I rarely even try to use the key to lock or unlock my door. Partly because using it to unlock the door sets off the alarm immediately. However, I've also found that I cannot lock the door with the key. It simply won't turn (toward the front of the vehicle - counterclockwise).

I think it worked when I bought the car, but shortly afterward I messed with the lock actuator and rods (to replace the interior latch cable). As far as I could tell, everything got put back the way it was supposed to be, but I'm wondering if something small dropped into the mechanism and has the key mechanism wedged.

Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Need to go back in and check the actuator

 

its always wise to apply silicon grease to all mechanisms.
Did you not test the locking mechanism when you reinstalled all the gear in the door/. Did it work then.. if not maybe it needs to be redone properly... may just need some grease.
best
Peter

 

I agree with above. Plus silicone grease makes wonders. I ise it for window mechanism. Motors. Anywhere there should be minimum friction

 

Thanks, everyone, for your comments.
A correction to my initial post:
It turns out that I CAN lock the vehicle with the key. I can also hold the key in the lock position and it will close any opened windows and the sunroof.

The main problem continues to be that when I unlock the car with the key (and it does unlock), the alarm sounds immediately. So, it appears that there are no mechanical movement problems that could be fixed with grease, just a problem with the alarm triggering.