I finally replaced the power door lock actuator on my 90 XLT. I have seen a lot of posts about this, and since this was my first one, I'll tell you how I did it so maybe you can save yourself some of the grief that I went through. The worst part of this is that you are fixing something that you cannot actually see, and barely feel. But even so, it's not too bad. Ok, first of all, take off the door panel. The actuator is on the lower left hand side. It is held on by a bracket that is riveted onto the side of the door. Do not remove the rivet!! This was my first impulse, but it is not necessary. The actuator snaps into the plastic bracket that is held on by the rivet. If you have a used actuator still in the bracket, it is helpful because you can see and feel how it is held on. If not, here is what it is like: the actuator has two small "arms" which have rubber doughnuts on them, about 3/8" in diameter. These snap into the plastic bracket. The openings on the bracket point down. That is very important, since you have to know which way to push the actuator to get it out because you can't see it. What I did was to put my right arm in the second hole from the bottom of the sheet metal, get a good hold on the actuator, and push hard, and it came out. It took a few tries. Then just slide the rod out of the hole, and pull the actuator out. Unplug the connector and you are ready for the new one to go in. On mine, one of the rubber doughnuts stayed in the bracket, and it is very annoying trying to get it out because the bracket turns around once the actuator is out. So try to avoid this. Now, before putting the new one in, grease the "threads" on the bottom of the rod, or it will probably squeak when you hit the button. I had to grease mine after the fact, so do this first. Unscrew the rod to make it as long as possible before putting it into the door, so it will hang low enough to get under the bracket. Then, plug in the connector, and make sure you have the wire routed on the inside of the rod that goes to the door handle. The tricky part now is to get the rod into the hole. But, if you feel around while moving the lock up and down, you can find where this is, and best of all if you put your eye in the right spot, you can actually see it and get the rod right in. At this point, the actuator will be hanging by the rod, and will be plugged in. You just have to get it into the bracket. I had no trouble getting the doughnuts up into the bracket, so I was done! Tested the lock, and put on the door panel. I have been having fun all day watching it go up and down after all this time, and tending to the scratches on my arm. Hope this helps someone!

 

PS - left and right directions refer to the driver's side, it would be reversed on the passenger side. Didn't want to confuse anyone.

 

PPS - the wire gets routed to the outside of the rod that goes to the door handle, in other words towards the outside of the truck. If you try to put it towards the inside, the rod will prevent the wire from moving enough to get the actuator lined up. But you will figure this out anyway if you try it...

 

where in the world did you find the actuator motor?????????????

 

I got it from R&J Truck Parts in Odessa, Texas. I don't recall their phone number but I posted a thread about them, it was called "A good source for used parts." If you look back in the past threads you will find it, and the number. They are real nice people, I ordered one used actuator and he sent me two!

 

Go to http://www.randjtruckparts.com

 

Hey JBronco. Now I see how you know so much about Bronco door locks -first hand experience. You gave me advice on door locks on my new 95 Bronco in another thread. I've been reviewing the group posts page by page to learn about my truck (I'm up to page 11). I printed your article, and plan on tackling my lock and tailgate problems this weekend. Thanks. Michael Wampler

 

All I can say is that I wouldn't begin to tackle this. I don't even understand the terminology. It would take me countless hours, so I'd have the dealer mechanics deal with it.

 

Leland, it's actually easy. If the actuator was staring you in the face the replacement would take about 60 seconds. It is only hard because it is hard to get to.