I have been living with the driver side door chime ringing away and the floor light on (removed to not run down the battery) for about a month now and I am ready to tackle the repair. I have seen a tutorial on Bay 13 (not there , broken link possibly) and have the Haynes manual as well. I found a nice salvage car with 93k miles in really nice shape so I was hoping the lock assembly I removed would be good for some time.

The question I have is when properly installing a new lock assembly, must the window cartridge come out? If so are there any good web instructions on how to do? I see in the Haynes manual there are some release pins etc and getting it off looks like it requires lowering the window before starting. I was able to "wiggle" the part off the salvage car but I know this will not work in installing the lock assembly in my car. The power window cassette most likely will need to come off.

If anyone has done this repair and or knows of a current web site showing details, I'd be greatly appreciative. Thanks.

I had to replace a window regulator and had the lock assy out.
It turned out to be a nasty puzzle to reinstall.
Be prepared for a headache.

Sorry I can't offer more,
I'd just do your homework and web searching carefully before starting.

Bill

Will the bad lock assembly draw on the battery if I disconnected the floor light? My kid just told me the car is dead and the battery is only 3 months old. The door chime stops ringing when the key is pulled from the ignition. So was I correct in disconnecting the floor light thinking no draw on the battery?