Technical Driver's door lock not unlocking from outside

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Technical Driver's door lock not unlocking from outside

Oursoul

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Hi all

I've checked all through the site and not found this particular problem with the door lock anywhere (please point me to it if i've missed it though...)

The other day our panda refused to unlock from the outside using the key, which is the only way to unlock this particular model (1.1 i think). Luckily i was able to unlock the boot, use a stick to unlock one of the rear doors then clamber through to unlock the front door, but this isn't ideal.

Sometimes if we're lucky, a lot of jiggling while attempting to turn the key unlocks it.

Does anyone know why this might be, and if it's a case of having to replace the lock or could it be something that just needs tightening up?

I've tried WD'ing it but it had no effect. Also cleaned some muck out of the key which didn't help either - it works in the ignition so i'm presuming it's the door lock that's at fault.

Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated :)
 
The key doesn't turn as far as it should, not without much jiggling anyway.
 
The key doesn't turn as far as it should, not without much jiggling anyway.

just had this on one of my cars.


I got a glass jug poured a few drops of engine oil in the bottom.

Then thinned it with some whit spirits I had lying around

dipped the key in. Wiggled it. Took it out and wiped the key with some kitchen paper.

Kept doing this until all the grit came out. Probably only temporary but its still fine a couple of months later
 
Probably the teeth inside the lock barrel are broken or twisted, not a big deal, take door panel off, take the door handle out with the key lock barrel/cylinder, there is small lock pin kind of thing at back, unclip it, make sure the teeth in cylinder does not fall down, take out twisted teeth. ( there must be one or two ) and throw them away.
It happened to my car as well, i did same and everything os sorted
 
just had this on one of my cars.


I got a glass jug poured a few drops of engine oil in the bottom.

Then thinned it with some whit spirits I had lying around

dipped the key in. Wiggled it. Took it out and wiped the key with some kitchen paper.

Kept doing this until all the grit came out. Probably only temporary but its still fine a couple of months later

I guess it's worth a try, but I did thoroughly clean the key yesterday with WD and a pointy thing, then with a cotton bud - there's nothing left in it now, and the key does still work in the ignition.
 
Probably the teeth inside the lock barrel are broken or twisted, not a big deal, take door panel off, take the door handle out with the key lock barrel/cylinder, there is small lock pin kind of thing at back, unclip it, make sure the teeth in cylinder does not fall down, take out twisted teeth. ( there must be one or two ) and throw them away.
It happened to my car as well, i did same and everything os sorted

This sounds possible, but do you really throw the teeth away? Don't they serve a purpose?
 
If you throw the teeth away, it makes the lock easier to pick, as you are using fewer teeth.
However, I don't think anyone will try to pick your lock, if they wish to break in, they'll either stick a screwdriver into the lock and twist it around, breaking everything, or just break a window.

Unlikely to be targeted for a joyride, or to be stolen for spares, as spares are plentiful and cheap.

If this happened on mine, I'd be dismantling the lock barrel as described, but then thoroughly cleaning it. A job for the kitchen table, try not to make too much mess. Lubricate with WD, not oil, or better, rub a soft pencil over everything, as the graphite will lubricate but not attract dirt. A graphite spray is good, if you can control the aim. WD dries eventually, and attracts much less dirt than oil, and makes less mess in your pocket from transfer to the key. If any of the teeth are bent, being brass they'll tend to break if straightened, so I'd heat them up and let them cool before trying to straighten them.

While inside the door, just check that the actuating rod is still attached securely. One end might be adjustable, and might have become loose.

Whilst inside the door, beware the sharp panel edges, expect several minor cuts. Try not to get blood on the upholstery.

Having remote locking, the door barrel does not get used. A job for later, check it still works.
 
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There is no point faffing with a worn lock. You need a new door lock.

A Fiat specialist should be able to do the job for you.

Alternatively get a new set of locks and keys from eBay. This is just one so ask the seller if he can do a set of matching locks.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Dob...910073?hash=item1a8b75e8f9:g:CiAAAOSwvjNd73mQ

But then the immobiliser will not work with those keys, until they are programmed to the car. But you cannot take the car anywhere to get that done. Unless, the new lock's 'teeth' can be moved around to achieve the same as teh original.

Unless, you hold the original key near the switch. Some people dismantle the key and tape the immobiliser chip onto the column shroud, hopefully inside, but that effectively removes the immobiliser. Easier to do with a remote key, which this OP does not have, but difficult to extract from the moulded key.
A full lock set and ECUs is a fix, but even more faff.

First job, have a good look at the lock barrel and see if an effective repair is possible.
 
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Yeah I had thought about this, but having a separate key for unlocking and ignition might be too much for my tiny brain. Also FIAT charges something like £80 just to activate the key (we have a spare that was never activated so can't be used to drive it), so i imagine a replacement set would be fairly pricey.
 
Yeah I had thought about this, but having a separate key for unlocking and ignition might be too much for my tiny brain. Also FIAT charges something like £80 just to activate the key (we have a spare that was never activated so can't be used to drive it), so i imagine a replacement set would be fairly pricey.

Hi :)

Does the 'dead' spare work this door lock?

Ive never heard of the basic key not being coded to the car..
( Im left thinking it doesnt belong to this car..)

You can get a basic key cut and coded for @£60.. so Dealer visit is pointless.

I changed some very tired locks on an old punto.. just so you could access without having to 'feel' it open every time

But didnt swap ignition barrel.. just midified the plastic part so it was obvious which it was in the dark ;)


A newly cut key often works wonders too :)

Try that spare in boot and ignition please..
Let us know

Charlie - 15 years with a 1.1
 
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If you throw the teeth away, it makes the lock easier to pick, as you are using fewer teeth.
However, I don't think anyone will try to pick your lock, if they wish to break in, they'll either stick a screwdriver into the lock and twist it around, breaking everything, or just break a window.

Unlikely to be targeted for a joyride, or to be stolen for spares, as spares are plentiful and cheap.

If this happened on mine, I'd be dismantling the lock barrel as described, but then thoroughly cleaning it. A job for the kitchen table, try not to make too much mess. Lubricate with WD, not oil, or better, rub a soft pencil over everything, as the graphite will lubricate but not attract dirt. A graphite spray is good, if you can control the aim. WD dries eventually, and attracts much less dirt than oil, and makes less mess in your pocket from transfer to the key. If any of the teeth are bent, being brass they'll tend to break if straightened, so I'd heat them up and let them cool before trying to straighten them.

While inside the door, just check that the actuating rod is still attached securely. One end might be adjustable, and might have become loose.

Whilst inside the door, beware the sharp panel edges, expect several minor cuts. Try not to get blood on the upholstery.

Having remote locking, the door barrel does not get used. A job for later, check it still works.
Thanks for the clarification portland_bill - i quite agree that the car being broken into is highly unlikely using any method, unless someone wanted to steal the raisin encrusted child seats out of the back, in which case i'd kind of feel sorry for them.

I did actually try rubbing a pencil on the key to get some graphite on there (it worked great on my front door key a few years ago), but yes you're right it needs taking out and examining properly, with a good clean while i'm in there.

I am also considering changing it to remote locking if cleaning doesn't work and it all needs replacing anyway.
 
Ive never heard of the basic key not being coded to the car..
( Im left thinking it doesnt belong to this car..)
I'm thinking a replacement for a lost key, cut but not coded.

You can get a basic key cut and coded for @£60.. so Dealer visit is pointless.
These will be cloned, so the car still thinks same key.
A proper new key has a different chip, and the car programmed to accept all of the correct keys.
A lost cloned key puts the car at risk of theft, but a lost separate key can be uncoded, so can still open doors, but not start the car.
With an older Panda, risk is lower of either. Leave it scruffy and looking unloved, istead of stealing it , they'll leave donations. Perhaps.

I changed some very tired locks on an old punto.. just so you could access without having to 'feel' it open every time

But didnt swap ignition barrel.. just midified the plastic part so it was obvious which it was in the dark
Seems not so very long ago we had separate keys for door and ignition anyway, but thinking back, this probably started when ignition locks were introduced, late sixties, as they tended to have larger keys, and ended late seventies when they learnt how to use the larger keys in the doors.
 
Admittedly my £45 basic key
(Used car only had remote one)
Was on a Grande..

the code was accessed from the ECU by a shoe repair:key cut place

In reality the Op. Oursoul
Only needs a key blade..

Current key works fine for ignition and starts engine - so chip is still good :)

A 'sharp' new blade should still work the lock (their dead spare.. if it opens boot and ignition)


Or is this another lock with a lolly stick jammed in the bottom.. key not working all areas of the lock ?

Have a test with boot.. does key go in further.. :)
 
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varesecrazy - yeah the key does go all the way in, it locks the car perfectly just doesn't like turning anti-clockwise.

I tried getting the lock mechanism out today but alas, i failed. Got the door panel off, got past the waterproofing, got the anti-whatsit plastic thing out but could only access one of the hex bolts holding the handle on - the other(s) is behind another block of plastic which i couldn't work out how to get off or move out of the way. It's not mentioned in the e-learning book so no idea what it's for, only that it scuppered my plans.

Then the mrs came home and bollocked me for taking the car apart when she'd already suggested taking it to a garage to fix, so i gave up and put it all back together again (minus anti-whatever thing - it's to stop people tampering with the innards i think but honestly, if someone was that desperate to steal our crappy panda i'd probably just give it to them out of pity.)

I'll try the other key when she tells me where it is - i'm guessing it's barely been used if it was never coded to the car.
 
Don't really want to put oil in there for fear of it attracting more dirt inside the lock...
 
Don't really want to put oil in there for fear of it attracting more dirt inside the lock...

WD40 on post 1 is far worse

which is candle wax dissolved in a solvent

And dries sticky.

Unless you bought the car from new its likely to have already had things squirted down there when the locks freeze.

Its far less risky than breaking a plastic clip. Takes 5 minutes. I does sound very similar to the one I did. If it fails you will have to dismantle the lock.


You may be able to swap parts from the airbag switch in the glovebox.
 
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