dreaded door will not unlock

[stock1970]

When i lock my door on passenger side it will not unlock with key or by pulling up the button, The only way i can get it open is to reach inside the door and push the mechanism by hand.. i dont see any parts broken at least from just looking inside the door. should i replace the intire thing or is there a better fix..

 

[Broncoholic1]

Get a new Door

 

[baglock]

Adjusting one of the rods at the top of the mechanism helps in alot of cases. Do a search on the subject, you may find pic's

 

[BRONCOchild]

Adjusting one of the rods at the top of the mechanism helps in alot of cases. Do a search on the subject, you may find pic's

I concur! I had the same issue. You could tighten up the rods or it could simply be an issue with having to grease, lub or WD40 certain parts of the door's mechanism. Just remember, when putting your arm in the door...you are going to have to "tetris" your arm in there...lol

GOOD LUCK with your fix!!;D

 

[matt w]

When i lock my door on passenger side it will not unlock with key or by pulling up the button, The only way i can get it open is to reach inside the door and push the mechanism by hand.. i dont see any parts broken at least from just looking inside the door. should i replace the intire thing or is there a better fix..

I JUST fixed mine last weekend!

These cost 1.00 each and THAT is all it was...that and time!
....Oh ya I bought 5.00 worth for future doorr issues! ;D
http://www.tomsbroncoparts.com/product.php?category=15&id=410
I did it...so can you!;D ;D ;D ;D

But...my key worked to unlock it...I still needed to reach inside to open the door up.
It was that little plastic part that had broken on the top rod that connects the thumb button to the rod.
...just last Friday night...yep another exciting Friday evening at home in the garage workin on the bronco...MAN I'M OLD! heh-heh

 

[DirtDonk]

When i lock my door on passenger side it will not unlock with key or by pulling up the button.

Does the button still pull up? Or does it seem jammed in the down position?
It's possible that the little link inside the main mechanism is either bent, or just gummed up with years worth of old junk.
If you can get a flashlight on it to get a better view, you might see something amiss. But really, it's not that big a job to just pull the whole thing out. You do have to memorize (or take pictures!) where every rod and clip goes of course, but once you have it out you can track down the offending piece. Or you might just find, half-way there, that one of your little clippy-doodles is busted.
If it's something un-fixable, then you can buy a new one. But if you can fix it yourself, so much the better. And you will be amazed at how good a properly working latch feels!

Good luck.

Paul

 

[matt w]

Does the button still pull up? Or does it seem jammed in the down position?
It's possible that the little link inside the main mechanism is either bent, or just gummed up with years worth of old junk.
If you can get a flashlight on it to get a better view, you might see something amiss. But really, it's not that big a job to just pull the whole thing out. You do have to memorize (or take pictures!) where every rod and clip goes of course, but once you have it out you can track down the offending piece. Or you might just find, half-way there, that one of your little clippy-doodles is busted.
If it's something un-fixable, then you can buy a new one. But if you can fix it yourself, so much the better. And you will be amazed at how good a properly working latch feels!

Good luck.

Paul

Agreed man, just pull the panel ..roll the window up, get a flashlight. or those florescent tube work lights(they rest right inside the door & you can still work!;D found that out last week!;D ) look at "the guts" push on the thumb portion and watch it all work!..I bet it is the little old brittle 35 your old 1.00 piece of plastic!..I'd like to know..because that sounds exactly what I just fixed! heh-heh

Good Luck!;D

 

[SeaBiscuit68]

Disassemble, clean, lube & reassemble the latch mechanism. It's been over 30 years since Ford put it together and it's time to go through it. While you're at it, go ahead and straighten bent rods, adjust their travel and replace bad plastic clips. Heck, might as well inspect the roller wheel at the bottom of the window while you're in there and the rubber bumper at the bottom of the door and check the window tracks for alignment. All of this will be cheap or free and give you many more years of service. I like white lithium for lubing the mechanism. Don't use wd-40. It's the wrong product for this task.

 

[deltarat]

When the lock knob won't unlock it, you usually need to shorten the rod that goes up to the push button a round or two.

 

[Rox Crusher]

I was having problem with key not being able to lock / unlock the door and sometimes the thumb portion of the handle would stick

I took the advice above (disassemble, clean with WD40, let dry, and then spray silicone lube on everything including the window track glides)

loooooking gooooood

 

[commoncold]

Is there diagrams out there or something to help with taking the door parts out? It looks like a jumble of rusty rods and bent tracks when I look inside. Needless to say, it looks very intimidating.

 

[lonesouth]

do all bronco doors unlock when they close, or is it just mine? I.E. door is open, push lock down, close door and the lock pops up again.

 

[Big One]

do all bronco doors unlock when they close, or is it just mine? I.E. door is open, push lock down, close door and the lock pops up again.

MY 77 does the same thing. Usually a safety feature to keep from locking your keys inside.
My 69 Cuda is the same way. I have to lock the doors with the key.

 

[matt w]

do all bronco doors unlock when they close, or is it just mine? I.E. door is open, push lock down, close door and the lock pops up again.

Well all cars waaaaay bacme came that way. You have to lock it(push the door lock down), then hold the thumb opener down when you close it AND Bada-Bing, your door is locked and you do not have to use your key to lock it.

I'm real old, had to teach my teenage daughters and all others under 30 years old how to properly close "Old School" doors! :>) ;D %)

 

[Big One]

Well all cars waaaaay bacme came that way. You have to lock it(push the door lock down), then hold the thumb opener down when you close it AND Bada-Bing, your door is locked and you do not have to use your key to lock it.

I'm real old, had to teach my teenage daughters and all others under 30 years old how to properly close "Old School" doors! :>) ;D %)

I'll have to disagree with you there, neither the cuda or my Bronco will lock even with the thumb button held down.

 

[matt w]

I'll have to disagree with you there, neither the cuda or my Bronco will lock even with the thumb button held down.

My bad..my 73 works that way! My dads 65 & 68 and my 66 Mustangs all worked that way, as did the other cars I grew up with as a kid. sorry man, oops!:-[ ;D ;D

 

[DirtDonk]

Probably something wrong with your latch on the Bronco then Big One. Unless yours is maybe a real early one? Don't know if the '66 and '67 (maybe '68) Broncos worked the same, but the later ones will lock with the button held down.
Although I will disagree with Matt's "all cars" part. Even some older cars did things differently. Some would lock with the button held down, some without pushing the button, and still others would only lock with the key, or from the inside.
My Dad's '64 Chevy Corvair would only lock with the key, but the '65 would lock by holding down on the outside button.

Paul

 

[Rox Crusher]

on my 77 it will lock without the key if you depress the thumb button while closing the door

 

[Big One]

Probably something wrong with your latch on the Bronco then Big One. Unless yours is maybe a real early one? Don't know if the '66 and '67 (maybe '68) Broncos worked the same, but the later ones will lock with the button held down.
Although I will disagree with Matt's "all cars" part. Even some older cars did things differently. Some would lock with the button held down, some without pushing the button, and still others would only lock with the key, or from the inside.
My Dad's '64 Chevy Corvair would only lock with the key, but the '65 would lock by holding down on the outside button.

Paul

Its possible, I just know its a pain to always have to dig the keys out.
Just not a big enough pain to tear the door apart yet!!;D

 

[broncoman1972]

When my locks were doing this on my 72 I found that a boot shaped lever on the latch that pushes on another component to allow the lock to move was worn. Lubing barely helped at all. Being cheap I didn’t want to replace the latches so I removed and cleaned them then carefully built the metal back up with the all mighty welder and filed them smooth. The have been working great ever since. Now if I could only get an engine back in it….