2003 Chevy Cavalier Car Door Locks

JWEINGARTNER76

MEMBER
2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
12,600 MILES

My brother in law has a 2003 Cavelier which he bought recently. We were told that the auto door locks do not work that great even though the actuator was recently replaced. In the summer the remote locks work OK but in the winter they don't work and even manually open the door can be next to impossible. Is there a way to disconnect the auto locks all together so that the locks can at least be opened manually without fear of breaking the key off in the lock?

6 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,200 POSTS

Have you tried lubericating the tumblers? If you want to disconnect the power locks, you will need to remove the actuators and replace them with manual hardware / linkage. However, the fact that they got hard to open when the weather changed makes me believe proper luberication may help.

Let me know.

Joe

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Thursday, December 31st, 2009 AT 6:06 PM

JWEINGARTNER76

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4 POSTS

Thank you for the information. Where can I find the instructions on how to lubricate the tumblers. I know nothing about car repairs and will need some help with this.

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Thursday, December 31st, 2009 AT 8:27 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,200 POSTS

It is very easy to do and will take you less than a minute to do all doors. Just take something like WD40, place the small hose on the sprayer they provide and place that in to the hole where the key goes and give it a spray. After that, run the key in and out a few times, spray it again, and then turn the key back and forth to see if it loostens.

Let me know, and remember, no question is stupid!

Joe
PS: Thanks for using 2carpros. Com and happy new year!

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Friday, January 1st, 2010 AT 1:07 AM

JWEINGARTNER76

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4 POSTS

Thanks, I will defintiely give that a try. Will that also resove the issue with the auto locks, because pressing the unlock buitton or even the lock button is not always successful because it appears that the mechanism is stuck or something again more noticeable in the winter than summer, but still does exist in the summer months.

Jaime

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Friday, January 1st, 2010 AT 1:00 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,200 POSTS

Actually, what I described is more for the tumbler. If you want to remove the inner door panels, then you could lubericate everything. Let me know and I'll see if I can get more information / pictures for you.

Joe
PS: I hope you have a happy and safe new year's day.