98 Sport, driver door lock jamming. HELP!

Having a problem with the drivers side door, when I lock it will not open from the outside key lock. When I try to unlock it from the key lock , it unlocks the passenger side door. In order to unlock the door I have to pull on the inside handle while pulling on the lock button and alternately press the unlock button. after several tries it will unlock. I especially do not understand the feed back from the outside key lock that unlocks the passenger door. I would guess that the main problem is wear in the linkage to the locking mech. Any help would be appreciated.

Reply to
Cosmo
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It sounds like your lock actuator might be sticking. This is a common problem in Fox mustangs. In mine, the actuator was seized up and the door just wouldn't unlock. I drilled out the rivet holding the actuator to the door so now I can lock/unlock the door with the key. No power locks until I replace the actuator though. If I were you I'd try to find out where the actuator attaches to the door and get it free from the door. Then see if the lock turns easily with the key. If it does, its a seized actuator that you need to replace.

Hope this helps, Dave Earle

Reply to
David Earle

Thanks for the information Dave, I will take a look at it. The thing I am having trouble with is that when the left door won't open, ( it will raise the unlock button a little ) it unlocks the right door???

Again Thanks

Reply to
Cosmo

Same thing happened on my '98 Mountaineer last year. It was a bent arm in the linkage. I don't remember the cost but it seemed high.

Reply to
Jim Tiberio

But how did you get at the actuator to drill it out? My explorer has the same problem on the front passenger door... but it's tight quarters to get the interior panel off to get a look at it, and I can't get the door unlocked to open it...

Reply to
Robert A. Matern

I haven't encountered this problem on my Explorer yet so I'm not sure where the actuator is located. On my mustang, there is a rivet that held the actuator to the side of the door (the side that disappears when you close the door). This will be a problem if you can't get the door open. Since the lock in the Explorer is in the same location, (near the end of the door) I would think that the actuator would have to be located directly underneath it so its probably attached to the door somehow, although you may not be able to tell by looking at the outside of the door.

There's got to be a way to jimmy the door open even if the actuator is stuck. Maybe someone else has some ideas on how to open the door. I would look at the linkage connected to the interior handle to see if there's a way to release the door. Then you would have more room to take the panel off and disconnect the actuator.

Dave

Reply to
David Earle

I thought I would let everyone know that the door lock problem was a linkage problem. The linkage that is attached from the door opener had dropped down due to wear on the outside door handle and was binding. If I held the linkage up with my hand the door lock would operate normally. The linkage that comes from the outside door handle is threaded at the bottom, but I could not find a way to adjust it. I made the repair by using a piece of hose clamp. I bent the hose clamp into a 1-1/4" Z shaped sprng ( each section of the spring is approx

1-1/4") and placed the top part of the Z whitch is V shaped behind a flange that is welded onto the crash bar that is inside of the door. The remaining part of the spring went under the outside door handle linkage to hold the linkage up. The part of the spring that goes under the linkage has its sides bent up to form a track so the linkage cannot slip off of the spring.

Thanks for all of the help

Reply to
Cosmo

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