| Author | Message | ||
     Graeme Söderlund Prolific User Username: graemeaus Post Number: 47 Registered: 6-2003 |
Hi All, I have committed the cardinal sin - couldn't stand to see the Shadow unwashed and covered in dust any longer - so, took it to one of those Power Car Wash places and having ascertained that there were no brushes, pads or other paint destroying items, proceeded through - and....one very gleaming Shadow! However, after driving back home found there was a miss in the engine - a job for Steve Sparks to undertake! Now, I went to the car this weekend to move it to a new home to find I couldn't unlock the drivers side door. I managed to get in via the passenger door and tried to lift the lock pull from inside - did this, but the door still wont open. Suspect that the locking mechanism has taken a dislike to high pressure water and the various rods, levers etc have decided not to operate to cause me the most inconvenience. So, my question is - how do I open the door, and is it possible to do something to release it from the inside of the cabin? Do I persevere with putting WD40 down the pull lock knob area, do I try to remove trims? Any suggestions please? I can hear Bill Coburn screaming down in the ACT - some punishment involving Molten Lead, Boiling oil etc. but with the severest water restictions, dry weather and grubby car I couldn't resist having the car cleaned! Graeme. | ||
| Jeffrey McCarthy Experienced User Username: jefmac2003 Post Number: 42 Registered: 5-2007 |
Hi Graham, I did exactly the same thing last week - those new car washes are something else hey? washing, waxing and spot free rinsing. I don't see why these type of car washes should cause any more problems than an average downpour, and if something is going to go wrong I'd rather have it not happen in the rain (and no doubt at a very inconvenient time)... so I did this as a calculated risk. In my case it was the front passenger lock and the same door window that wouldn't go up. I took the cover off the door and checked all the electrical connections. I noticed that both switches on the door had either a rubber or plastic cover to prevent water getting on them. In one case the plastic was shredded, old and useless. I'd never realised before that car doors are designed to have water flow through them -- at least I gather that is what the drain holes are for -- and it's hard to see how you could get a perfect seal against the window glass in any case. Back to the solution. This moist atmosphere had corroded most of the connections -- not seriously -- just a coating of verdigris or some other oxide. I cleaned several and in particular some of 3-way spade connections. One of them was bad enough to discard so I just wound 2 of the wires together and connected it using a standard spade connector (temporarily). Now my passenger unlock/lock works all the doors in the car - maybe it did this before and I never noticed - but anyway it now does it with a very satisfying 'clunk' instead of the intermittent and sometimes halfway slowish effort of before the car wash. I 'jiggled' several of the others and there was one that worked the window -- it was on the switch not in the middle of the loom. I used a very good quality sandwich bag and made a better 'raincoat' for the window switch. I then cleaned & sealed as many connections as I could with electrical tape. I intend to get some high quality copper connectors and systematically replace the lot of them -- and after drying them with a hairdryer I'm going to use silicone to permanently seal them off. This might not be exactly concourse kosher but I just cant see the logic of having them exposed to dripping water and atmospherics. Disconnecting them should be fairly easy with a craft knife. I used a hose to check exactly where in the door the water went and was horrified that some of it actually splashed onto the window motor and the lock rubber boot. Maybe my window seals are seriously faulty ? Anybody ever done this test ? Removing the trim is quite easy but I'll let someone who knows the site better give you a link because it has been explained before -- the one thing that you must be careful of is a couple of the chrome face plates hiding the screws in the bezel have little plastics plugs which can break off if you're not gentle when you're prising them out. I had one with one of the two plugs broken - fixed it with blue-tack. Don't panic -- when things stop working it's an opportunity to find out how it all goes together & it really doesn't require the services of an auto-sparky to fix -- just a basic set of connectors and a wire stripper/crimping tool; preferably a fairly robust one, not the ones that usually come with the multi-coloured boxes of connectors at Dick Smith. Cheers, Jeff | ||
| Paul Yorke Frequent User Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 97 Registered: 6-2006 |
I'll try this post again . . . . Hi, Make sure the outside button is 100% out all the way. WD40 and flicking it if necessary. Is the inside handle free and returning fully? How stiff is the locking knob inside? Does it want to go down by itself? Does it work with the CDL? Does the key turn easily or feel spring loaded? The striker plate and catch have a tendency to 'weld' them selves together unless lubricated. Try pushing the door more closed, There should be a little play. Does it feel solid? If it does feel solid you may need to bump it closed to get the two apart. In very bad cases, you will need somebody holding the outside button in and pulling the door as somebody 'stamps' on the inside. (remove the armrest and protect the door pad with something suitable.) Let us know the answers to the above before trying this though. | ||
| Trevor P Hodgkinson New User Username: wm20 Post Number: 8 Registered: 11-2006 |
I had a similar problem with my high milage 74. It turned out to be a broken spring in the latch itself. It had worn a little pocket in the bottom of the striker plate and without the spring to lift the latch, it sat there in it's little pocket till I shouldered the door. The part was not available from "Uncle Tom's Cabin" but Bensons locksmith's were able to find & fit a new one after the entire lock had been removed from the door. They told me that it was not an uncommon problem & that they had done several for York Motors in the "old days". Another little problem was the solenoid itself, which was very corroded and tended to stick. Fixed with judicious use of some 00 Steel wool lbricated with WD 40 and followed up some Lanolin grease. For waterproofing I start with the said same lanolin grease on the actual terminals first, works really well on the old bikes & seems to do a good job on the Rollers too. For bolted connections I use "liquid electrical tape" which is a really thick plastic solution that drys to leave a finish rather like the soft protectors on the sharp ends of new tools. The window switches got a cover made from a length of pushbike inner tube and the motors & lock solenoid a piece of motorcycle inner tube . All of these are quite long and open so that air can get in and any moisture ( condensation even) can drain away, as I am not in favour of entombing electrical parts. | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 757 Registered: 4-2003 |
Thanks Trevor for this information and I can endorse the use of the lanoline-based grease for stopping corrosion on steel components however I have no experience of using it on non-ferrous materials. The liquid "electrical tape" is very useful however care must be taken to make sure the entire area of bare metal is fully coated. | ||
| Trevor P Hodgkinson New User Username: wm20 Post Number: 9 Registered: 11-2006 |
Prior to Lanotec pushing lanolin based products, I used to buy my lanolin grease from eletricians supply stores. It was called "contact grease" and was frightfully expensive. If you pull appart switches to repair them ( as I often do) you will find the parts ( copper, brass & steel) lubricated with lanolin grease and as you know Dave, it has a very recognisable odour that is hard to forget. This was OEM practice. Apparently now you can buy grades of grease that do not smell like dead sheep. AS for the liquid electricial tape , yes I clean an area of say the floor hump ( for the center colsole common earth ) and coat not only the bolt & wires but also a good 1/4" around the bolt. I also give the bare wire on the ends of the starter motor a good coating as well having dropped a spannar down there & shorted the battery, not a pretty sight. It is suprising just how much damage can be done in the time that it takes to run around to the boot and pull the earth lead off. | ||
| Graeme Söderlund Prolific User Username: graemeaus Post Number: 48 Registered: 6-2003 |
Thanks All for the information - I will attempt to get things working this weekend - have moved to a new address and have plenty of room to get on with the job. Will advise results of my efforts - I have Lanolin grease and agree - the smell is something else but it does work, have used it on the Citroens at various times so have no hesitation in using it on the Shadow. Graeme. | ||
| Jeffrey McCarthy Experienced User Username: jefmac2003 Post Number: 44 Registered: 5-2007 |
Just a question on the Lanotec grease. Is it the 'Type A' grease or the Liquid Lanolin which is being referred to here. The Lanotec site lists the liquid as the one to use on electrical components but not the one listed as 'grease'. Does anybody know ? (Message edited by jefmac2003 on 01 November 2007) | ||
| Trevor P Hodgkinson New User Username: wm20 Post Number: 10 Registered: 11-2006 |
I am using Type A | ||
| Graeme Söderlund Prolific User Username: graemeaus Post Number: 50 Registered: 6-2003 |
An update on the door lock problem with SRH17499. First, many thanks to all who have offered advice/suggestions although one from Sunny Downtown Canberra about petrol & matches was not well received! Over the past few weeks I have done all and much more than was suggested to fix the problem, and was completely baffled by the fact that I couldn't take the door trim off to get at the levers as I still hadn't managed to open the door! However, a solution has been put forward. It is possible to move the seat back sufficient to allow removal of door trim & fittings and then put the arm inside the door frame and release the offending latch. I particularly like the suggestion that if this doesn't work, get a mate to stand outside the door, hold the push lock in and take up a position on the passengers side seat with both feet firmly on the Drivers side door and....KICK the bloody thing! I will update the results after the attempts this weekend. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 1315 Registered: 4-2003 |
Jest. Graeme, do you have issue with Canberra blokes like myself ? I still consider myself as a bloke from Canberra armed with petrol, matches and an oxy torch to boot. Glad you solved the problem so quickly, as I did it so rather slowly on a friend's '92 Turbo R two years ago when some vandal had ruined the locks. No damage was done during the repair, but I had to remove the seat, trim and more. Message: remove the seats and trim and take a long breath. Some idiot stuffed the drivers' door lock with superglue last year on my own Turbo R, but because of the remote locking I didn't notice for a month and the repair was simpler. Whoops. The new lock cost me a year's subscrition to a ballet season on Mars. | ||
| Graeme Söderlund Prolific User Username: graemeaus Post Number: 53 Registered: 6-2003 |
Finally, door has opened. Despite all the best intentions in the world and suppressing my natural impatience, I gave in and resorted to the heavy handed (footed?) treatment. A mate stood at the door, held the lock button in, and I took up position with my feet on the door and....one very heavy kick later, the door was open and working perfectly. I have since used lanolin, plastic covers etc to ensure the all working parts of the door are protected and "will not drive through a car wash again" written 1000 times should calm Bill Coburn! | ||
| Paul Yorke Prolific User Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 104 Registered: 6-2006 |
Glad to hear it's opening now. Make sure you lube the striker plate and the horizontal 'T' that sticks out of the door lock. I use vasaline on this because of the chance of it getting on clothes etc. - at least it will wash or dry clean off if you get it on your white suit! Don't worry, you weren't being heavy handed - you used just the right amount of force for the job! Regards, Paul. |
