Ok, so today I press the unlock button on my remote keyless entry and the cab light comes on but the door didn't unlock, so I pressed it again and noticed the passenger side door unlocked and it seemed like the drivers side door tried to unlock, it made a noise and the lock bumped up a little then went down, so I used my key to unlock the door then started the truck up thinking maybe the battery was low but it wosent, after starting the truck I tried the lock and unlock buttons on the armrest on the door and the passenger side is fine but the drivers side doesn't want to unlock. Any suggestions on how to go about fixing this and what the problem is? it seems to lock just fine but wont unlock. Thanks

 

My Explorer does the same thing. It's the door lock actuator. It's frozen up. I just unhooked mine because the Explorer is for sale. But you can replace them with one from a salvage yard fairly cheap.

 

same thing happened to my passenger side door on my 99 F150 4x4. it isnt really to hard to get the door panel off but it is a little tricky getting the actuator out. there have been a couple post on here on how exactly to do it. But since they took the search option away they may be harder to find.

 

My '99 has the same problem. I've been told it's a common problem with these years. If you're going to replace the actuator, your best bet is to buy a new one instead of used. (You're going to have the same problem again.) I've found new ones on the net for $32.00.

 

Cool, thanks for the info, thanks to monster guarage I know what an actuator is.... 415dave where did you find them I would like to buy a new one and get this fixed asap. Thanks

 

Mine did the same thing, but you might want to try this before you buy anything. Take the switches off of the door and give them a good cleaning. I did that and the lock is working fine. I have to replace the passenger side and that should be fun.

 

The website is www.partsgalaxy.com. The price has gone up to $40.16 since I looked them up in February, but its still cheaper than the dealer.

 

I just fixed my passenger side lock actuation motor last night. Cost was zero except for my labor. There is a small thermal overload wafer in the plastic portion of the motor that sits between one contact where the brushes are. I pulled that out and put a piece of copper the same size in it's place. The other thing I did, was to squirt carb cleaner to clean the brushes let it dry and that was it.

Here's the link to tell you how to do it yourself.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...+lock+actuator+

 

Once you get the actuator module out you can take the module apart by carefully drilling out the two rivets on the end of the module with an 1/8" bit. Don't harm the casing when drilling out the rivets. You need these hole to assemble the unit after repair.

Lay the module on a news paper on a bench or kitchen table with the wiring connector facing up and pry the top cover off working slowlyand evenly around the perimeter. If the motor stays with the top cover, just pull it away from the cover. It connects like a plug to recpticle.

If you look at the motor, you will see the case is two different materials. Metal and plastic. On the side of the plastic case you will see two channels where the metal case connects to the plastic portion. There are two metal tabs that secure the two sections of the case together. You need to pry these tabs outward with an awl or small flathead screwdriver. Once these tabs are bent out you can slide the two cases apart.

The plastic housing contains the brush assembly and the thermal overload. The overload is a small wafer like piece of metal that slides in a channel in the plastic case, on the side of one of the brush contacts. Its about 1/2" x 1/4" x 1/16". This wafer can be pryed up and out of the case. This componet is the weakest link in the motor.

Once You have this removed you have two options. Either go to a good electronic supply store and see if they have a replacement thermal overload that will fit, or make a copper jumper of the same size of the overload and insert it in the channel that the overload came out of (Note: By doing the latter, you remove the thermal protection of the motor).

Take some carb cleaner or brake cleaner and spray the armature that the brushes ride on, and the entire plastic case and brush assembly. Blow on it to remove most of the cleaner, then sit it aside to let it dry completely. Now your ready for assembly.

If you look at the closed end of the plastic case, you will see two slots. These are for spreading the brushes apart to allow you to slide the armature back into the end bushing when you reassemble the motor. Two paper clips inserted in the slots will alow you to spread the brushes apart and push the two cases together. Once you have the two halves together you will bend the tabs back down to hold the cases together.

Now take the motor and install it back in the lower case of the actuator module. Make sure the wiring recepticle of the motor is facing up and that all the gears are meshed and set in the inserts in the lower case. Place the top coer on starting at the motor end and align the pins in the lower casing to the two holes in the upper cover near the motor. Press down then start working your way around the upper case aligning the rest of the pins with the holes. The upper cover will somewhat snap into place and mesh with the lower case.

Now you will need to secure the cover to the case. A wire tie or electrical tape wrapped tightly around the entire casing or both, will work on the motor end of the actuator module. Make sure you dont wrap the tape around the section where the actuation arm slides in the groove. On the opposite end you'll need to use either 1/2 or 3/4" x # 4 bolts and nuts or re-rivet the holes where the old rivets were.

Hook up the actuator to the electrical connector at the door and reinstall the switch connector and test it out before installing it into the latch assembly. It should work like a charm.