kiddoh

iTrader: (1)

Have had this problem since I got the car and never got to it, has anyone ever had a hard time unlocking their FD from the outside, a bit hard on the inside, almost broke my only key trying to unlock it until I decided to just go through the hatch and unlock even then it was hard but got it to open, just wondering if I need to replace something/something is broken, did get spare keys though as I would be in sh*t if I broke my only key haha, its the same for both driver and passenger side.

Thanks for any help!

aplscrambles

iTrader: (7)

Id take the door panel off and have a look at everything, see if you have something out of place, binding, or a bent rod or lots of corrosion on the latch or something. If the outer handle mechanism has never been replaced, its 30 years old, it probably needs replaced,

Pete_89T2

iTrader: (4)

My door locks were like that when I first got my used FD 2 years ago, driver's side a little worse than the passenger side. There's a door lock maintenance post by Dale Clark here that has a good how-to on info on cleaning & maintaining them. Search that post out & do it - it might solve 100% of your problems.

In my case the lock cleaning certainly improved things, but the other issue is the keys themselves will wear down over years of use, and getting an old key copied will just make a new key that also doesn't work well. So the solution if you're still having lock problems then is to buy a new OEM key from any Mazda dealer - you'll need the VIN # and usually the car's title/registration for them to make you a new key, expect to pay $20~$30 for it. I ordered mine from Ray Crowe, cost me about $20 and all of my locks work like brand new now.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

If the key turns in the cylinder easily to its normal limit but the door is still locked my first suspect is that the rod connecting the cylinder to the lock mechanism is bent or stretched. You’ll have to watch the mechanism and determine which for sure.
Not certain but my best recollection when I had a similar issue was that mine had stretched, and increasing one of the bends in the rod a little cured it.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

First off, read my thread on keys -

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...-keys-1143529/

You don't need to work with a dealer to get VIN-correct keys cut, a good locksmith in your area can do that for you. All in the above thread.

Probably also need to lubricate the key cylinder and the door handle itself, this is all doable by pulling the handle, don't have to pull the door panel.

Dale

nmoffatt

iTrader: (15)

I had a similar problem and found that the cables were starting to stick and did not slide through the sheath properly anymore. I figured this out by disconnecting it from the interior latch and found the key turned without any issues. I played around with the cable for a while to see if it could be made better but ultimately gave up and replaced it.

Ultimately it could be a number of things so read through Dale's thread and check each component.