Lock Change On A Car.

[J-Hood]

The first thing to do is get a key cut to factory specifications. any reasonably competent locksmith can decode the key and cut one for you. It is true that wear occurs in both the lock and key but often if the key is accurate the lock will work fine. Most locksmiths here will charge between $12.00 - $15.00 for that

I agree completely with the above statement. This should be your first action. In reading your description in your first post this is what I thought. Your passenger side door and truck will be less worn than the rest and anytime you get a copy you should check the key in these locks first. My guess is your key says "Axxess" on it and is miscut, as that is the most common problem I see in cars. The big chain stores use Axxess keys and they can't cut keys especially double sided keys.

Take your key and look at the cuts. The high points should be even with each other all the way up the key and they should be the same height as well. If they are not that is your issue not the locks. If you get a locksmith to decode your key ask for the key code. I provide the key code and explain what uses it has to all my customers with this issue. It is good info to have. If your door locks are bad but the ignition works you can order door locks that will be keyed to your ignition by the middle cuts and vice versa.

I can't remember if a 99 Taurus is a 8 or 10 wafer lock but either way the fact is the same, your ignition and doors/trunk use different parts of the key to function so you may not need to replace all the locks on you car. I noticed you didn't mention the ignition in you comments, how does that one work? You can order either the exterior locks or the ignition and you can order them to still work on your existing key or a clever lockie can make it work out in the end with little trouble if the locks are ordered right, or he just gets lucky with his stock.


Jason

[Ankhadia]

the only thing the key says is H75 USA. the ignition works just fine. its just the locks that i have a problem. dont know if that makes a difference or not.

[maxxed]

H75 means that it is an 8 cut key, it should not be too difficult to decode and cut factory specs I rarely ever have to do any lock rekeying / replacement after cutting a key to factory spec, even on cars from the early 80"s. I doubt that wear in the lock will be an issue.

[J-Hood]

H75 means that it is an 8 cut key, it should not be too difficult to decode and cut factory specs I rarely ever have to do any lock rekeying / replacement after cutting a key to factory spec, even on cars from the early 80"s. I doubt that wear in the lock will be an issue.

Again, I agree with the above comments and depending where you are it will cost $10-$20 and 15 minutes of your life and you are done. If by some rare chance the looks are messed up you can order locks that will work with your existing key through the locksmith that cuts the factory original for you.

Good luck

Jason

[Ankhadia]

i will go get one made soon and let you all know how it works

[savs2k]

replacing door locks on cars are fairly easy. if you have the whole day, depending on the car taking the window out will help you out alot but some cars you dont need to bother. THe ignition however is a pain in the butt. Older cars the ignition can be changed easily by itsself but newer cars the whole steering colum needs to be removed because newer style ignitions are stock on them. Big pain in the butt and you should only try it when they ignition key doesnt work at all anymore. I still dont suggest doing it yourself unless you know cars pretty well

[globallockytoo]

replacing door locks on cars are fairly easy. if you have the whole day, depending on the car taking the window out will help you out alot but some cars you dont need to bother. THe ignition however is a pain in the butt. Older cars the ignition can be changed easily by itsself but newer cars the whole steering colum needs to be removed because newer style ignitions are stock on them. Big pain in the butt and you should only try it when they ignition key doesnt work at all anymore. I still dont suggest doing it yourself unless you know cars pretty well

Not true. If you know what you are doing. More often, the ignition can be removed without dismantling the column.

In fact...it is rare to dismantle a column if you require to work on the cylinder.

[savs2k]

on the newer imports ex hondas the ignition is a long bar welded onto the steering colum so the whole thing needs to come out. I first noticed it working on a 2003 honda

[savs2k]

sorry i meant the ignition brackets are welded onto the colum

[TheSnakey]

hmmm not being an American im not sure what locks the put on fords over there but here they dont have standard keys.

they have keys like this:
http://www.remotekey.co.uk/images/ford-keys.jpg

[zeke79]

This may have already been mentioned but it's late here and I didnt want to read the whole thread (sorry, just lazy). What could be the case is that the key you are using now that operates the ignition and the driver's side door has been cut to compensate for the wear in those two locks since they are used the most. If this is the case then it is possible that this key will not operate the passenger side door as it rarely in most cases is used. This situation will cause your key to operate the worn locks but not the unworn passenger side lock without some wiggling and jiggling if it will work at all.

My suggestion is to take your key to a locksmith, explain the situation and have him or her cut a new key to factory specifications and see if it operates the passenger side door. If it does operate the door then you can save yourself a few bucks and simply use two keys or have him try making a few other keys each cut progressively off of factory specs until you find one that will operate the ignition and both doors as you can in most cases be half a cut off on depth and still operate the lock.

Of course, your best bet would be that if a key cut to factory specs operates the passenger side door but not the drivers or ignition, have the locksmith pull the drivers side door lock and the ignition and replace the worn wafers.

It sounds to me that what you are experiencing is the result of the locks that are used most are starting to show alot of wear or your key is a duplication that is off just enough to work in the worn locks but not a lock that has little to no wear or your key is showing alot of wear also. You may get lucky and a new key cut to factory code specs (not a duplication) will solve all of your problems. I just had a job on a 99 grand am that had no remote entry(which means the drivers side door lock has seen alot of use which has resulted in wear on the wafers) and the key required jiggling to operate both the drivers side door and the ignition. I cut a new key to factory specs expecting it to work in the passenger side but not on the drivers side door or the ignition. To my surprise, the key worked smoothly in all locks which according to Murphy's Law should not have been that easy. If a new code cut key operates all locks smoothly then have two or three new keys made and destroy your existing key that is giving you problems as if you continue to use it you will only cause more wear in the lock which in time will cause the new keys cut to factory specs to start giving you trouble. When requesting your new key, ask for the key to be laser cut as this will result in the absent of the small peaks left between the bitting surfaces and will reduce overall wear on the lock also.

DO NOT wait until your key no longer operates the ignition as if I recall correctly, on the H75 Taurus ignition you must be able to turn the lock to the "on" position to remove the ignition from the column. If your key will no longer operate the ignition then you are looking at more $$$ as the lock will have to be drilled to apply pressure to the sidebar to pick the lock to the on position for removal. This will just add billable time to the job.

Hope this helps out.