Door Lock Won't Move

[Jordan]

I've finally gotten to my door lock and I am stymied.  I am unable to move the interior door lock mechanism into a locked position.  I think this is also why the key will not turn the door lock on the handle. 

The mechanism is shown in the pictures below.  The first picture shows the mechanism as it stands, unlocked.  The black arrow points to the rod connected to the locking mechanism at the front interior of the door.  When locking the door the rod should move to the right, forcing the lower plates to rotate down.  The second picture shows the furthest I can move the mechanism.  The two plates shown with black and red arrows are suppose to move together forcing the lower latch down.  Mine will not move past what is shown.  My passenger side works perfectly and I cannot see what is preventing the mechanism from moving all the way down.  I tried using a screwdriver to force it and it would not move.  Is there something in the back I cannot see that is not moving?  There doesn't seem to be anything else moving on the passenger side mechanism and it works great.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  The gunk you see on the mechanism is just grease I sprayed on thinking it might help.  No luck.

[66andBlue]

Jordan,
just to make sure, I assume you are not trying this with the door open?? The driver door can only be locked from the inside with the door closed to prevent lock-out.

[Jordan]

Well thanks a lot Alfred, where were you this morning when I was fidling with this and taking pictures.     Of course I had the door open, how else would I have been able to look at the mechanism.  Is this in the tech manual some where?   

OK so the latch does work, but the key will still not turn the lock to open the door.  Is there a key code on the door mechanism some where?  Since the key has never worked it occurred to me that a PO may have changed the door handle for whatever reason and thus the key does not work.  My key does work on the passenger door.  Is this a "take the whole door handle apart" project?

[Jordan]

Alfred, just found your thread from October last year.  Did you ever find a key code on the door handle anywhere?

[114015]

Alfred, just found your thread from October last year.  Did you ever find a key code on the door handle anywhere?

Hello Jordan,

Well, I am not Alfred...
but nevertheless might be able to provide advice  somehow. 

Yes, the original doorhandles carry the stamped-in key code (something reading like "TA 042" or so) on the barrel that carries the door lock cylinder.

The picture shows a set of old door handles; on the right one you can detect the key code.

Replacement door handles have a small white sticker with the imprinted (new) key code.

If you don't find either of it you'll need a good locksmith.

But check your data card first. Have you still got your original door key (always starts with "T" for a  230 - early 280 SL)? Does it lock/unlock your passenger door? Yes?
Does it fit into the driver's door as well but just not turn?
For the latter case a locksmith can certainly help.

On the other side it is not uncommon that once in the past (only) your driver's side doorhandle was replaced.
Have you checked your second (= spare) set of keys? Probably the key you miss is there.

I have got three sets of keys with my car, all of them were incomplete. 
But when I throwed them together I could eventually find at least one key for each of the locks, original & replaced.
So, some good research (homework) might help.


Good lock 

Achim
(doorhandle collector)

[Jordan]

Thanks Achim, I have tried all the keys I have and unfortunately none of them work.  I have the key code from my data card and will see if the door handle has one when I remove it tomorrow.  Maybe I have a broken tumbler like Alfred had. 

Thanks Alfred for your help as well, you saved me who knows how many hours I would have continued to spend trying to figure out the mechanism.  Mind you it would have been with a beer in my hand so it wouldn't have been a total loss.

[66andBlue]

...  Is this in the tech manual some where?   ....

No, but it is spelled out in your owner's manual!  You have one, don't you?
If your tumbler is bad and you need spades then let me know. Joe A. sent me a bunch to repair mine.

[mmizesko]

Jordan,

I Laughed out loud when I read the "Door Open" problem.  I did the same thing when I first tried to get my locks to work.

Have you tried lubricating the tumbler with penetrating oil? Take the handle out, let the oil drip in there vertically, and then slowly try to work the key back and forth, over the course of a week or so.  I eventually worked fine for me. No key mismatches.

Mike Mizesko
Columbus, OH

[Jordan]

Mike, glad I could bring some sunshine into anothers life during this brutal winter.    I will try the lubricating/graphite fluid first before taking everything apart.  It will be moot however if the key code doesn't match any of the keys I have.

[tel76]

Does the # stamped on the barrel as in Achims picture match the # on the data card ?

[Jordan]

Yes, the key code on your data card should be the same number stamped on the barrel of the door handle. 

Got my door handle off and success in that the key code on the barrel is correct and has not previously been changed.  It looks like I have a broken tumbler as seen in the third picture.  First 2 pictures are with the key inserted and the third with the key withdrawn.  All the tumblers look to be flush with the stock.  Can I just use a pin to push out the rest of the tumber?  As the pictures show there is a lot of grime in there I would like to clean out.  If I start removing the tumblers, I assume I have to make sure I record which one came out of which slot or are they all the same?  Are they easy to remove and return?  I don't want to start messing with them until I know what to expect. Alfred or anyone else that has done this?  Thanks.

[pj]

Never ceases to amaze me what kind of intricate contraptions the engineers come up with to perform what seem like such simple tasks in concept. It's a wonder the darn things ever work at all!

Keep at it, Marcus. We're cheering for you.

[Jordan]

Thanks Peter.  Attached is a photo of the tumbler that is broken.  I assume each slot has a tumbler that looks different.  I haven't removed any as yet.  The spring is still in place as seen in the second photo.  Are these tumblers still available? I would like to be able to replace all of them in both doors, including the springs if so.

[66andBlue]

That is just like the problem I had and relatively easy to fix.  
You are fortunate that you have the broken part because you can  measure the critical dimensions to find the one from the spares.  DO NOT remove the wafers (or spades) that are still inserted!! I have not found a source for these wafers, they need to be scavenged from old parts.
Put the key back into the slot to prevent the wafers and springs from falling out!!!  More later.
{To make communication easier here is a bit of nomenclature: tumbler is the round cylinder part with inserted wafers that provide the locking. Here is a generic write up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wafer_tumbler_lock}

[tel76]

If the code on the barrel is the same as on the data card then to get a replacement key from MB it should be possible if you give the barrel # to your local stealer.
At some stage the door handles on my project must have been changed so I thought it would be a simple case of giving the dealer the # stamped on the door handle.
I tried this about 6 months ago and they said it was not possible they only work with the # on the data card.
Has anyone had this experience ?

[Jordan]

Eric, you may want to speak with the Classic Center personally about this.  Otherwise I have no experience.

Perhaps Alfred, Joe, Achim or someone else might know if the door handles used on the W113 are the same as those used on other models, such as the W111?  The wafers in the door tumblers are no longer available so to replace them you would need spare door handles to pirate.  Also was wondering if each wafer is different.  I have seen Porsche wafers and each one is different.  Thanks.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hi Marcus,

Looks like quite a few of us had door locking problems. I hope you resolve yours satisfactory and find the right parts.

Last year August I had my car at the London Mercedes dealer and was lucky that the shop foreman (an experianced old-timer Benz mechanic) was able to help. He repaired my drivers door and found that one of the connecting rods from the inside door lock to the locking device mechanisim was missing. Naturally no spares on the shelf so he manufactured one for me. This allowed me to lock my driver side door with the key and the passenger side door from the inside. At least I was able to sleep in the hotels during my Williamsburg, VA. trip last September. I will work on the passenger side door as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer winter has hit us hard this year, looking forward to spring and summer. Keep us posted of your progress.

[66andBlue]

.... might know if the door handles used on the W113 are the same as those used on other models, such as the W111?  ....  Also was wondering if each wafer is different. ...

Yes, the early W111 coupes and cabs with single-cut keys had similar handles and locks and can be a good source. Some or all five wafers are different from each other, it depends how the key is cut.  Mine had two that were the same.

[Gerd]

Hi Eric,

Of course the quick fix for now is to simply re-assemble the tumbler without the defect blade (and the corresponding spring!) but with the remaining intact blades.

By removing just one of them, the lock is still pretty safe.

But it isn't if you don't remove the blades and clean them from the old grease...

With the old grease the blades remain in their "unlock" position - on my first Mercedes I was able to open the lock with any VW key...

Thus please gently shift out the blades (and memorize the position they were mounted at...), clean them (and the springs) prior to oiling and putting them back in...

I guess a lock with 4 out of 5 blades working is definitely better than a lock with all blades intact but being stuck....

Regards,

Gerd

PS:
I just fixed the issue of the door lock not working when using the key on my 280SL Pagoda.
Reason here wasn't the tumbler/handle but the connection "stencil"/"stud" between door handle the lock mechanism itself.
The length of this link - which is screwed to the handle - is adjustable via that screw and obviously the previous owner wanted to minimize the play between "stencil" and the lock.
Thus he made the "stencil" sticking to wide - he adjusted it that long, that it permanently "tilted" the lock's lever in a way that it got impossible to move it using the key.....
(Remark: I was able to turn the key in both directions by only 45° each side - but that's not enough to operate the lock.)

Simple solution was to screw the stencil back in a bit and thus allow for some play.

The play between the handle's "stencil" and the lock's "lever" is pretty good visible when you open the door and illumate the slit the lock leaves in the door (towards the handles).

[Jordan]

Just thought I would report back that after cleaning and reassembling the door handle and lock tumbler, leaving the slot with the broken wafer open, and reinstalling in the door, the lock works beautifully once again.  Key locks and unlocks the drivers side door with little resistance.  I decided to clean the passengers side as well now that I knew what I was doing and it took all of about 15-20 minutes to disassemble, clean and reassemble.  Thanks to Alfred and everyone else that responded for your assistance.  Always a great feeling to tackle something new and get it sorted out 

[114015]

Congratulations, Jordan, well done!

If you have got a couple of spare door handles (that's what I understood from the conversation) you can just replace only the broken wafer by one of the other handles.

There are not too many different wafers, about three or five or so. So, good chance to find a suitable one from a donor tumbler.

Good luck!

Achim