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1997 Power locks Question

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Old Oct 2, 2023 | 08:58 PM
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1997 Power locks Question

My 1997 f150 power locks have been giving me trouble for years. The unlock button on the passenger side stopped working a few years ago and now both drivers and passeger side unlock do not work but lock works every time. I had the door panels off so I took a test light to the wiring harness that goes to the actuator on each door. I found on both left and right the pink wire lights up when you hit either lock or unlock and the orange wire only lights up when you hit unlock. Is this normal for pink to get power for lock and unlock and I just need new actuators or do I have something faulty in in the wiring that gives the pink wire power when it shouldn't. Thank you
 
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Old Oct 3, 2023 | 07:18 AM
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A test light will give you confusing indications when testing the lock actuators unless you connect it between the two motor terminals. If you connect one lead to ground and then the other to a test point, it will only read correctly half the time.

The lock actuators are DC motors. The GEM module applies positive-negative to move the actuator in one direction and then reverses polarity to move in the opposite direction. Forget which is which.



 
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Old Oct 4, 2023 | 10:01 PM
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I will try using the test light between the motor terminals and harness. Any other advice on diagnosing is appreciated.
 
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Old Feb 10, 2025 | 05:28 PM
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Solved

Solved. Power locks working again. I was getting funny values testing the drivers side switch back probing with a multi meter. Swapped in a known good switch and locks work perfectly from both switches now.
 
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