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Cadillac Repair/90 cadillac door locks

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Expert: - 1/20/2010


Question
I have 1990 Cadillac Brougham. The door locks do not let me unlock the doors with key. When inside car power locks seem to work okay. The problem started first on driver side, key would not turn to unlock door. Now both doors do not want to unlock with key.Please help"  

Answer
Hello,


I guess my first thought would be where are you located?

If you are in the great Midwest ( rust belt) the answer is simple and goes back to the government salting roads and using chemicals to melt the snow on the road. That is one of the reasons I moved south.

It sounds like the locks are corroded. Get some WD 40 and soak the blade of the key. Use a pin or someting similar to open the dust cover  on the lock so you can spray inside the lock. Once well oiled insert key and remove numerous times. Spay key more. Insert jiggle and try to turn.

Should work, but if not you will need a locksmith to replace.


Good luck

Rob

Cadillac Repair

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Rob Painter

Expertise

Alarm system questions cannot be answered on this forum. These systems are not what I can answer. Without being physically at the vehicle and not knowing what kind of electrical service has been done on the vehicle, there is no possible way to give an accurate answer over the internet. My expertise is in Ignition/key based anti-theft systems. These issues include GM VATS (resistor chip in key blade) PASSLOCK (MRD)-ignition lock rotation based, no special ignition key and the PKIII Transponder (computer chip in key) systems. These systems are not alarm based and are integral with the starting of the engine. This is why I cannot diagnose alarm problems without physically looking at the vehicle: Alarm systems are a completely different annimal than ignition key/lock based anti-theft system. Many alarm questions come from vehicles 10 years old, and since older, many hands that had been involved over the years.I am an expert in all GM factory (ignition/key based)systems. Alarm system questions pose to many situations beyond my knowledge as to what has been done to the vehicle over the years. Some guy may have actually wired the stereo into the alarm system. Who knows? Over my past 30 years in vehicle wiring repair, I have seen unbelievable wiring disaters done by guys that consider themselves "mechanics." I have seen stereos and alarms intalled using surgical tape. I have seen modules burn up, un-fused circuits, wiring jambed between the doors and even lamp cord used for a starter kill. To answer alarm questions over the internet without examining the vehicle is like asking; What does it take to remove a dent?

Experience

Education/Credentials-ASE certified. 11 years with a GM dealer and 17 years with a repair facility dealing with only the repair of theft recovered vehicles.

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