How can I open a deadlocked door

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popperjoe
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How can I open a deadlocked door

Post by popperjoe »

Hi folks.
Sorry to bore everyone, but I have a central locking problem that I haven't been able to get to the bottom of despite reading the many previous posts on this subject.
I have a 1999 306 estate. I have recently started having problems with the rear nearside door lock. When I lock the car the central locking activates on all of the doors, i.e. the knobs go down on all 4 doors. Similarly when I unlock the car all 4 knobs come up. However the rear nearside door remains locked and I am unable to use that door. The same problem occurred a few weeks ago but then it corrected itself. If the actuating knobs are moving up and down would that suggest that I am not suffering from the often mentioned broken
wiring syndrome? I have managed to remove the internal door trim to allow access to the servo motor and I have disconnected the wiring that goes to the lock servo motor (5 wires). I have confirmed with a meter that all 5 wires are intact. All of the actuating levers seem to be in place and operating correctly when I activate the central locking, and I can hear a further movement taking place inside the servo motor when I activate the deadlocking mode.
I believe that there has been some kind of mechanical failure in the motor or lock mechanism and it has failed in the dead lock condition. I have been quoted £71 for a replacement motor but before I can carry out a replacement I have got to get the door open. It appears that to remove the lock and motor you have to have the door open to gain access to the screws that hold the lock in place. I saw an earlier post on one of the forums discussing a similar problem, that suggested the lock had to be smashed using a hammer and chissel from the inside of the door. Does anyone know of a less drastic approach that might be tried?
Regards,
Dave
Dave Burns
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Post by Dave Burns »

Have you identified which wires are concerned with the deadlocking feature and tested them for the necessary voltage during deadlock operation.
Does the connector look clean with no sign of corrosion.
Have you tried manualy operating the deadlocks with the key in the drivers door lock.
If all else fails you really dont want to go hammering anywhere, get a lock from a scrapper, same car and examine it to find out what exactly needs to be done to defeat it from inside the door, then you will know the area to concentrate on, you may be able to get into it using a cordless drill for instance.
Dave
popperjoe
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Post by popperjoe »

Dave, thanks for the comments. I agree, the thought of attacking the lock with a hammer and chissel does worry me somewhat !!!!! In answer to your questions about the wires: I haven't identified which wire does what, only that each wire is intact and that current is present. I satisfied myself that the servo mechanism for the deadlocking mode had power to it because I could both hear and feel the movement occurring inside the motor.
My next move will be to remove the lock from the rear offside door to try to understand how the lock might be defeated from the inside as you suggested. I was hoping that someone on this forum might have encountered this problem before and could give me the benefit of their misfortune.
Thanks for taking an interest,
Dave
David Goddard
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Post by David Goddard »

I had an identical problem on my xantia (shares the same lock as a Pug. I think I was very lucky as after I had removed the internal trim and then the external door handle, I managed to move the right bit of the mechanism to defeat the dead lock. It wasn't an electrical feed problem, I think the solenoid had burnt out.
For about 2 weeks before it jammed, I had noticed that the lock buzzed when dealocking - I ignored this warning.
The lock is so strong that I can't see how the chisel method would work. My next port of call would be a Pug. garage as they may have the know how. If they do, and all the trim is off, it shouldn't take them 5 minutes!
David Goddard
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Post by David Goddard »

More info on door locks.
Electrics:
The electrical conector has 5 pins. Call the top pin No.1.
The resistance across pins 1 and 4 should be about 8ohms if the coil is OK.
If OK, applying 12V+ to pin 1 and negative to pin No.4 will unlock the deadlock. Reversing the polarity locks the deadlock.
Mechanics:
On my old lock there in a plastic screw exactly 7cm directly below pin No.5. For a nearside door, 1/8 turn clockwise should release the deadlock. BUT not all locks are the same.
popperjoe
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Post by popperjoe »

An update on the problem with my rear door! I visited a local Peugeot dealer and spoke to a couple of the mechanics. To my horror they said that the only way to open a 306 door if it is deadlocked is to break the lock from the inside, which confirmed what I had read in an earlier post. They told me that they hate doing this job because on more than one occassion they have driven a chissel through the outer door skin when attacking a siezed lock. I asked what sort of cost would be involved if they did the job for me and I was told £55 per hour and anything up to 3 hours!!!
At that point I decided to have a go myself but with a little bit more finnesse than just hammer and chissel. I used a dremmel power too with a small drill attached to drill a large number of holes in the plastic housing of the lock. It was extremely tight working inside the door and my arms now look like I have been attacked by rabid cat. However during the course of about 2 hours I managed to systematically destroy the lock housing, a bit at a time, drilling and then chisselling. Eventually I reached the actual lock catch, by which time all of the deadlocking mechanism was in bits in the bottom of the door. A quick twist with a screw driver and the door opened!!!!!!. from that point on changing the lock was a piece of cake and everything is now back up and working.
It was not a pleasant job but well worth the effort in the end. thanks to the 2 Daves who took the time to offer advice.
Regards,
Dave
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