Another 83 Continental question

[AmpTrooper]

Sorry to pick every ones brains so much. Well, guess I have only asked a couple of questions but, i don't want to over due it either. I did a search on the web and here to see if i could find the info and came up with a lot of stuff but it had little to do with my problem.

Today, I drove my kids home from church. I play drums and bass for the worship team and today I had to play bass so, I went to church earlier then my wife and kids. After church she wanted to stop at the store so the kids rode with me. My son has this really bad habit of pulling on the door handle while you are trying to unlock it. Today was no exception. He finally got it opened but it didn't sound right when he stopped and let me unlock it so that he could open it. The door sounded like something was not fully open yet when he pulled on the door. We all got in. He shut the door and it seemed fine. I locked the doors (as kids have a tendency to mess with the handles while driving) I started the car and the door light on the instrument panel was on. I made everyone open and shut their doors. The light was still on. I locked the doors again and then my son told me that the lock on his side was not all the way down. So, before I could say anything ( as I knew that was a sign that it was an issue with his door) he pushed the lock down as far as it would go. I figured that it was fine. At least I knew all the doors were locked and no one wold fall out and I could take a look at it when we got home. Well, now the door will not unlock with the power locks or manually. The lock pull will not even come all the way up. I even tried pliers on it but and pushed the unlock at the same time and nothing. The door is stuck. You can hear the lock trying to open when I use the power locks. It is like something is stopping it. Like it is in the way. I really don't want to try to take the whole door panel off inside the car. Not sure with the seats right there that I can even do that but, I also don't want my door stuck either. I want to keep this car in the great condition it is in and even improve on that as I can. Please HELP!!!!

 

[tixer]

Yikes.. Which door is this? It might be a tricky fix without taking the door panel off.
When you hear the lock, what are you hearing? The lock motors are built like a regular electric motor, that "screws" a shaft in and out. If the shaft has become disconnected from the rest of the locking mechanism, you will hear the motor spinning. "whirrr." where if the mechanism is seized up, (or if there is some play, but it is stopping.) it will simply "clunk."

This is not an ideal photo, but it is more or less what the actuator looks like. the "L" at the end interconnects with the series of levers that connect to the latch and the lock button. so when the motor spins, it generally pushes or pulls against the rest of the mechanism. My fear is that part of that mechanism has been over-extended pushed beyond a pivot point somehow, and is now jammed.

I'll stress that since you are hearing the motor, that likely is not the case. I'm just hoping this may help you visualize how everything fits together. My gut tells me that surgery may well be required for this one.

 

[driller]

That's a pretty common FLM door lock actuator.

It sound like it is still good but somewhere is a pivot that has come undone.

I would suggest a slim-jim locksmith tool (or a locksmith) to jimmy the door lock and open the door. Unfortunately, the fun begins removing the interior door panel to get to the offending problem.

 

[AmpTrooper]

Good picture!
Well, the motor seams to be working just fine. It is definitely locking the door and does not continue to run like it is disconnected or anything. What happens when I try to unlock is that the lock pull comes up oh, about 1/2 inch, then it stops with a sound like if you took two screw drivers and lightly hit the shafts together. Once you hear that you can't get the lock pull to come up any more. The sound does not come from the lock pull area. It comes from over by the door handle. That is what makes me think that maybe the latch for the door got jammed. I may try the slim jim idea. Don't want to mess up my window channel felt either. Oh, it is the rear passengers side door.
Everything is working great and then my door gets stuck from a 9 year old boy.
Errrrrr. He's grounded till he is 40! LOL!

 

[tixer]

heheh. My family used to have a '79 Mercury Colony Park (Marquis wagon.) At some point, my little brother held the window switch most of the way home from school in a kind of protest, and burned out the motor. For many years afterward, both window switches in the back seat had masking tape over them with the word "NO" written on it. To this day, Dad gripes about how expensive the window motor was to replace.

But anyway, back to your car. The "not all the way latched" theory is a good one. I have seen the locks do funny things when that happens. If it isn't fully latched, you will also see that the door is not completely flush with the side of the car. just giving it the 'ol "but bump" might be enough.

Alternatively, if you remove the "seat" of the back seat, it may be possible to remove the interior door panel. gosh. it'd be a pain though. I did some googling trying to find a diagram of the mechanism, and I didn't come up with much. The seat itself is easy enough, if it is built like mine anyway.. you sort of have to wedge your back against the back of the front seat, push the back seat toward the rear of the car, and lift. there's two "c" shaped sockets that a bar on the seat fits into. one on each side.

 

[budpytko]

Amazing how "my little brother" always get blamed in these threads.......

 

[AmpTrooper]

So, my son said "it's okay, I can just get in and out through the other door!"
I said "or you can just ride with your Mom instead!"

I need to find a slim jim cuz I am not interested in messing my window up with a hanger. I don't know that it will work. i just really feel that the door latch is stuck under the door catch. Due to my leg (or lack there of) I have not done anything because I have been in a lot of pain today due to the bad weather (snow and cold) But, i am going to have my daughter get in there tomorrow and try to push the door from the inside and try to unlock it at the same time. Hoping that will push the back side of the door latch just past the catch and then maybe it will give enough to get the door open. Then it is a simple matter of just flipping the door latch back up how it should be. At least that is how it was with my 55 Chevy when someone would try to lock the door and hold the handle up when they shut it.

Y'all are lucky! I never had a little brother to blame all my screw ups on. My Mom knew who did it right off the bat!

 

[AmpTrooper]

Well, the pushing the door idea didn't work at all. It is stuck! This really sucks! Unfortunately i don't see me taking the seat out and all that with my leg or lack there of which means it will have to go to the shop. I don't kow that I want just any shop doing it either. How are the dealerships for Lincoln? Do they do a good job of taking care of condition? You know, making sure their hands are clean and not being to rough and so on or should I find a specialty custom shop? We have one right down the rode that works on classics mostly.

 

[tixer]

I'd guess that these days, you'd be better off taking it to a local, trustworthy mechanic, than the dealer. Although the dealers in my area are generally good, they really wouldn't have any interest in a car that old.

Your guy that works on classics though, might be just the ticket.

 

[driller]

I would ask a few local street rodders where they would recommend. Likely not the dealer, but that would be a local decision.

 

[AmpTrooper]

I GOT THE DOOR OPEN!!!!!!!

I am so very happy! Really, I just had enough of it and got rough! We are going out to dinner tonight with friends and we are taking my car. I didn't want people to have to crawl in through on door. to sit in the back. Lets just say I was pushing on that door so hard the air ride was done rode on that side! Unfortunately the stupid door indicator light is still on. I put electrical tape over it for now till I can figure out what is causing that. But the door works now!!!!
Thanks for all the tips and advice!

 

[driller]

Good news.