Hi all,
Hope this isn't a common issue - I've noticed a few people have issues with lock cylinders, which is what led me to tackle this problem. I am a new mercedes owner and just starting on what I hope to be a lifelong project involving fiddling, fixing and perfecting.
Car: '85 300TD wagon
Pretty good condition overall when I bought it. One of the minor things was the keys wouldn't fit into the door locks all the way. I assumed that it was just a corrosion thing. When I got the driver side door handle off (which was a beast, as my car has the 'safety' feature where you need to turn the key to get the handle off!), removed the pin holding the turning rod to the cylinder, I noticed that the return spring for the cylinder is broken.

So my question, I'd like to replace it but it's such a tiny part that it doesn't seem anyone carries them. Seems like I could just use my one good spring on the drivers side door lock and leave the other cylinder for the passenger side. Is there any reason to track down the spring somewhere, or just leave it out?

Thanks for all the help on this forum. Currently I am replacing the master cylinder and all brake hose and all the belts. I have never struggled so much to change belts!

Lots of times the lock cylinders get lint and thread jammed down inside which keeps the key from doing it's thing. Might try taking it apart and cleaning it out. For the spring the best bet is to probably just find one from a member here, or the junkyard.

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thanks for the help again today...
It looks like a mixture of graphite, dirt and grease. something i learned from bicycles is never to grease small precision parts, because it turns into cement. I will try to document reassembly, as I couldn't find on this site.