Cannot open door with key
#48
I was also following this thread with interest, and I'm glad that there was finally a solution (even if it cost you a small window!).
And I hear you on your door mechanism comment: for me the only thing worse than when something's not working and you don't know why, is when something *is* working and you don't know why.
And I hear you on your door mechanism comment: for me the only thing worse than when something's not working and you don't know why, is when something *is* working and you don't know why.
#49
Silver lining here, other than solving the issue, is having my own tale to share with my Ferrari owning friends who seem to take a perverse pleasure in waxing lyrically about their latest unexplainable, costly failure. This was relatively cheap at 150.00 for the window (spare change in Maranello), but makes up for it in suspense value.
#50
Hello Serval
I've tried to PM you, but I don't think my membership allows this.
I'm having exactly the same issue. The car hasn't been opened for two years, so my problem migh be even worse.
Did you have find any drawings or illustrations? I'm having a hard time "seeing" your illustration when I read it.
When I found your solution, I had actually tried litteraly everything you tried before breaking the window.
Trouble is that I had a lock smith force the window down a tiny bit, so we could get a hook in there and grab the inner handle. This seems to be just as loose and unconnected as the outside handle.
Now, I don't remember if we grabbed it while the car was locked or not, but at this point it is still in the "pulled open" position, pointing towards the center of the car.
My question is, would that be possible, if the handle is working? I have locked/unlocked the car many times since with both the remote (I've change battery) and the key itself. Shouldn't the inner door handle have popped back in, if it is working?
I've only tried the inner handle on the passenger side, but I suspect it to be the same in both sides.
What would you suggest to do next?
My plan is to remove a window, get in there and put the car in neutral. Then get it dragged out and onto a trailer and to a garage to work on it. But what to do frem there? If I can't get the door open, I can't get the door cards of. I can get the to door cards for the seats. I would prefer not to mess up the door card, as that would probably be hard to replace in the same color as the interior might hav teinted a bit.
So is my only choise to cut a hole in the door from the outside and smash the lock, probably resulting in buying a whole new door. Maybe for both sides...
Thanks A LOT in advance..
Stefan
I've tried to PM you, but I don't think my membership allows this.
I'm having exactly the same issue. The car hasn't been opened for two years, so my problem migh be even worse.
Did you have find any drawings or illustrations? I'm having a hard time "seeing" your illustration when I read it.
When I found your solution, I had actually tried litteraly everything you tried before breaking the window.
Trouble is that I had a lock smith force the window down a tiny bit, so we could get a hook in there and grab the inner handle. This seems to be just as loose and unconnected as the outside handle.
Now, I don't remember if we grabbed it while the car was locked or not, but at this point it is still in the "pulled open" position, pointing towards the center of the car.
My question is, would that be possible, if the handle is working? I have locked/unlocked the car many times since with both the remote (I've change battery) and the key itself. Shouldn't the inner door handle have popped back in, if it is working?
I've only tried the inner handle on the passenger side, but I suspect it to be the same in both sides.
What would you suggest to do next?
My plan is to remove a window, get in there and put the car in neutral. Then get it dragged out and onto a trailer and to a garage to work on it. But what to do frem there? If I can't get the door open, I can't get the door cards of. I can get the to door cards for the seats. I would prefer not to mess up the door card, as that would probably be hard to replace in the same color as the interior might hav teinted a bit.
So is my only choise to cut a hole in the door from the outside and smash the lock, probably resulting in buying a whole new door. Maybe for both sides...
Thanks A LOT in advance..
Stefan
#51
Stefan,
In reading the problem, I am of the opinion that the lock mechanism in the door (not the keyhole) needs a good wash with a good lube. Here in the states we have Kroil, PB Blaster, even WD40.
Hopefully you have a friend with a similiar car, and remove his door panel. Look carefully at the mechanism and you should see a way to hit the lock assembly by pushing the spray tube thru the window rubber and rinse down into the door. then cycle the locks and see if it frees up!
Let us know of the result!
In reading the problem, I am of the opinion that the lock mechanism in the door (not the keyhole) needs a good wash with a good lube. Here in the states we have Kroil, PB Blaster, even WD40.
Hopefully you have a friend with a similiar car, and remove his door panel. Look carefully at the mechanism and you should see a way to hit the lock assembly by pushing the spray tube thru the window rubber and rinse down into the door. then cycle the locks and see if it frees up!
Let us know of the result!
#52
How it works on ROW:
With the ROW immobilizer system and alarm, the doors are blocked on purpose when battery dies or no battery..
I know on your side of the pond, in UK, the system always differ from ROW, but maybe it does the same thing.
If the car is locked and the battery dies totally, you cannot open the doors with a new battery just like that.
The internal levers drop fully, by gravity, and lock doors,
This would prevent thieves who disconnect battery thus alarm horn, to enter the cabin without breaking, (for the insurance companies) but there is a solution.
I presume you removed the front wheel and arch, and opened the front trunk lid to change the battery via the hand cable.
If not please change battery to new, you will need it anyway.
Change the remote battery, maybe the one you just changed, sat @ the chopshop for some time.
Now you have to close the front trunk, your immobilizer would not unlock, if your front trunk is open.
remove the front headlight, should be the right side one in your country.
there is an emergency cable next to the metal sheet that goes inside the trunk.
this is to open the trunk in emergency.
try pulling it and make sure you see the trunk bottom lever activates.
now you can close the trunk to open the doors.
(If they do not open, you could re-open the lid via the cable)
Last but most importantly, you have to unlock-lock the car three times in a time span of 10 seconds.
This would raise the mechanical levers on both doors, and then you could unlock the doors as usual.
three times in ten seconds.
the system was obligatory and works both ways, since if you lock the doors and windows whilst driving, and somewhat you manage to tilt the car upside down, in a crash, the mechanism unlocks the doors automatically for the rescuers.
the same tiny levers actuate with gravity
keep us posted
With the ROW immobilizer system and alarm, the doors are blocked on purpose when battery dies or no battery..
I know on your side of the pond, in UK, the system always differ from ROW, but maybe it does the same thing.
If the car is locked and the battery dies totally, you cannot open the doors with a new battery just like that.
The internal levers drop fully, by gravity, and lock doors,
This would prevent thieves who disconnect battery thus alarm horn, to enter the cabin without breaking, (for the insurance companies) but there is a solution.
I presume you removed the front wheel and arch, and opened the front trunk lid to change the battery via the hand cable.
If not please change battery to new, you will need it anyway.
Change the remote battery, maybe the one you just changed, sat @ the chopshop for some time.
Now you have to close the front trunk, your immobilizer would not unlock, if your front trunk is open.
remove the front headlight, should be the right side one in your country.
there is an emergency cable next to the metal sheet that goes inside the trunk.
this is to open the trunk in emergency.
try pulling it and make sure you see the trunk bottom lever activates.
now you can close the trunk to open the doors.
(If they do not open, you could re-open the lid via the cable)
Last but most importantly, you have to unlock-lock the car three times in a time span of 10 seconds.
This would raise the mechanical levers on both doors, and then you could unlock the doors as usual.
three times in ten seconds.
the system was obligatory and works both ways, since if you lock the doors and windows whilst driving, and somewhat you manage to tilt the car upside down, in a crash, the mechanism unlocks the doors automatically for the rescuers.
the same tiny levers actuate with gravity
keep us posted
Last edited by geolab; 01-27-2012 at 04:00 AM.
#54
Now to explain
Picture 1: view from inside the door - you need to remove the two nuts holding the handle in place (8 mm tubular)
Picture 2: Handle and lock mechanism
Picture 3: removing the lock - 1 allen bolt, 1 8mm nut, 1 phillips screw to remove lock cylinder
Picture 4: Remove chrome top so you can take appart the plunger - there's a pin hoolding it - sees small pinhole in picture
Pictire 5: Finally apart: th emain boddy, with the channel at the bottom, plunger, and retun spring.
Next step is to enlarge the channel squaring it at the bottom and shaving the sides of the plunger. Be careful, you're supposed to take very little material off. A few strokes with a file is more than enough. Then lubricate.
As you can see overthe years, grime mizes with the oil and eventually block the plunger in the open position and the door - even if unlocked will not actuate. The only way to address this, if it happens, is to take apart the mechanism, enlarge so there's more tolerance and lubricate with a good lube.
Mine bad luck was that over winter both, yes, BOTH doors experienced the same problem
Hope this helps
Anton
PS. Taking the handle nuts off from within the door is very difficult for the nut closer to the locking mechanism. Not a lot of space. I "built" this low profile
tool and worked great
Picture 1: view from inside the door - you need to remove the two nuts holding the handle in place (8 mm tubular)
Picture 2: Handle and lock mechanism
Picture 3: removing the lock - 1 allen bolt, 1 8mm nut, 1 phillips screw to remove lock cylinder
Picture 4: Remove chrome top so you can take appart the plunger - there's a pin hoolding it - sees small pinhole in picture
Pictire 5: Finally apart: th emain boddy, with the channel at the bottom, plunger, and retun spring.
Next step is to enlarge the channel squaring it at the bottom and shaving the sides of the plunger. Be careful, you're supposed to take very little material off. A few strokes with a file is more than enough. Then lubricate.
As you can see overthe years, grime mizes with the oil and eventually block the plunger in the open position and the door - even if unlocked will not actuate. The only way to address this, if it happens, is to take apart the mechanism, enlarge so there's more tolerance and lubricate with a good lube.
Mine bad luck was that over winter both, yes, BOTH doors experienced the same problem
Hope this helps
Anton
PS. Taking the handle nuts off from within the door is very difficult for the nut closer to the locking mechanism. Not a lot of space. I "built" this low profile
tool and worked great
Last edited by serval; 02-27-2013 at 05:16 AM.
#57
Not really Rinty, as you can see from the pictures the only access point without removing the door panel is through the key hole and that is not connected to the actuator rod channel. Inserting lubcricant that way would only oil the cylinder lock and even then you have to be careful. On dissasembly I found that the cylinder still had plenty of lithium grease, so squirting WD 40 or similar degreasers would be counter productive.
I keep my car very clean, but over time grime will make its way and over 14 years this may happen. The only preventive solution I see is to slightly increase the clearance, especially at the bottom where the channel is rounded making it possible for the plunger to get stuck.
I keep my car very clean, but over time grime will make its way and over 14 years this may happen. The only preventive solution I see is to slightly increase the clearance, especially at the bottom where the channel is rounded making it possible for the plunger to get stuck.