Ke70 Wagon, Tail Gate Lock Jamming

Hi all, matt from Townsville, QLD, Australia here.

I have a 1983 KE70 CS wagon and the lock on the tail gate has jammed. I've pulled it apart and found that the door release mechanism is fine, it's the lock barrel itself that's jammed. The key won't slide in, it stops about half way. I've tried squirting some lubricant into the lock but no difference. As many of you will know, the lock and door release are in a single unit, so it's pretty annoying. The only way I can open the tail gate is to climb into the car from the rear passenger doors, remove the trim panel from the inside of the tail gate and release the latch by hand.

I'm 100% sure that it hasn't been tampered with. There's no sign of damage and it was parked at my in laws house/property which is out in the middle of nowhere. So I'm sure no one's tried to break it.

Has anyone had this problem or can give any suggestions on how it could be fixed?

Any info or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks heaps,

matt

PS - I've attached a couple of pictures of the lock barrel so people know what I'm talking about.

Edited January 30, 200620 yr by mattl