Thanks everyone for the replies. I was hoping that doing this repair would keep me from having to buy them anyways in the future and keep from having to do the job twice. But i am cheap and think I am gonna take my chances and do the foil repair.

 

I used thin sheet copper.

 

For two of mine, I cut up a penny with tin snips. Right thickness.

The other two have foil.

However, I found some similar little motors, from the same manufacturer, in a surplus store the other day. The rotor shaft comes out of the wrong end to be a direct replacement, but if you pry apart the two little crimps, the brush housing and thermistor inside are identical!

I have all but the rotor as factory spare parts! Likely I'll never use them, but if those brushes finally wear out, I've gottem'!

I think they cost me around a buck apiece.

Pop

 

Yea it's cheaper than a penny (just kidding). I used tin foil crammed in the wafer slot and it was quick and easy. (a long time ago).

 

Thanks Kalsc,

I've had problems with those door locks for ten years now! I got tired of buying new ones, and having to replace them! I took the driver door out earlier today, and within thirty had it fixed and working! Wish I had seen this ten years ago, and I would be about $400.00 ahead!

Thanks again,
Stacy

 

Been trying to get this done.... Can't for the life of me get the electrical connectors off... Any tips?

 

I don't understand what you mean when you say electrical connectors! Are you referring to the plugs coming from the truck?

 

Yea, what connectors?

 

The connectors going into the actuators... They are on the blind side of the actuator and I cant get them unplugged... Messed around for about an hour, and had to go so put it all back together....

 

I am so happy that this forum is out there. This fix saved me a ton of money by not putting my 2000 excursion in the shop. Not sure if anyone mentioned it before, but instead of trying to force the foil between the connections, I took the resistor out and wrapped it in foil. It works great and now all my locks work. Thank you!

 

ok, this sound s like a great fix, gonna try tomorrow, will check back in with results....but I m sure im breaking something.....wish me luck!!

 

.....man took me 5 loose hours, but I also had plumbers here flushing my system, I ate lunch, so maybe 2.5 to 3 hrs. probably take an hour next time

anyway...it works! although my drivers side started acting up, I think it was because I had the door open for 5 hrs, gonna take it for a spin today, recharge the system

I removed outer/inner door handles, door latch, pried just enough to take the motor out, cut a penny to size, zip tied everything back and it works nice

Thanks!!

 

Hi all,

The back hatch on my 2001 Escape started not opening/locking last week. It finally stopped altogether on Saturday. A quick search via my cellphone found this thread, and I got to work!

Hardest part was figuring out how to dissassemble the door without breaking it, and the first set of instructions fail to convey that you need to extract the motor from the actuator's housing, open its plastic cap (I did it by having my kid hold it with pliers and then bent the two little tabs out of the way - the housing came right off. HINT: Use a Sharpie to mark ONE side of the plastic cap,as it has to go back in the same position it was, otherwise you end up reversing its operation: lock on open, open on lock, which would be bad). The piece you need to make conductive again is a little semi-metallic rectangle, vertically separating two copper electrodes, *inside* the white plastic motor cap. That is the thing you have to wrap in foil to restore conductivity. All in all, it took me about 2 hours, cost me 1 little foil square and a screwdriver stab to my finger, and ended up saving me about $500, which is about what the local Ford stealership wanted to charge me for fixing it.

I sincerely thank the OP for this invaluable information, and hope my little contribution will help the next person lookign for how to fix this.

 

Hello all you amazing Ford Dudes!

My front passenger door stopped working as well, but my hubby and I didn't know about this fix then. After we spent $51.99 at Napa and installed it, both my back two passenger doors locks stopped working. So hubby did some research and found this nifty fix and voila, both passenger doors work again and we have an extra right side actuator.

Gotta love this site!

 

I've got 3 doors done, bruised up my arm good wrestling with the passenger rear so I'll get to the drivers rear after it heals a bit.

I cut up a penny with snips to replace the stock PTC.

I got the above 576-60R030XU but from digikey, they had usps shipping cheaper. I got those at .3A and then some .4A, 10 each plus shipping for like $10.

On each door I first swapped out the stock PTC with parts of good 'ol Abe and saw it all work. Then I just grabbed the bundle as it makes it turn from the vertical to horizontal headed to the front of the door right by one of the big access holes in the door and soldered the PTC inline there. Took a razor blade to the tape on the bunde about 3-4" downstream (away from the front of the door) from where the door light forks off (on the front doors of course), I then heat shrink'd the individual leads, then wrapped the bundle back up with electrical tape.

I now get 3 maybe 4 quick cycles on the locks before it gives up. Takes 10 seconds or so before it will work strong again. I have 4 kids, was no way I was going to leave them unprotected. I used the .3A.

Sure is nice having locks that work, I wont miss finding random doors locked/unlocked once I finish the drivers rear door.