take the handle off to see if I
> could fix it or if something broke that I would need to replace.  Anyway, I
> unscrewed the 1 torx screw on the inside of the door, but I can't seem to
> get the handle off the car.  It seems that within the door, the handle is
> attached to something that is larger that the hole in the door.  Is there
> something I am missing here?  How do I get the handle off of the door?  I
> have done this multiple times on a 85 Golf.

BTW, nice first name.

VW changed this part to something a bit beefier.  How this thing
works is there is a loop on the back of the lock cylinder.  Should
be easy to see now that you're holding it in your hand <grin>.
That loop engages with a shaft that has a hook on the end.  The
other end of the shaft is &quot;flat&quot; and fits into the door lock mechanism.
The hook is too thin, and breaks.  The new part has a larger loop
on the cylinder, to accommodate a BIGGER HOOK.  Do both doors, 'cause
if one broke, likely the other one will sometime soon.  Probably most
inconveniently :)

So, how do you fix it?

DISCLAIMER - Working on cars is tricky business.  If you screw something
up, it's not my fault.  If you don't understand the instructions,
ask questions.  If I give bad instructions and you screw up, it's
still not my fault.  These instructions are only provided for
information.  If you spontaneously combust, the door gets scratched
or meteors fall from the sky, again, not my fault.  Have you
gotten the idea so far that you're an adult and can decide whether
to try this on your own or not and accept the consequences?  If so,
continue on.  If not, buy a Honda <ducks>.

Step 0 - (OK, I forgot one)  PUT THE LOCK CYLINDER IN A BAGGIE
SO YOU DON'T LOOSE ANY OF THOSE LITTLE PINS OR SPRINGS!  Also, you
DO NOT want them falling out of the cylinder, so don't play with it
either.  If you've lost pins, or they're not in order, you'll be
ahead to have a locksmith fix up the cylinder for you.  Just
remember how much you spent when you also replace the other side's
lock stuff, and don't loose the stuff!

Step 1 - If you don't already have it, Get the Bentley Manual!
(check old threads for sources or just get it from the dealer
for about $20 too much)

Step 2 - Read the Bentley Manual.  Your revision will likely be
different, but in mine the diagram and pertinent text is on pages
57-6 through 57-8.  The drawings help more than my description
will!

Step 3 - Get the New Parts.  Lock cylinder, hook shaft/connecting
rod, springs and a little cylindrical doo-hickey that I have
no idea what it's called :)  Also needed are a tube of lithium
grease and a spray can of the gook.  You'll need something relatively
small, say a dental pick, scratch awl or something to change over
the pins from the old lock to the new one.  One of those long
grabber tools to pick up all the parts that fell into the door
when they broke is a good thing too - otherwise stuff will
rattle around.  All total from the dealer should be about $60
total for both sides.  IOW, ~$30/side

Step 4 - DON'T PULL OFF THE INTERIOR TRIM.  You'll just break
clips or sumthin'.  To get at the parts in the bottom of the door,
remove one of the plugs at the lower rear of the door.  Use the
long grabber to fish stuff out.  Put the plug back in at the
end.  If you put it back now you'll probably drop something
later that you'll want back <sigh>

Step 5 - Remove the Outside Door Handle.  There's a &quot;small&quot; screw
in the door in the jamb area, just to the rear of the handle.
Remove it.  The handle will now somewhat easily slide forward.
Pull the rear of the handle out of the door and maneuver the
front out.  Congrats, you've removed the door handle!

Step 6 - Disassemble the Door Handle.  Pull off the old spring, and
that cylindrical thingy.  Put the handle to the side.

Step 7 - Key the New Cylinder.  Get the new lock cylinder and the old
one you put in a &quot;baggie&quot;.  This is REAL EASY.  Just don't screw up :)
What you're going to do is transfer the pins from the old lock cylinder
to the new one.  This is where the tube of lithium grease comes in.
Put a little in each slot of the new lock cylinder on the side where
there's a little hole beside the slot.  The hole is where the spring
goes.

Remove ONE pin and CAREFULLY remove it's spring.  Put it in the
corresponding holes in the new lock cylinder.  Work from one end to the
other so you don't have to count which damn slot they go in or you'll
feel like a jerk when you goof it up.  A little bit of grease on the
pin helps hold it in the new cylinder so you don't have to.  After
you've
got all the pins and spring transferred, put the key in the cylinder.
That 1) holds in all the pins so they don't fall out, and 2) if all the
pins are the same height, that is flush with the outside of the lock
cylinder,
you did it right.  If not, see Step 0 - seeing a locksmith :)

Step 8 - Reassemble the Door Handle.  Put the lock cylinder in the
door handle and reassemble the hook, springs, etc.  At the end, you
should have a hook shaft sticking out from the handle, the cylinder
should turn back and forth, and the spring should return it to the
neutral position.  (see Bentley manual for diagram)

Step 9 - Reinstall the Door Handle.  Insert the front of the handle
into the door and slide it forward.  Insert the rear of the handle into
the door.  On the driver's side you'll have to turn the lock 90 degrees
so it'll fit in that slot in the door lock stuff in the door (doesn't
matter which direction).  Look inside, you'll see what I mean.  Also,
you'll notice a half moonish thing on the inside that is what the door
handle pulls against to release the door latch.  You'll have to jiggle
the handle a bit to get it by.  I don't remember the trick exactly, but
I tried pulling out on the handle a little, sliding it fore and aft,
etc,
etc.  It WILL go in.  After all, minimum wage labor put it in, you
should
be able to too :)  Slide the handle all the way back to the original
position and reinstall the retaining screw inside the door.  Put the
plugs back in the door.

Step 10 - Test the Install.  You've probably already done it by now,
but turn off the honking alarm and test the new locks action and make
sure you can open the door, lock the door, etc.  (I set off my alarm
several time goofing with the lock with the door open, or playing with
the latch mechanism with the alarm armed, etc :)

If the action of the lock is a little stiff, squirt in some more lithium
grease from the can of spray stuff you got.  Make sure you shake it up
well first, or you'll just get clear junk.  You want to slime the
inside ;)  You'll be getting grease boogers on your keys for awhile,
so be careful.  They go away in about a week.  WD40 sux on locks.
Don't use it.  It doesn't lube after the carrier evaporates. (kerosene
basically)  Powdered graphite or lithium grease.  Accept no substitutes.

Step 10a - (OK, forgot one again!)  Do the other side.  Trust me,
you won't regret it.

Step 11 - Put up your tools, clean the grease off the outside of the
car, and throw a clean shop towel in the car to clean off your key for
the next week or so :)

Step 12 - Let us know how it goes.  I'll fix up whatever boo boo's you
find and offer it to the FAQ ghouds.  It sounds like these cylinders are
somewhat prone to breakage.  Unfortunately, I don't know when they
changed over to the new parts, so if anyone wants to know which rev
they have, they'll have to look.  If there's interest I'll post a pic of
the old style hook shaft (broken) to my lameo web page for comparison.

Mark