help! trunk won't open...
 

I'm relatively new to my '79 240d, so I've only had a few occasions to actually work on the car, but it's thrown a real curve ball at me this time. I went to open my trunk and the key fits in the lock but turns as though it's not catching anything, I can move it from right to left and back again, but nothing happens. I suppose I could call a locksmith, but I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for how to open a lock that's not jammed, but seemingly too free...
Thanks
Josh

There are two keys for your car. One is a valet key that will not open the trunk. Are you using the correct one?

If you are not using th evalet key , read the "fine" manual , carefully. It is tricky to find the spot where it will catch. I do it instinctively now, but I can't describe how I do it.

When It happened to me I had parked, locked the car and then came back too get something from the trunk. I opened the trunk with the key and the next time I tried getting in the trunk it wouldn't open:mad: My family has standing orders to open a locked trunk using the door lock. Keep fiddlings with it, locking the doors till you hit the right combination. Dont do anything drastic yet, You could have a bad vacuum pod also. Anyway in my case it just took allot of "fiddlings"

Are you locked on the inside, or the outside, of the trunk..?

I bet the puppies in your sig have warm noses....

Yes, I know they did, that night at the private party, in Montreal, that night when I met her they did. She was really cool. She speaks both French Canadian, and English, very well. She also Swall....OOPS!! Never mind.

this may be a dumb suggestion, but here goes. unlock the drives side door. i can't open my trunk when that door is locked.:idea3:

You are pushing the lock in as well, right? Sorry if that's insulting but I don't know how new you are to your car. Turn key all the way to the left and push in, it should pop open.

thanks for all the responses. I used to be able to open the trunk after the kind of searching and teasing described above, but I'm still just turning the key and there is no grip on anything whatsoever... any more suggestions?
Josh

it can be a pain.
do your auto door locks/gascap locks work?
are they giving you problems?
does the key work easy in the front door?
best to keep turning the key to the left and "feel" for the catch and push it in. it's not quite all the way to the left.
ya gotta push it in slightly, then turn and jiggle the key while pushing it in.
plan to replace the tumbler when you do get it open.
John

might have to get a 5' section of a 4x4 and some cardboard(to put over the paint) and hit on the right side of the license plate to shock the lock loose..

If your 240D is like my 300D, you can open the trunk through the first aid kit. (careful it's brittle but I still broke mine :().
With a good light, see where the cover for the lock is and make a hook out of a coat hanger (sharpen the tip with a file) and pop the cover off. With a long stiff piece of wood (I used a 6 ft furring strip with the end shaped (with a knife) to apply leverage to the lock lever). With a helper pushing on the lock button while you manage the furring strip you will get it open. I didn't have a helper when I did mine and used a bungee cord to hold the furring strip in place while leverage was strategically applied.:)

Turns out my lock vaccuum motor was ok. The problem was the lock mechanism was binding. I took the whole thing apart, cleaned and lubed it and it has worked fine since.

glad to see I am not alone. what happened to me is vacume lock stopped working, so my mech just unhooked the vac, connection. this ment I had to simply use my key each time I wanted to lock or unlock the trunk. then stoped working took to a different shop and they drilled a small hole under the licence plat and popped it with a tool(bent screwdriver I think) problem is they wouldn't let me back to see how he did it. has happened again (after at least another yr of service) and I try a little each day, but no success so far.as to me duplicating the forced entry job,I hate to drill it out at the lock itself as that gets expensive to replace. has anyone else had to break into there trunk? I tried locksmiths and they didn't want to try on a mercedes.

I can't offer a good suggestion, but I can offer a bit of comic relief.

The PO of my 300D had been keeping a laptop computer in the trunk at night, and one day someone managed to break in and steal it. It looks like they tried to pop the lock first, but that apparently didn't work. I've also seen the marks where they attempted to pry the trunk open, which incidentally, didn't do much more than scratch the paint. So, how did they get in? They crawled under the car and chiseled a hole in to the spare tire well large enough for a scrawny guy to fit his arm through, shoved the spare tire and cover out of the way, and popped the latch from the inside. Obviously, someone was determined to get that old, practically worthless laptop.

Sadly, the theft would not have occurred if the spare tire had been properly secured to the floor. All of the hold-down hardware was in the trunk, so there was no reason for it not to be properly secured in the first place.

Yes, the hole is still there. I need to get that welded shut.