Just to add to problems encountered with Citroen C3 door locks, I have a 2005 1.4 16v diesel model, but all the 2002 to 2009 are exactly the same. Recently I had problems with both my driver side front and rear door, almost at the same time (days apart). Basically when parking up and closing the doors they would just bounce back (open) again. Having read some of the posts on here I set about a game of elimination firstly to the glove box fuse board, removing the solenoid and replacing, no difference, still won't shut/lock. Next step removed driver side lock and handles complete (yes - drill out rivets on external handle, as per advice on here is the only answer). Messed around with lock mechanism but couldn't get it to play game. Next step - Ebay for a replacement. I did well here, I managed to get one for just over £12 including postage. Replaced dodgy driver door lock riveted back on (as per guidance on this forum) and all good for now...
Now the rear door was playing up, just bouncing back which is not good when rushing to work, just getting home after a long day or at the supermarket car park with no means of locking or even shutting the car door. So my first thought is back to Ebay, but now the cheapest option is almost £30 with no compromise on price! So having ruled out electrics I decided that it had to be a mechanical issue with the lock and my thought process was i can fix this surely? I kept the original diver door lock and set about dismantling this and worked out that the issue was a partly seized camming component within the lock (which i think will be the same with many others with the same problem) Having pretty much trashed this unit, I set about dismantling the rear door unit with the hindsight of doubt. The plastic outer housing comes of fairly easily with a bit of careful prizing of the metal lugs and clips, the only thing holding this to the lock itself is a cable nipple from the internal handle which comes off easily. I thought this would be a tw_t to re-connect but it was pretty much straight forward, to make it easier I used insulation tape at the internal handle end (the handle removed) of the cable to stop the cable from moving back or forth.
So the first job in hand was to try and lubricate the lock mechanism, hoping this would cure the issue, no such luck, but i think this would be a important part of the fix (I used GT85 with PTFE) just also bear in mind that there are motors in there so spray with this in mind. Next i got to know the lock and how it worked using a screwdriver to mimic the door locking and triggering the lever in the small round hole to make the lock work as it should, after about an hour i had it working perfectly, but probably less than that as it took my little brain a while to work out how everything should work. All back together now and working fine, just ready for the nearside locks to start playing up... I have a 2005 C3 with 127k on the clock so quite an old bird but hope this helps.
I am just the average DIY'er if this helps with matters, but could save a few quid (possibly lots) and searching Ebay for hours like me...
- Cable tie in place - see following photos.
- I melted slot to accommodate tie wrap - see following photos to ensure flush fit.
- this pic shows external handle inner side and rivet holes (4mm x approx 10 mm long ish)
- I found that the cable end at the external door handle jumped out when fiddling putting it back together so held it in place with a tiny cable tie..
- Insulation tape at internal handle end - holding in place cable barrel to stop it sliding back and forth.
- Removing the plastic outer casing - this shows the internal handle cable nipple at the lock end. Easy to remove and replace
- I inserted a thin bladed screwdriver to get things moving again, spent about an hour or so and all good.
- Get this moving and problem sorted
- Get this moving and this will fix the issue...
- The trashed door lock showing the seized internal cam- this is rigidly connected to the outer cam in the following pictures. Once the plastic outer case is off you can push and shuff this. careful not to dislodge any other moving parts though.
- Hopefully the small lever can be seen inside the round hole.
- Hopefully the small lever can be seen inside the round hole - take two.
- The round hole to the right centre is the lock holding lever.
