Yep, I was going to mention this way to lock yourself out. This is a
very common failure on the 80-84 sliding door lock mechanism. A tiny
inner spring breaks and then the inside knob for locking and unlocking
won't stay up with the sliding door closed. It drops down and locks
itself every time you close the door.

There is a "fix" that someone on the list invented and I did recently to
my brother's 82. Unscrew the knob and cut a piece of clear plastic hose
that will just slip over the shank of the knob. Make the hose slightly
longer than the smooth part of the shank. Screw the knob back on and the
hose will push against the door and friction will hold it up. The key
can then lock and unlock from outside as it should.

Mark

David Brodbeck wrote:
>
>
> My 82's sliding door locks itself every time I close it.  I think there
> must be a spring or something missing from the mechanism.  The interior
> lock handle refuses to stay in the unlocked position.
>