Drivers door lock

[Skoobahead]

I just noticed today when opening my drivers door the cabin lights do not illuminate. The fuel pump also does not start. I'm assuming I have a bad door lock assembly. Has anyone ever changed one of these? It seems pretty involved.

Thx

[savethebluths.org]

Unfortunately its a terribly common problem with the soldering on the microswich inside the door lock assembly. Soon enough the door wont lock when you press the lock on the key and it will just get worse. There is a how to on Vortex on fixing it but I haven't been able to find any suitable replacement parts available.

[Smileybug]

There should be a how-to on here somewhere too. Both my drivers side and passenger side have died in the past 3 1/2 years. Got my drivers side one fixed at the dealer for $450 (before I knew there was an easy fix for it!). Left the passenger side though. The drivers side was a pain in the butt, but the passenger side doesn't matter so much to me...its usually just me in the car anyway.

[boblamb58]

Here's the copy of text from Vortex. HereI posted a how to on getting the panels apart.


Ok, we can fix this door switch for $3 USD! You need to go to Radio Shack and purchase Part number #275-016A. This is a Submini Lever Switch. It has NO and NC contacts. Now here is what you need to do.
1) Tear the door down to the door lock assembly. This is detailed in the Bentley.
2) Remove the door lock assembly from the door carrier assembly you just removed. You will need to drill out a rivit to do this as detailed in Bentley.
3) Once you have the door lock assembly out, you will see the switch in question. It is the one that has a red and blue wire going to it. Mine was ruined as outlined above.
4) You will need a dremel tool to slot out the holes that hold the switch in place to the new switch fits in.
4) Observe the posistion and how the old switch works.Then remove the old switch. It is held in place by two plastic plugs that are melted to hold the switch. Pry it out with a small flat bladed screwdriver and clip the wires at the switch. Then slot out the holes for the new switch with your dremel. You will be able to see what you need to slot by comparing the two switches.
5) Take the new switch and remove the lever by slowly twisting it out with a pliers. You don't need it, just the main body of the switch.
6) You will need two tiny screws and nuts, which I had laying around, otherwise you can get them at the hardware store. Attatch the new switch and solder the red and blur wires to the switch. One to the Common and one to the NO (normally open). Plug the electrical plug back in and test the operation of the switch.
7) Button it all back up and rejoice in the money you saved!

I also lubed the new switch with electrical grease and hopefully it will last for awhile. Now that it is all modified, I can slug a new one in if it fails again in the future. (hopefully I wont have to!)