I have a couple of questions. Car is '83S Euro.

1.) I noticed yesterday that the flap over the lock opening in the drivers door seems to be missing in action. There is just a hole there where it is supposed to be. Is there something I can do to make it reappear? I shot some graphite in there in hopes that it would spring back from it's hiding place, but no.... it has chosen to stay hidden. <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" />

2.) I also have noticed that the ignition switch seems to be a bit resistant when I try to put the key in. Nothing major, I just have to jiggle it a little and the key goes in, but I am hoping that it is not a sign of more difficult times ahead.

Any thing I should be doing? Any advice as to what is happening? Can I fix this, or am I in for some major new locks or something like that?

Thanks in advance. <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Joe Ferguson <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />
'88 S4 A/T keyless (her driver)
'83S Euro not liking keys (my project) <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />

 

Joe,

1st I'll explain the locks for all interested; in
each cylinder there are a series of sliding plates
instead of pin-type tumblers used in most locks.
There are only 4 different plates and the are numbered; these are used in various combinations to give each lock a unique keying.
I have very successfully repaired worn ones from
scrap or extra locks by replacing worn slides or
using spare tumblers and resetting the slides to match the key being used.

As far as your ignition lock I'd squirt some wd-40 in there and see if it frees up after a few uses, the WD will lube but also dissolve any crud that's built up on the slides.

 

Joe-

Welcome to the wonderful world of 928 door locks.

In the three years that I have had my car, I've had to replace one door lock and now the hatch cylinder has broken. The locks that Porsche used on these cars were unique- very big and thick to deter theft, but the sad part is that Porsche [or their OEM] used very weak pot metal for many of the parts, which tends to break after many years of use. Add to this the rare nature of these machines and you find yourself spending lots of money on locks.

Your best bet is to use graphite on them on a regular basis, be gentle with your keys always, and simply hope for the best.

Normy!

 

There was a post last year ...on replacement keys of all things.
One of the posters to that thread made a comment that has had me wondering.
He said that when he had a new key made the locks worked like new.
Might be something to that.
So WD-40 them first... I did mine to and beyond the point of being ridiculous, just make sure you know where the stuff is draining to and have a roll of paper towels on hand. After the lock is clean blow it out with some canned air THEN use the graphite. Norm, I spent 20 minutes on a warm day lubing, working the key in the lock, blowing the trash out...repeatedly... . No the deck lock doesn't work like new, but I'm not wiggling key's and praying anymore. Failing that try a fresh key.
John S. & Pattycakes

 

This may not necessarily apply here. But, you should lightly file and sharpen the edges of your keys occasionally... say, once every couple of years. This was passed down to me from my father. Perhaps a locksmith can explain why.

 

thanks for all the replies. I will go straight to my can of WD-40 and douse everything liberally. Then see what happens.

Anyone have an idea about the missing flap over the lock opening in the driver door? Will it reappear?

thanks again,

Joe

 

Joe, chances are it will reappear in time, I would bet that somewhere during the cleaning or soon after.

I think most Porsche; Audi, VW and MB owners have this problem after 10 or so years, not bad in my opinion.

The only thing that worries me is that you already sprits the locks with graphite. If you don’t get it clean, you will have made it worst.

John, I would have never thought of using a can of keyboard spray for blowing out the locks as I normally have a compressor or two readily available. Great Idea!

Anyone keeping a list of “Required PM’s”, how about this?

100K miles or 10 years, which ever comes first?

Remove all locking mechanisms (4)
Spray-Clean with electrical cleaner (plastic safe and non-oil base, repeat as necessary)
Blow-dry with canned air (keyboard spray, repeat as necessary)
Either Spray, drip or apply a liquid or past lubricant to each.
Reinstall and adjust.

Thomhross, I think your dad is right. However the 928 keys would be exempt from this due to its design.

Jim, you said “There are only 4 different plates and they are numbered…………” That’s not very many combinations. At the next DEVEK day or other Grand 928 gathering a few individuals should walk around and try their key in different cars (928’s).

I once had an 82 F150 P-up with a key that would fit a friends 89 Ford 5.0LX Mustang, boy were we surprised! Come to find out this was quite common.

Cheers

Max

 

John...my locks are pretty good overall. They don't bind or give me problems at all- I occasionally put graphite down them. When I've had cylinder failures, it has been the little tab that sticks out to operate the lock mechanism that has failed. Cheap pot metal.

Max...funny you should say that about your truck and your friends' mustang, because my first car ['77 Rabbit] and my girlfriend's car [also a '77 Rabbit] had the same key...our keys were on the counter one day and I noticed the similar shape.

[Unfortunately, despite the similar keys, we were totaly different and basically incompatible.]

Another coincidence....I bought a '70 Honda CB 750 in 1991, sold it a year later when I took a job as a pilot at a commuter airline [food stamp time....]. This was my first bike. A year after that I bought another one, as I was finally financially able to heat the oatmeal I was living on. The new bike was 6 years newer, purchased 1000 miles from the first...but had the same key!

-I'd KILL to figure out a way to use a Volkswagen cylinder in our cars. Probably a big job, but a worthwile conversion if it could be figured out....imagine getting your spare keys from Wal Mart!

 

Thank you Max,
good suggestion. I will try the spray clean and compressed air cycle prior to any more graphite in the locks. Hopefully, they are just dirty and will be ok after a good cleaning.

cheers <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />
Joe

 

Max,

I may have stated that wrong; while there are only 4 different sliders the are 8 slots that they run in in one direction and 6 in the other (up/down).
However, since the keys are symentrical this cuts
the number of positions in half to 7 total.
Add that to 4 different sliders that can be used
in 7 positions and it's way to early for math.
Even with all the posible combos it would not suprise me if someone else's key worked in my car
especially taking wear of the slides in to account

 

If there are 7 "tumblers" with 4 possible positions for each tumbler, then there are 16,384 possible combinations for locks. (4x4x4x4x4x4x4 = 16,384)

Having said that, there are a lot of combinations that will not work or that will not be safe. No one wants a key that is just a straight line, all "tumblers" in same position. So lets cut the number in half and say that there are likely about 8,000 good combinations.

So it comes down to the factory's quality controls to determine the number of unique locks.

 

Max,

I was having trouble with the key unlocking the rear hatch. The really long edges of the key were turned and rounded. I filed and sharpened its edges. The problem went away. Why does the sharpening solution not apply to 928 keys?
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