I can live with manual windows but manual locks are extremely annoying to me, especially since Ford decided to make the lock rods flush when locked, so you have to open the door to unlock the stupid things.

Anyway, anybody ever buy one of these universal kits and install it on a truck with manual locks?

Just want to make sure that there is nothing unusual in the lock design on a Ranger that prevents the aftermarket lock solenoids from working.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-R...v&vxp=mtr#rwid

 

I've never done it on a ranger but did on my old ramcharger. It took alot of tinkering to get it to work properly and the door remotes only worked from about 2 feet away. Plus I still didn't have buttons on the door itself. Overall it was junk and a waste of time. I would really recommend hitting up the junkyard and getting the factory parts. It'll take longer to find everything and cost more overall but you get what you pay for, especially with electronics. That "kit" will probably be broke within a few months.

 

Go to wrecking yard and find longer plastic screw on lock *****/handles that fit, so they can be pulled up without opening the door.


Yes, the 3rd party power lock kits can work but can also be a pain unless someone else has used the same kit on same Ranger and can give you advice on it.
I haven't so no help on that part

 

When window is up u have to open the door anyway to pull them up

 

Can OEM Power Lock Solenoids be made to work with After Market Controllers ?

That might be a good option if a can-do !
Then I guess you would need to locate a kit for the control system.

 

I did remote entry on my ranger a couple years back. Believe me when I tell you it's not nearly as difficult as some people lead you to believe.

I used an Avital 2101. Which I believe you can get on amazon for about $40.


Pick up two door actuators. Get the best you can find. Decent reviews:



If you have EVER done any type of wiring via a car stereo or anything like that, adding LEDS..etc. This is not a hard thing to wire. It is going to be more time consuming if it's your first time. It took me a weekend but it's because I'm very ocd on certain things in terms of running wires and connections plus wanted to make sure I didn't have to "go back and fix/redo" things.

I have a thread over at the 12vforum asking specifically about doing this to a ranger. I utilized a progressive lock feature for the truck. This means I push my key fob once and it unlocks the driver's door. Push it again and it unlocks the passenger side. This requires an additional relay to do said function. Out of the box as it is, when you unlock the vehicle it will unlock both doors at the same time. Since I am really the only one driving I didn't want both doors to unlock.

Mounting the actuators is not difficult, you just line it up on the outside and then you can mimic the position inside the door panels. You will have to cut a small square or circle right below the door look pin so you can attach the actuator arm clamp to the stock pull rod.

I dragged my feet when I bought this ONLY because everyone was saying it was a nightmare to add power locks to a ranger if you didn't have them... it's not. Knowing what I know now, I would have installed these at the time when I did my sound deadening in the truck since I had everything apart, door panels, carpet, pillars...etc. I in essence did double the work of taking stuff apart twice and actually it was a little bit MORE of a pain because I know had sound deadening material that I had to peel away and get under. I would rank the install a 2-3 out of 10. Compared to many things this is not hard.

As it sits now with the Avital when I unlock the truc, the dome lights turn on. This also includes the rear cargo light to provide outside illumination (if you have a cargo light), this was nice that I just recently wired up thinking previously I wouldn't' want it. I have it connected to the horn so I have panic mode, and also it will honk if I want to unlock/lock by pushing another button. It is also wired to the parking lights so that when you lock/unlock they flash to also show visual/confirm something was done.

When I turn the truck on, about 5 seconds later both doors lock. This can be disabled if you do not want that function. To the same point you can also have it unlock both doors when you turn off the ignition. I disabled this since when you open the door it automatically unlocks. I didn't see a need for this.

I have no junk yards around me so going OEM was not only impossible but would have cost way more. I don't need lock/unlock buttons in the truck but having remote entry was worth it to me. I already had two door lock actuators from WAY back when I used to work at BBY, God knows why I even had them honestly? But total cost for me doing keyless entry was about $40 because of the cost of the Avital and my time. I already have wire, connectors, relays...etc. I do other stuff when it comes to modding/wiring projects so this is just common items that I don't consider the cost of since it's used with other projects.

Found the 12v thread:
https://www.the12volt.com/installbay...asp?tid=139706

Hope that helps.

EDIT: I will note, stay away from the cheap eBay type of kits you posted. It's not worth it when there is a problem and the lack of support. I choose Avital because it's by Directed Electronics who also make Viper and other alarms..etc. They are a brand that has been around a long time and there is actual support/forums/information you can look up. Going with a generic kit might work but to be honest it's not something you want to go back and have to redo because something fried or broke and you have to take things out/modify...

Edit 2: Wanted to note about range. The range on my Avital is at least a few hundred feet away. I am in a parking garage at work and when I get off the elevator I have to walk all the way across the entire parking garage floor. I can unlock my truck getting out of the elevator and the truck chirps/lights flash. It then takes me at least a minute to walk to my truck. I've never had issues with the system not working or any issues with range at all. My wife also has an Avital remote start on her Toyota and the same applies, it's at least a couple hundred feet. I've done the same test but used her remote start and the same thing works.


-Nigel

 

Very nice write up NewShockerGuy