I am experiencing door lock problems on a 1973 914.

On both the driver's and passenger's doors, I can lock the doors (from the outside of the vehicle) using the key. However, when I try to unlock the doors - using the key - I encounter so much resistance that I am afraid of breaking the key off in the locks.

If I attempt to unlock the doors with the key while gently pulling on the INTERNAL door lock, I can feel that the key is attempting to unlock the door. This, and the fact that the key will lock the doors, leads me to believe that I have the correct key for this vehicle.

Assuming that I do have the correct key for this car (the car is new to me and this is the key given to me by the PO)...

Is this a common problem and what steps should I take to troubleshoot and repair this problem?

Should I start removing the door panels or is this something that can be cleaned / adjusted (FIXED) without a tear-down?

Thanks for helping a "newbie"!

- Keith

typical clean the catching mechanism inside the door so it slides easily up and down You can read the procedure in the "Tech Tips 700" by Dr. 914

Yep yank the door panel off and remove the latch mechanism. wash rinse and repeat till all the crud is gone and things start moving easily. then LIGHTLY lubricate and reassemble.