Help with 97 Accord door lock

I had posted earlier that the lock on the car had broken off - and I
managed to replace it fine. But now, it seems, I can't open the car
door from the inside. I can't raise or lower the door lock, but when
I use the key to open or lock from the outside it seems fine.

I did notice that if I get a screwdriver and push the white latch(not
sure if this is the right name - the metal thing that grasps the
u-shaped piece on the inside of the car to lock the door) on the door
itself down, then I can pull/push the interior door lock (but then I
can't close door since the latch is now closed). If the latch is
open, I can't pull/push the interior door lock, but the door will
close.

Is there something that needs to be replaced or is something just not
lined up properly? I did have to take the interior door panel off to
attach the replace door lock because the rod inside the door wasn't
lining up with the hole - could this have something to do with it?

Thanks for the help and sorry if the terms I'm using are the wrong
ones.

 

The driver's door has an interlock so that when the door is open you can
not lock or unlock it. If you push in the latch (as you described) you
defeat this interlock, so so far everything seems normal.

With the door closed, can you lock and unlock it from the inside?

 

Hey Randolph, thanks for the help again!
So I thought the problem was when I closed the door I couldn't use the
new door lock I just put in. But now, I can never use that door lock
(not sure what happened, but now it never works).

That interlock (I think that's what it is) seems to be the key - when
I manually force it closed with a screwdriver or something, then the
door lock seems to work fine, but of course, now the door won't close.
If I leave it open and close the door, the keys work from the outside
to lock and unlock, but I the originaly problem happens - I can't use
the door lock.

Maybe the problem is the interlock now? Is it not resetting when I
close the door? Is the fact that the rod that the door lock is on,
doesn't line-up with the hole say anything?

Thanks for your help

 

When you manually close the latch, do you close it all the way? On my
car (Civic) you can push the latch in / down and it clicks into place.
Then you can continue to press it in even further and it clicks into a
second position. This second position is where it should be when the
door is properly closed.

When you did your open-door testing, was the latch in the first or
second position?

You can defeat the interlock by pulling out the inside door handle (the
one to open the door, not the lock/unlock knob) half-way. Worth playing
around with.

Perhaps the lock rod inside the door is dislocated and binds between the
sheet metal and the door lining when the door is closed?

I think you have to bite the bullet and tear off the door lining to see
what's going on in there. There is a plastic sheet glued to the door
frame behind the lining. If you need to get behind it I would recommend
heating the glue seam with a hair drier or a heat gun and then pull it
off slowly.

 

Hi, I didn't know about the "second position", so I tried doing that
and clicking it further and it looks like maybe that did the trick.

Of course, I did think it was fine before, until something happened
and it ceased to work, but so far it seems to be good to go (fingers
crossed)! Thanks!