Dave , picked up that part today and went to install it , not the problem . ( There are a couple springs in that latch )
It seems there is some type of electric ( plastic) switch w / lever on the end of the key lock mechanism , which is broken / lever missing and the rod is just loose . This rod is attached to the rod for the door handle . I'll ry again tommorrow . Thanks for the part # and I'll take a pic if I get it fixed . I fixed the same problem on my pax door of my truck , and it took a while in the parts dept to find the # .

Rich

 

i have a 01 ford explorer sport the drivers side door handle is loose and the lock sometimes pops up with the key pad but if not i have to open it from the inside handle i dont know if i should replace the whole actuator or what some one please help

 

Dave had the same problem with my 98 eddie baurer explorer. I pissed around for about the last 6 months spraying wd40 and what not on it around it in it! my symptoms were first electrical seemed not to unlock then with a little help on the handle while pushing the button it would work then it got to where that did not help and then i broke the damn door handle.. got a new one and broke that one 2 days later ... got another one and then also got a new acutator that was a bear had to drill out the rivet and after 1 hour or so and an extra set of hands got it back together. still would not unlock seemed jammed up. then i too noticed a little spring in the bottom of the door. after alot of real up close looking and comparing to the passenger door it seems this spring indeed keeps up pressure on the lock throw inside the lock itself the spring hooks around a T shaped hook you can see this by looking in the lock recieving end you dont need to unscrew or dabble with anything it just takes patience. what i did was dissasemble the door cover to get to the inside and I took a new spring and unwound about 5 inches and straightened it then curved it slightly this is for threading it up through the top of the lock housing you will see a small hole in the top of the housing toward the inside of the door pass the spring from the latch side at the striker up through the hole clamp it with a small set vise grips. now leave about 6 coils of spring and straighten the other end that is dangling in the latch about 1 inch and put a tight curve on it this end is tricky and takes some doing but what you wanna do in short is to hook this end on the T bar i mentioned earlier once you get her hooked correctly then pull up on the inside till it lifts the rod and pull good tension on the spring and bend the spring to lock it on top of the housing and clip of the extra. this worked for me took about 2 hours and a little trial and error with the spring. make sure your spring is stout enough but small enough not obstruct the latch striker when mounted correctly you wont see the spring coils anymore just the hook end. sorry for being such a long winded post good luck!

 

What type of spring did you use and where can I buy it? (Home Depot, Lowes?)

 

Good thread DAB,

A question about my 2001. My issue with the drivers door is that my exterior handle has no return spring tension. The outside door handle just flops around. The effect of this is that when I'm in the truck and try to get out by pulling up on the interior handle, the door will frequently not open - sort of like the actual latching mechanism isn't letting go of the stud on the body panel. I'll have to kind of lean into the door with my shoulder to get it open.

Does this sound like the same issue that's addressed in this thread? Need to replace that whole part mechanism in your quote above?

Thanks,
CMOS

 

I fixed this by putting a spring in a different location. The spring you mention in the locking mechanism breaks at the "J" on the end. It's internal of the locking mechanism so there's no way to access it without removing the latch. Instead, pull door panel off and look up at the rod connected to the back of the door handle. You may need to remove the window guide channel in order to see this.( Only held in with one bolt). The base of this rod threads into a small yellow connecting block. Push upward on this rod, now while holding it up, try your door locks. If it works, now you know what you need to do. That rod has to be kept in a constant upward position in order for the remote locks to work. Get a spring and connect it to that rod then connect the other end of the spring to anything that will keep the rod suspended upward towards the door handle. Just make sure it isn't going to come in contact with any moving parts. This serves the same purpose as the broken latch spring, but you're just putting it in a different location. I was able to reuse the broken latch spring and just bent a new "J" at the broken end. IIRC I connected the spring somewhere behind the yellow plastic rod connector, and to a small hole in the corner of the latch housing. Free fix!! Has been working great for a year now.

--Lizard

 

Lizard,

My door lock have always worked on that door. It's the door release mechanism that seems to be the problem.

Is this the same fix as you mentioned?


CMOS

 

The fix I described is for the remote door lock operation. Symptoms are: all other doors, with the exception of the driver's door, will open normally with the remote transmitter or the door panel switch. Also, I couldn't unlock the driver's door with the key.

You may just have something binding in the latch "catches" or some mis-alignment issues with the striking post. Have you tried some good 'ol spray white lithium grease? Are your door hinges in good shape or is the door sagging? Open the door then lift up on the door from the bottom. Any worn hinges will be felt by excessive movement. I think the striker post can be adjusted a little to compensate for the door sag?? Not sure about your model.

 

I see. That's not the problem I have.

CMOS

 

I know nothing about springs. I was hoping the other poster could point me in the right direction but, since he didn't answer and you fixed the exact same problem, perhaps you can. Is there a particular spring I'm looking for (size, strength) and where can I pick one up?

 

So I went down to the hardware store today and started browsing springs. It's nice that they've got such a great supply except for the fact that I don't know which one I need. Unfortunately the spring that used to in the latch assembly is gone so I've got nothing to compare to.

So far 2 people have said that they've put new springs in successfully but aren't mentioning any details about size or anything. Perhaps someone could post a part #?

 

Easy! Thanks to previous posters for the info.

My spring--went to hardware store, asked for springs... found one about 2.75" long, 1/4" diameter. I stretched one end to make it about 3" long, probably didn't need to do this.

You don't need to remove the window bar, but you can if you want a better view.

I simply slipped one end of the spring into a opening in the black clip that holds the door lock in, then the other end around the very end of the bar that ends just below the lock... mine had the yellow plastic piece screwed on it as described by someone else. The end of the spring of course rests right up against this piece.

You may need to rotate the black lock clip to get a good spot for the spring, I rotated mine so it is oriented toward the outside edge of the door(on the driver's side door, like someone installed it by pushing it on the lock from the right to the left).

I actually took some great pics, but unfortunately I can't find the "Manage attachments" button (described on this site) below the message box for this purpose. Sorry.

 

I uploaded some pics to my profile (picture album) that show my spring and how it looks installed.

Also, if you care: at the top of one pic you can see the door latch and the original broken spring (the right side piece is turned 90 degrees, yours will likely be oriented differently. You can just barely see the end of the left side on the other side of the latch.)

Hope this helps!

 

Audell22. You showed, in several pictures, what I was trying to say with 2,000 words! LMAO. I tried to post some pics but I'm not very picture savvy. Now don't try to take credit for my write up! You've got the right idea with that spring. I routed mine a little differently, hooking it to a small hole near the edge of the latch housing. But anyplace that doesn't interfere with moving parts or window movement, is fine. The object is to keep that metal rod pushed upward at all times.
--Lizard

 

Lizard:

Your words resulted in my success--everything you said was right on target.

The key is just what you stated--"the object is to keep that metal bar pushed upward at all times." It takes very little pressure (spring tension really) to do it, too.

Thanks for all the info you provided!