Soft dash - Central lock gremlins

Need help: out of the blue today my central locking system has stopped working.

My Rangie is one of the last Classic: soft dash built in early 1996

First thing I did, checked operating with the key...and nothing
Second, checked all the fuss under the steering wheel...and nothing


Any clues? Where else can I easily check?

I'm not 100% sure here but I think you might find the drivers door lock needs a new spring. This is the same sort of failure that is common on Discoveries, do a quick search for door spring replacement or something similar.

As far as I am aware, the central locking should not be affected by an alarm fault and it is therefore likely the problem is actually mechanical. Pop the door card off and look at the lock and the operating rods/actuators while trying to lock/unlock the car with the key. HTH

Agreed, look inside the door. Have a torch and mirror to hand, as there is a right horrible tangle of mechanism in there. May even just need lubricating if the key is too stiff to turn.