Door handle/locking question

My front doors will lock with the key from the outside, but the interior handles don't trigger the lock. I am fairly certain that I originally could open the door from the interior when it had been locked from the outside, but it wouldn't the other day. Curious what needs to be done.

Second question: I have a rubber stopper on the side and rear doors where the pushbutton would be. (Too dark for a photo.) Is this what everyone else has as well? The actual locks are key locks below that area. Tryng to figure if that is the stock arrangement since my door handles don't always want to sit down flat and in alignment.

If the door is locked you have to pull up the knob to open the door (on my 69 anyway)

Yes the from doors should open even if the outside handle is locked. But you can't open them from the outside if the inside hasndle has been pushed down to the lock position.

The outside lock on the 1st gen only stops the knob from being pushed in, no6thing else.

But do you have 1st or 2nd gen doors or locks??

The side and back doors have the rubber plug and a seperate lock lower down.



M1D

M1D, that's what I've got (first photo.) I don't have the seperate lock mechanism shown in the second one. Thanks.

the rubber plugs and seperate lock is the side and reardoors.

The second picture with the locks built in is 1st gen front door locks.

M1d

my locks are in the handle but doors cam be locked from the inside by pushing down on door handle.

thats how a first gen should be.

M1D

Checked the handles yesterday. The push down to lock works on the passenger side, but not on the drivers side. I have to really slam (to the point I'm concerned the glass will shatter) the driver's door to get it to close snugly. When I attempt to do so after pushing the handle down, it won't close and pops back open. Everything else functions as discussed prior.

The spring on the door latch inside the door that the handle attaches to is broken...a common issue with these older vans...you have to have the handle in just the right position to have the latch catch...if you push it down prior to shutting the door it will not close....fiddle with it a few times and you will find the sweet spot....lock it with the key from the outside...

You can take off that interior door plate that attaches to the handle, elbow cushion. It has about a dozen phillips screws. Anyway, behind it is the post for the inside door opener/lock. You might lube up that assembly (it has locking springs top and bottom) that should give you a popping kind of sound when you lock or unlock from the handle. I keep it all lube up and it works much better now. Good luck, Mark