i have a 1991 f-150 and the driver side power door lock quit working. i am getting 12v on the wire going to the actuator so i suppose the actuator is bad. can someone advise me on how to remove/replace the door lock actuator. thanks. johnjay28

 

The actuator is not to hard to replace, but very pricey. To replace it you need to pull the door panel. One screw in the pull and the rest is held on with christmas tree clips. You will probably want to get some more of these before you start. They strip out very easy. The actuator is mounted vertically in the rear lower corner of the door. To remove it you need to take a screwdriver and place it between the u-shaped mounting bracket and the actuator body. Slowly and gently twist the screwdriver to spread the bracket, when it is spread far enough to remove the actuator tip the actuator towards the front of the vehicle. The rod is hook shaped where it goes into the latch so you will have to lift the actuator past horizontal to slide it out of the latch. The actuator has two short rods on each side that go into holes in the bracket, so spreading the bracket will allow one side to pop out and then you can pull the other out. Like I mentioned be prepared to spend some money on the actuator if you can't find used. If you have any questions let me know. Hope this helps.
T. Roberts
UFD Local 1147

 

t. roberts
thank you for your quick response. with your help i will now be able to replace the actuator.
johnjay28.:P

 

You might wanta check eBay for an actuator. I've seen them there before, but you'll have to check for current applications. I need one for the side cargo door on my conversion van.


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http://easyad.net/images/94vanavitar.jpg http://www.easyad.net/images/mustang1.gif

'94 E-150 Conversion Van 4.9 / C-6 -- '89 Mustang LX 5.0

 

Before you go out and buy an actuator you should check the voltage ACROSS the actuator. Measuring from one wire to ground is not a good check for Ford power door locks or windows. Put your meter on both of the wires on the actuator when you check for voltage. This is the only way to properly check for proper voltage. The actuator does not have an internal ground. It is a reversing polarity type. One polarity makes it lock and by reversing the polarity it will unlock.

 

That thing was out of my budget so I yanked the thing out and put in a manual lock system, easy just replaced the **** on the top of the door panel and pulled the motor.

 

I located an actuator for 25.00 it had a shorter arm than the one for a 1991 f-150 i swapped the arms then i had problems installing the actuator in the U clamp, so i drilled out the rivet and installed the new actuator using a short bolt and a slim lock nut.thanks for all your help. john

 

For future reference if you have already fixed it what you can to is buy one of those cheap multi-use power lock kits. I found a kit for mine on ebay for 6 bucks total. Lasted 1 year already. You must be very careful to bend the rod for the exact length or else the lock will only go down 1/2 of the time. That happened to me, my drivers side rod was just a little to long and caused more play in the lock. The passenger side works great though. And for 6 bucks, I can buy alot of them instead of the 60 dollar ones from ford. However, you can tell these are inferior products, but get the job done. PITA trying to hold the actuator in place while screwing the thing into place with your hands down the door panel. Glad i have small arms.