So the cover (small flap that gets pushed out of the way by the key) on my driver's side door lock broke, and half of it lodged into the cylinder. I managed to pull it back with a paper clip, and it is now stuck rattling around in the front part of the lock. I can still sort of get the key into the lock if I work at it a bit, and the actual lock works fine.

Is that flap a part of the whole lock assembly, or would I be able to replace just the outside part?

And is it possible to swap the passenger side lock with the driver side temporarily until I can get a replacement?

(The car is a 1990 GXL N/A with factory power locks)

 

You should pull the flapper out.
If it gets jammed inside, it could disable the entire lock.
The flapper is there just to keep crap and (rain) water out of the lock which will eventually cause it to fail.

No, you cannot switch drivers / passengers side door locks - they are specific to each side.

Mazda does not sell just the flapper part.
You need to change out the entire lock cylinder.
It's a little under $50 for the lock cylinder and the rekey?


-Ted

 

Cool, thanks a lot. I searched around a bit but couldn't find an actual answer to the locks being interchangeable.

Should I be going to the dealer for this? Mazdatrix has them for about $65...

 

Mazdatrix should be cheaper than your local dealership but it doesn't hurt to price shop.

 

Wouldn't a locksmith be able to handle this problem?