Well I took my door apart assuming I had to do an actuator (97 4dr). I found that the part that goes from the key cylinder to the door lock was broken so I removed that.

But now when I use the lock button it locks all the doors, when I hit unlock, it doesnt fully open the drivers door requiring me to use the inside door handle.

Does this mean my actuator is finally shot or is there a travel adjustment on it?

That said, I don't see how to install a new actuator (its covered by the window frame? Any hints there, or how to install the pin that goes from the key cylinder to the locking mechanism?

Thanks...my wife is gonna kill me if I dont fix it soon.

It sounds like either the latch itself or the actuator is bad (both can go bad). To remove the actuator, you will need to remove the window track. Its only one bolt and the track will slide right out. There should be two screws in the lower part of the latch side of the door that hold the actuator in place. After these two screws are out, disconnect the linkage and remove. If the door key locks and unlocks the door easily with the actuator disconnected, its probably a bad actuator. If it is still stiff, you probably have a bad latch mechanism.

Same kind of problem.

I can't unlock my drivers side door. If I lock my doors when I try to unlock them the drivers side door doesn't unlock. It jumps a little when I hit the unlock but doesn't pop up. It doesn't matter if I try to unlock from the key fob or the unlock button on the passenger side. Now if I get in the passenger side and pull on the door handle on the drivers side and then let go and hit the unlock the door unlocks most times.

Anybody know what is wrong here?

Mikeh

i have the exact same problem just started about 2 days ago. i was thinking about taking it to the dealership on friday. anyone know what this could be??

Here is a thread that explains this problem. I fixed it last night and will post the fix in the other thread.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113217&highlight=door+lock

MikeH