'95 Q45 driver's door won't unlock

[qball]

Anyone have any suggestions on how to unlock a door? No wise guys, please (stick the key in and turn, beat you to it).

Driver's door lock feels like something is binding, I just can't turn the key that last few degrees to flip the lock open. Tried holding the electric lock and turning the key, everything I can think of short of going into the door. And speaking of last resorts, does anyine know the proper procedure to remove and re-install the door panel?

[Jesda]

These are instructions for the 92 Q45 as taken from my FSM:

Roll windows down.GENTLY pop off the power seat control panel.That arm rest there... slide it backward 1-2 inches (use force, it WILL slide backward).Remove three large screws (you'll see them, look around).Carefully pull out the door panel, then lift up. Watch for wires. You might want a friend to help.

Did you try putting sewing machine oil all over the key?

-Jesda

[qball]

No, I didn't try oiling the key or the lock, mostly because it feels like a linkage is binding, not the lock itself. All I have here at work is some WD40, I might try that for the hell of it. Thanks for the step-by-step, by the way. I might start that today at lunch and see what I can see.

[elwesso]

Ok. Does the handle lift up and down normally when its locked (shoudl still move freely).

Its possible that the lock rods came undone or something. Goto http://www.carstereohelp.com and look in there oin how to remove the door panel... Once your in there, you should see the rods going from the lock indicator, to the door handle.....

A rod is certianly messed up if you can open it from the inside....

[qball]

Handles move freely inside and out, it's just the lock button/latch that won't move that last few degrees. Jesda posted the step-by-step door panel removal earlier. I'll go to carstereohelp and compare procedures.

[elwesso]

carstereohelp has picutres!!! I bet one of the things need a little lube!!

[qball]

I'm going to my buddy's shop after work to perform the surgery.Will let y'all know the patient's condition later. Stay tuned.

[qball]

Door panel is hard to get off if you can't open the door. Catch22. I can't open the door because its locked, and I can't fix the lock if I can't open the door.

Does anyone know what to do in this situation? I don't even know if a locksmith can help because it seems the link between door handles and door latch is severed.

[elwesso]

You should be able to access some of the lock rods by removing the plastic casing around seat controls... play around with it until you can get it open, then take off the panel and fix it right...

[qball]

Yeah I took that panel off. You have to, to get the upper door panel off. The only rod there connects to the inner door handle and that wasn't the source of the problem

I really don't know where to go from here except to INFINITI of CHARLOTTE (boooo, hissssss). These are the bstrds that wanted to charge me $175 for a remote key and $90 to program it.

[elwesso]

You cant just take off the upper part... Its all one assy, with a wood type backing... You gotta get the whole thing off.....

[qball]

I couldn't get the whole thing off because: 1) I couldn't open the door, and 2) the actual handle, the part that you grab to close the door, wouldn't come loose. There's a screw on the backside of it that you can see and remove when you take off the armrest, but there was maybe another one at the bottim of it that I couldn't find access to, or it was wedged so that it wouldn't come off. I was using so much force to try to remove the upper panel and door grab that I was afraid I was going to break or tear something. I gave up after about half an hour.

[Q45tech]

Slim jim with a wedge and special stiff wire tools from outside......take it to dealer or locksmith........takes me 2-5 minutes. You have to be pretty brutal and replace what you destroy.......many times.

[qball]

Yeah, I resigned myself to the dealer trip. The locking mechanism looks burglary proof to me. We were trying to trip rods/latches with anything we could stick down there. I think there's something bent or binding thats preventing a rod from travelling far enough, related to the locking rod itself. Brutality seemed the order of the night and I didn't have the heart for it. New ride, hurt pride.