Sliding Door Key Function Question

[Whaanga]

I have a '73 bus and have been driving it for six years. When I got it, the PO lost the key and replaced the ignition key. As a result, I've never been able to lock/unlock the doors with a key. Today, I found a great locksmith who was able to make keys that went to the doors.

I discovered that the sliding door key lock turns but does not engage. I can lock it from the inside with the small toggle switch. I replaced the sliding door latch a couple of years ago so wonder if I failed to install one of the parts.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=739325&highlight=

Today I removed the sliding door handle to look at the mechanism and noticed that there seems to be no 'connecting mechanism' between the barrel and the lock. The attached photos show the components of the handle - Am I missing a part? If not, how can I address the issue? As I said, the key turns, but does not connect to the mechanism.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank You,

Jeff

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Late 1973 Bay w/a transplanted 914 Engine

[skills@eurocarsplus]

you need a new handle

it's 100% missing the guts that would shove a "tooth" out of the oval cutout on the handle into the oval cutout on the escutcheon
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[vwwestyman]

May or may not need a new handle, but it is my understanding that in a '73, the key in the outside handle and the "toggle switch" inside the slider, are completely unrelated.

If you lock the "toggle" from inside, that is the only way to unlock the slider. If you lock it from the outside with the key, same thing. Was that way from the factory.
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Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[SGKent]

on VW buses the inside lock and the outside lock on the slider are independent of one another by design. If the outside locks and unlocks, and the inside locks and unlocks then all is well. If one side or the other fails, that side is defective.

[Whaanga]

Thanks for the commentary. I searched the classifieds and found a handle that has the mechanism to work the key lock.

The interior lock (toggle switch) works just fine, but I would like to have the option of locking/unlocking the door from the outside.
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Late 1973 Bay w/a transplanted 914 Engine

[SGKent]

[Whaanga]

[SGKent]

edit - see Busdaddy's comments.

There are two locking systems. Early and late. In the early system the outside lock is in the outside handle. On the late bays the lock is next to the handle.

There is also a blocking system built into the door latching system. That is on the inside. (lever A) When that latch is in the blocking position it stops the latch from functioning. It has been awhile since I had a 1971 but as BusDaddy says, when the outside is locked on an early one the door is locked from both sides. The same is true when locked from the inside and the two do not talk to each other. I got in the habit of leaving the slider unlocked on the outside and reaching the lock over the rear bulkhead from the front passenger door. On a late system the outside lock disconnects the two as I recall. I can't get to that side of my bus right now to verify that.

early

late

[Abscate]

[busdaddy]

[vwwestyman]

Just to clarify (?, ha ha)

On a late Bay, you could lock the slider with the inside locking switch, and unlock from the outside, or vice-versa. I do that all the time on my '78.

On my '73, the outside lock is either gunked up or was replaced at some point while no others were, because the key does not work it. The inside "toggle" does work, so as Steve wrote, I just reach in from the passenger door over the bulkhead to lock or unlock it.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing