Door lock related question

Dr.Jeff

Dr.Jeff

True Classic
There is a little rubber seal around the door lock cylinders to help keep crud out (see pic below). I believe someone found a specific O-ring size that fits this perfectly, but now I can't find that reference. I've reviewed all of the door lock threads I could find without any luck. Does anyone know the exact size of the O-ring that will work for this seal?

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I wish someone would answer this question. I am about to assemble my door handles after a complete restoration and would also like to just check this off the list. I am not taking the door handles out again after they go in. Not for a while at least.
 
Dr.Jeff said:
There is a little rubber seal around the door lock cylinders to help keep crud out (see pic below). I believe someone found a specific O-ring size that fits this perfectly, but now I can't find that reference. I've reviewed all of the door lock threads I could find without any luck. Does anyone know the exact size of the O-ring that will work for this seal?

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I think it was a very recent post.
 
I don't recall a rubber component in that spot. There is a sort of washer to serve as a bearing surface between the plastic and the lock cylinder.

It has been a long time since I have had one apart and in reviewing a pile of threads there is no evidence of anyone using an o-ring that I could see or evidence of one.

There is also no part reference for one in the fiche I reviewed for all the body generations nor is there a reference to a washer of any kind on that side. Admittedly they may not have offered it as a service/separate part so it wouldn't appear.

I could be entirely wrong.
 
After some research I've determined that the reference I was thinking of regarding use of a "O-ring" was not for the X, it was for a different car. And it has been a long time since I've rebuilt X door handles/locks. So I cannot remember exactly what exists there. However I believe there should be some sort of seal, as pretty much every other car of that era has one. Most likely the factory part would not have been a O-ring per se, but either a small lip seal or rubber/nylon washer. VW used a lip seal and another one I've done had a nylon washer. On the other vehicles, when the original part is no longer available, a O-ring of the right size works perfectly. We'll have to measure the dimensions to determine the correct size.

Here's an example of the seal used on a different make of car from the same era:
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Well, I guess the moral of the story is, when in doubt, look at the one you have in your hand! I thought I recalled that too. But here is a close-up. It's just a metal collar. This makes more sense in a way because the constant twisting motion there does require smooth lubricated operation.
 

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LarryC said:
Well, I guess the moral of the story is, when in doubt, look at the one you have in your hand! I thought I recalled that too. But here is a close-up. It's just a metal collar. This makes more sense in a way because the constant twisting motion there does require smooth lubricated operation.
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Larry, is that pic from a part you have? If so, is it actually a separate metal collar (like a washer), or is it part of the trim cap on the end that folds over the edge? I can't quite tell from the pic.

I would expect there should be something other than a metal collar in order to provide more of a seal. But maybe Fiat did not expect them to last long enough for debris to collect and warrant a seal? :p
 
Dr.Jeff said:
Larry, is that pic from a part you have? If so, is it actually a separate metal collar (like a washer), or is it part of the trim cap on the end that folds over the edge? I can't quite tell from the pic.

I would expect there should be something other than a metal collar in order to provide more of a seal. But maybe Fiat did not expect them to last long enough for debris to collect and warrant a seal? :p
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It is actually a flange on the body of the tumbler and the trim cap has two tabs that clamp over it at recesses. So all part of the main body of the piece.

86X, I recall someone saying they had theirs rekeyed. Looks like a standard key tumbler.
 
LarryC said:
It is actually a flange on the body of the tumbler and the trim cap has two tabs that clamp over it at recesses. So all part of the main body of the piece.
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Thanks, I see it now. I would definitely think there could be something more to go between that flange and the lock body. Otherwise the flange really doesn't offer any "sealing" benefit. But I don't recall if there ever was a actual seal on these X locks.

Here's another example of a lock cylinder from another car. The yellow arrow points to the actual seal. But if you look just to the right of the seal you see the same metal flange as in your pic.
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Mine were never apart before, so I doubt that there was a seal on the ones I have. More important, the key lock rest even with the surface of the door handle now. Any seal there would have made it stick out.
 
LarryC said:
Mine were never apart before, so I doubt that there was a seal on the ones I have. More important, the key lock rest even with the surface of the door handle now. Any seal there would have made it stick out.
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I agree, there likely wasn't a seal from the factory. I was just saying in my opinion there should have been. As you say, they would need a small relief groove for the seal to ride in to keep the lock cylinder flush. :)

The next time I work with door handles - once my current build is ready for them to go back in, I might play around with adding a thin seal of some type to see how it works. ;)
 
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