Weird lock issue
 

After getting my recently acquired car up and running (oil, plugs, tube o-rings, serpentine belt), I took it for a night drive and discovered an interesting issue. The door locks would give a definitive "click-click" followed by the interior lights coming on for a brief second. This continued to happen through most of the drive. The car also doesn't lock when I exit with the remote. When I try to lock with the remote, the door locks click twice as if it is locking and then unlocking. I'm assuming it's a door switch, or possibly the micro switches on the handles, but i'm not sure where to start digging in to determine the cause. I have a manual on order as well as the 101 projects book, but unfortunately, they haven't arrived yet. Any help is much appreciated.

It's a problem with the circuit in the door lock. There is a thread in the diy space on how to remove it and reflow the solder on the board. I just did this last week and it solved my problem. didn't even have to buy any parts. The hardest part is getting the lock out of the door.

Tony

Does the car actually lock? If the other fix doesn't work for you you can replace the lock actuator with a VW one. I did a write up and comparison over here

Perfect!! Thanks for the tip amagalla. Good to see another San Jose member here. I’d love to get together with others if there’s ever an opportunity

Sometimes. It's very random, but it will actually lock and arm the alarm/red light on the dash.

The car does lock occasionally. This leads me to think it is not the key remote that needs the solder reworked. I'm of the opinion that it is likely the control module with corrosion or one of the door lock mechanisms. I'll have to double check but I don't believe the passenger window drops when the door is opened. Is that pretty much a giveaway that the passenger module is not functioning?

The failure to unlock or lock is the first sign of the door lock mechanisms dying. Get it replaced now as you don't want it to fail while locked.