Driverside Door lock issues

[Tweak338]

Truck: 91 Ranger
Manual Locks.

So, this damn door doesn't like to be locked..

Problem:
You push the lock down, it should lock it right? Wrong
I can close the door, and pull up on the handle, the door will open. wtf?!
The lock thingy stays down the whole time.

I have no idea whats going on here. It sucks cause I cannot really lockup my truck.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

your trying to open the truck from the OUTSIDE while its locked, right?

if so, it sounds like the pushrod has come disconnected. pull the inner door panel and take a look inside.

 

[Tweak338]

your trying to open the truck from the OUTSIDE while its locked, right?

Yes..

if so, it sounds like the pushrod has come disconnected. pull the inner door panel and take a look inside.

What exactly am I looking for, im a complete moron to the inside of the door. Only thing i know how to do is jimmy it open(from locking keys in it, not stealing!).

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

just pull the inner door panel and look inside the door. follow the lock button down and you'll see it attaches to a metal pushrod. im guessing that pushrod is not connected at one end as it should be. it should be pretty obvious once your in there whats going on.

 

[Tweak338]

So heres what the lock looks like unlocked:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/Tweak338/Ranger/IMAG0137.jpg

I have a video of whats going on, but its kinda dark.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

its been a while since ive been in the doors, and since its not here in front of me, its hard to tell.

whats that pushrod at the top right side of the pic (that would be the bottom/outer side of the door i believe) going to? is it connected to the latch? it appears to just be hanging there.

check out all the pushrods and see if both ends of all pushrods are connected to something, and that when you activate the device the pushrod is connected to (inner door handle, outer door handle, door lock button), that it transfers the motion like it should.

 

[Mark_88]

These are pretty simple to fix, but in some cases the connector is broken and usually lying at the bottom of the door...they are made of plastic and, from that pic, it looks like what Wicked was saying...one of them is just hanging there (the one at the top of the pic with the bend going upwards)...

There is a connector that attaches to the push rod from the lock to one of those connectors in the lock mechanism...if your other door works fine, take the panel off of it and have a look to compare them...

If you need parts to replace broken connectors, go to the nearest junkyard if available and take two...because chances are they will break again or you may just need it in the future...and if I recall correctly, those parts are interchangeable between doors...so you can even take the one off the passenger side and use it on the driver's side door...

You'll need to lock either one with a key until you fix it properly...and if that don't work you may need to change something else...

 

[Tweak338]

I do lock it with a key.. Still able to just open the door.
It feels like its locked, but if you lift the handle all the way it kinda "pops" open.

The plastic connector was broken a little. Picked up a new one & rod from the junkyard. Problem still exists. I'm going to try a few things over the next few days and see if any of them fix it. If they do, I'll report back....
... If not, back to the junkyard for a whole new lock mechanism.

 

[Tweak338]

Update: Door seems to be fixed.

I bent the little arm that the rod coming down from the handle went into out away from the lock. Seemed to do the trick, well that and a new plastic clip.

 

[Mark_88]

Good stuff! I'm always amazed at how simple things are once you figure them out...my doors were a problem too and it took a few whacks at them to get everything working right...might want to invest in some of that graphite stuff to use in the locks to prevent them from seizing up...that's usually what causes things to start breaking, especially in cold weather...plastic just doesn't stand up to the cold and the added stress...