Door wont lock with key

[cgibson67]

My driver side door locks fine from the inside, but does nothing when trying to lock with a key. Key fits and turns side to side fine, but doesn't seem to move the locking mechanism. If the door is locked, the key will move the lock about halfway up, but the door still remains locked from the outside.

I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction as where to look first, as getting to some of the bits in the door can be a pain. Will I need to remove door panel, window and frame (per Bentley)? thanks.

[porschenut]

Is your central locking working? Can you lock the passenger door from the outside? On a car with central locking, you cannot lock either door with the key unless the central locking and the door microswitches are working. However, you can unlock them with the key manually.

[Eddyvdw]

Might be that the catcher (on the body) of the door lock moved a bit. Just open the door, manually rotate the part of the lock that connects the door to the door post and see if you can open/close with the key.

[Quicksilver]

The big question is: Does your car have electric door locks?

The 2 different systems operate in different ways. I'm guessing that you have manual locks from the description and the odd little keyed shaft has worn away. The solution then is to get a new lock and re key it to match the other keys.

Really the first step is going to be to open up the door. It can't be avoided anyway.

[cgibson67]

No electric locks and passenger door works fine. I'll pull apart the door and get back with what I see. thanks

[DRACO A5OG]

I thought '87 was Standard Central Lock System? started in '85.

yeap the lever may have popped off inside the door.

[porschenut]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

I thought '87 was Standard Central Lock System? started in '85.

I thought it was too, but I checked my authenticity book and it says central locking was standard on turbos and optional on Carreras, until '88 when it became standard on all models.

[Quicksilver]

Originally Posted by porschenut

I thought it was too, but I checked my authenticity book and it says central locking was standard on turbos and optional on Carreras, until '88 when it became standard on all models.

I thought it was standard too until I was discussing our 87s with a buddy and his car has the weirdest set of options I have seen: Factory Carrera whale tail, rear wiper, manual locks, factory alarm system, and 15" Fuchs. A real mishmash of options.

[MysticLlama]

Just fixed mine a couple of weeks ago after it not working for 5 years or so.

It was.... a single loose screw. Should've got to that earlier.

The place where the tumbler screws in has a screw with a bit of teeth on it, and if it backs out of the assembly, the whole thing will turn but do nothing.

Not sure how power locks impact it at the handle side, or if the power mechnisms are farther down the line, but after doing it once it was simple enough to at least take a look. Stock door panels aren't too bad to get apart.

[91C2]

I have the same problem now when I turn the drivers side key to any direction it does nothing. My car is a 91 carrera 2. I also noticed that when I close the drivers door or when the window is up and I hit a bump there is something loose inside. Is the central looking system electric or vacuum like the Mercedes Benz? How hard is it to remove the door panel? I am not a fan of removing the door panels , trims etc because some clips just break and then you got to wait and order them again.

[rnln]

similar as my problem was. As Draco mentioned, the lever inside the door, right at the lock area pops off. Bent the lever back on, but the problem came back after a while.

[91C2]

Is there a picture of what actually we need to fix to get this working?

[djcdmv]

Originally Posted by draco a5og

yeap the lever may have popped off inside the door.

+1

[jmod]

I think the previous posts are describing the screw that holds the tumbler in place. The photos below show a 1979 SC lock side on and end on. You can see the screw that holds the lever at the back of the tumbler. Hope this helps. The power lock version is slightly different as it has provision for the microswitch.

[twistoffat]

Sometimes an old key will get so worn that the lock won´t open cleanly. Have you tried the spare key?

[91C2]

Originally Posted by twistoffat

Sometimes an old key will get so worn that the lock won´t open cleanly. Have you tried the spare key?

Yes and it still wont work, I already removed the door panel just havent had time to get the vapor barrier out and look into the door and see what is going on.

Thanks to everyone, Happy 4th of July

[91C2]

Okay I got the door panel out and tested the locking system and I tried to figure what to look for and here is what i found:

Drivers door:

You cannot lock the door when it is open using the thing that goes up and down, when the door is closed you can use this to lock the door. when the door is closed and that thing that goes up and down in the lock position you could use the key to open the door but you could not lock the door using the key. Because it is like this how can you lock the door when the door is open and the window is up?

Passenger door:

You can use the thing that goes up and down to lock the door before you go down because you can use this even if the door is open. Then you can open it with the key but you cannot lock it using the key.

I am confused and need help.

Thanks

[91C2]

Update: The central locking system switch on the center concole locks both doors, the issues still remains how do I lock the car from the outside?

[SEE YA]

What happened?

[yayo_ayala]

Hi, I am reviewing this post, and I would like to know if someone has an idea of my problem. I have a 911 1989, I am able to lock the doors from the inside, but I can only unlock them using the key. Unfortunately I cannot lock them from the outside with the key.

I am guessing is the central locking system, I am wondering if there is a way to test it?

Thanks.