How to remove lock cylinder '91 Legacy

[issjoe]

I just puchased a 91 legacy wagon. The key just turns around in the drivers side front door lock. I have taken off the inside door panel, but can't see how to get access to the lock cylinder.

 

[issjoe]

I just puchased a 91 legacy wagon. The key just turns around in the drivers side front door lock. I have taken off the inside door panel, but can't see how to get access to the lock cylinder.

I forgot to mention , it has power locks and windows.

 

[Bob Noble]

Usually, locks have a little spring clip holding them in. It's usually right up next to the steel skin of the door on the inside. It's a little piece of spring steel that you would grab with pliers or whatever you can grab it with and pull it off. It's in the shape of a U and goes around the lock cylinder. Once it's off, the lock cylinder just pops right out. I can't say for sure on your car, but that is the way of a lot of them. And I've never messed with the power locks yet, so maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Vanguard (2)]

in message

I just puchased a 91 legacy wagon. The key just turns around in the drivers side front door lock. I have taken off the inside door panel, but can't see how to get access to the lock cylinder.

You better have tiny fingers to get in there. I don't. Just normal sized. My fingers were very sore after replacing the lock cylinder because I refused to care about the pain involved in trying to work blind in tight quarters to get the job done.

As mentioned in the other post, there is a retaining bracket or clip that holds in the lock cylinder. However, the cylinder won't just pop out after removing this clip (and it is hard to get the clip back on when putting in the new cylinder). On the back of the cylinder is a tang or arm that rotates with the key. On the end is a hole through which the actuator rod passes. This rod is bent so that it stays in the hole but this means it won't just slide off. It take a bit of contortion work with all the parts left inside to move the cylinder at an angle enough to move the rod out of the hole in the tang (and even tougher to get the rod into the hole in the new cylinder's tang hole). In fact, I could never get the cylinder at an angle enough to get the rod out of the tang hole to remove the cylinder. I had to use a right-angle screwdriver to remove the screw holding on the tang to the back of the cylinder, and at about 1/16 turn per try which required working in the blind with fingers that never flex in the right direction in such a tight space, it was a long time to get out the screw (which fell and I had to grope around trying to locate it with my fingertips considering that the bottom of the door is a tiny crevice from the outer and inner panels coming together at a sharp angle).

Once I managed to get the lock cylinder replaced in my driver door, I gave up even thinking about doing the passenger door to get they keyed alike. My fingers wouldn't take it anymore. From now one when the driver door lock is frozen with ice in the winter, I'll go try the passenger side. That side isn't as important to have a working door lock (one where you can't unlock the door but the electric lock still gets it locked).

Once you remove the interior panel and lower the window, you should be able to see the back of the lock cylinder using a flashlight. My recollection is that it was covered with a plate that is also used to hold the outside door handle. I had to remove that first to get at the tang screw and then the clip to get the cylinder out. Meanwhile my door handle was loose. I got the cylinder for about $20 at Napa Auto Parts. If I had called my favorite car shop, there's a good chance they would've been not too high in price for me to rethink doing it myself, but then I wouldn't have realized how hard it is to get 2 sets of fingers crammed through small panel cutouts trying to work in a cramped quarters and wishing my fingers bent backwards and sideways to contort around all the parts.

 

[issjoe]

I forgot to mention , it has power locks and windows.

Thanks for your responses. I can't get my fingers back there. I'm thinking about taking the window out for better access. It looks like it is held on to the window regulator by two 10 mm bolts Anyone try doing that?.

 

[issjoe]

Thanks for your responses. I can't get my fingers back there. I'm thinking about taking the window out for better access. It looks like it is held on to the window regulator by two 10 mm bolts Anyone try doing that?.

I disconnected the window from the regulator. Pulled the window as high as it could go, and lower the regulator all the way down. That gives pretty clear access to the back of door handle. There is a rod that has come dissconnected from something. I'm going to unbolt the handle, pull it off , so I can get a better look at the lock cylinder.