Door Locks don't work

[Ninjasupahsquid]

So I recently purchased a 1996 ford explorer sport with the 4L Ohv 4WD and the 5 speed with 149,000. Super happy with it so far. Engine runs good transmission shifts nice. 4wd works. But one thing that's kind of annoying is that the Drivers door wont lock, and what sucks even more is that I have a really nice aftermarket radio that I want to install, but don't want stolen. so at the moment I'm stuck with FM radio and a dead LF door speaker.

The story is that someone attempted to steal it (I already verified the car isn't stolen, and has been registered in my name with no issues) and now it wont lock. I cant lock it with the key, cant lock it manually with the lock pole thingy on top of the door, and cannot lock it with the lock button on the door. However when I hit the lock and unlock button I can see that black pole moving a little but will not lock.

at this point I'm considering doing new tumblers because I'm not sure if the one in the drivers door is still functional or was broken in the attempted theft. The passenger door and trunk lock and unlock fine with the key. I'm not sure how it all connects inside the door. I've taken a peek behind the door panel and cant make heads or tails with it.

I see plenty of options on rockauto for door tumblers and ignition cylinders. Im just curious how I would get them to be the same key and how the P.A.T.S. System will like that.

I live in a nice neighborhood and I work next to a Police station so I'm not too worried about it getting stolen but I want to get this fixed sooner rather than later. Any thoughs, opinions, ideas, mods, suggestions are encouraged and greatly appreciated

also maybe some diagrams would be cool

Many thanks,
-Ninjasupahsquid

 

[wollimann]

I'm not sure how it all connects inside the door.

This is what you should find inside the door.

The door lock actuator (9) could be tired, it is attached with a rived (10).
The door latch (8) maybe need some oil to work smooth.
Could you rotate the key and the lock cylinder (5)?
Could you push down the knob (4)?

I would disconnect the battery, so changing parts will not cause any faults to the anti theft system.
If you see the knob moving a little bit downwards the electrical connections should be ok.
Maybe there is a mechanical blockade inside the door/latch, identify this, but there is less space.
Good luck!

 

[Squirrelmaster]

Look into what wollimann posted above. A failing door lock actuator could be the culprit.

I'd also check for any damage to the door latch linkage. About 25 years ago I had a 1995 Explorer that I bought right after someone broke into it to steal the stereo system, and it had a similar issue due to a bend in the lock and latch linkage caused by a slim-jim used during the break-in (they also smashed a window when the slim-jim didn't work). Since it's been a few decades I don't recall exactly where the bend was, but it prevented the latch lock from actually engaging correctly. Fortunately, simply bending the linkage straight fixed the problem.