Hiya! Thanks to all the helpful advice I've gleaned from this forum, I've successfully removed the door panel and replaced the seat adjustment switch on my 1990 300E passenger side door. Everything went back together just fine, but the key doesn't work quite right in that lock.

It worked ok up until someone smashed the window a few months ago, and the window replacement guy left the lock knob disconnected. I thought all that was needed was to reconnect that into the two tangs inside the door, and all would be well, but although the key seems to connect now, it doesn't lock or unlock the door. The locks work just fine on the driver's side door and the trunk latch, and all the knobs go up and down as before, just not with the key in the passenger door.

I'm new to MB's, fell in love with this one, so I'd like to take care of all the little problems like this myself, although part of the reason for keeping it is that I have a good mechanic in my neighborhood. However, I'm not sure where to start on this problem. Is there another thing that should have been connected while the door panel was off?

If this helps - When turning the key in that lock, the lock knob bounces as if it's being affected, but not fully engaged. This leads me to believe it's just not quite connected right, but I'm not having much luck finding a photo of the correct connection, and I'm reluctant to pull the other door apart to compare the two. Any help?

you should be able to remove the lock without taking off the door.

On the door jamb, by the handle, you should see a small hole. you can put an allen key in there, and unscrew it to get the lock mechanism out.

Alon

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'92 300CE - Sold
2004 C240 - 744 - C7 Wheels - Android Radio
2002 C320 - 816 - Sport Wagon

Thanks for the response! I read through some threads about lock removal, but thought I understood the symptoms to be different for those cases - it sounded like their problem was the key did nothing when turned. In this case, the key is apparently engaging within the lock, and obviously hitting something, since the lock knob moves. It's as if it isn't quite connected, and since this appeared suddenly when the lock knob post was left disconnected, I was hoping there was some other connection I'd overlooked when I re-hooked the end of the post into the two obvious holes while the door panel was off. Hoping for a photo of that assembly, a drawing.... a schematic...

One thing I did wonder about while I was in there - the two metal tangs, or levers had holes for the post to hook into, but there was some wiggle room in the door, and it was unclear which of those two pieces was supposed to be on the outside. I tried them both ways, and then picked the way that felt snug. Is there a way to tell which way they go, or does it matter?

Looks like I'll start by taking the lock out, next free time I've got when the sun's shining. This time I'll grab the camera!

I had a similar problem.

Removed door panel which includes removing the inner door handle etc etc.

When I reassembled everything seemed fine except the door would not correctly lock or unlock.

I thought the lock button was mis-aligned.

I ended up taking it apart all again to reassemble and find the same problem.

I eventually found by accident that when you reconnect the cable to the inner door handle there is the opportunity to clip the wire sheath in wrongly creating too much pre tension in the cable. I was clipping it in too far back in the holder.

It was a EUREKA moment for sure!!

This may be your problem as it is not obvious you have done anything wrong.

89 300CE
149k kms