Hi Pierre Locksmith - thank you for your DIY thread on the element titled 'key won't turn - problem and fix'. In that thread, there is post #55 where you show a small pin and spring that close the small metal door to the front of the door lock. Well, it appears that on my 03 element, that small metal door is always open. I am presuming that either my spring is broken, or the pin somehow got loose and disappeared out of position.
Is one possibility greater that the other? I will presume that no one sells the door-spring-pin as a replacement, so if then spring is broke, I'd need a new lock (maybe I can find one at a junkyard?). However, I certainly can fashion up a pin if that is more likely the case.
Also, I am very familiar with taking apart then door panel, but not the lock itself. Is it easy take apart the front of the lock to access the door-spring-pin? That wasn't quite clear to me on the pics, and I'm apprehensive that key lock wafers will be all over my floor when i try this.
An alternative for me is that perhaps I spray the lock periodically with a silicone lubricant as a water repellant - and then just wait until the lock seizes from extra rust (because the area is exposednopen) over the course of ... Who knows ... 5-6 years??? And then get then whole lock replaced?