power locks

[ralphwiggum]

Hi,
My power locks work with the exception of the passenger's side: it will lock the doors but not unlock them. Any suggestions as to what needs to be replaced or just what to do? Thanks!:redexp:

 

[Telford Weister]

The most likely candidate is the passenger side lock switch. Since it works in one direction, the soleniod unit is probably OK. The door lock switch and the window switch are separate parts, just mounted to a common frame. Check out any good reference book (Haynes, Chiltons, etc.) for removal and disassembly instructions. It should be fairly simple, requiring only the proper screwdrivers. Clean all the contacts good while you have it apart (a pencil eraser works surprisingly well, as I learned from 22 years of electronic repair work in the Navy).

 

[ralphwiggum]

thanks telford

thanks Telford, I'll give it a try

 

[Robb]

while in there, dielectric grease will help.

Robb

 

[03ExplorerSPT]

Thats funny. Mine just started doing the same thing about 2-3 weeks ago. I think it works fine now. I didn't do anything to it.

 

[icon34]

Mine on the drivers side was doing the same thing. If it is working intermittently then it could be a short in the wiring which can be a pain to find.

 

[sideswipe]

It could be the door lock actuator.

 

[aldive]

My right rear door has a mind of its own; sometimes it will unlock, sometimes it won;t. It always locks.

 

[tcbarney]

Bump

Been searching, but so far haven't found a situation that exactly addresses mine...

The driver's side back door has started to not unlock. Intermittent but getting worse.

The thing is, when it does it, even manually yanking up (and down and up) on the lock stem doesn't unlock it.

Would an actuator going bad cause it to bind such that a fair amount of force on the lock stem wouldn't unlock it?

Or can I expect to find something else gone wrong when I open it up?

Am out of town, but the wife was just giving me hell on the phone - took the kids to the grocery store in the rain, and then couldn't get the durn door open. Then wrenched her back having to twist around from the front seat to buckle one of the kids in his car seat on that side.

Gotta fix this thing as soon as I get home or I'm probably looking at a new car payment!

TIA!

 

[Robb]

tcbarney
It is prolly your switch itself. My 96 has been doing the same thing since I bought it. Sometimes it won't work til I hit it like 20 times. I tore apart that whole switch assembly on my 95 (window problem), and found that a lot of dirt and gunk had collected in there over the years. I would believe that our intermitent unlock problem is prolly just a dirty switch.

Robb

 

[tenikiwon]

What exactally are you cleaning. My LR door's window control makes the window go down but not up. From the drivers seat it works fine. Sounds a bit dirty from what you guys are saying.

 

[tcbarney]

But a bad switch would mean you couldn't unlock it manually, too?

When I hit the unlock button (any - driver's door, hatch area, or key fob) things go "chunk" but the rear door doesn't unlock. I reach around, grab the stem and yank - and it doesn't move.

I just don't know how these things are put together. Guess I'll find out when I take it apart. It just doesn't seem like an electrical problem - unless, say, when the actuator fails closed, it's strong enough to keep you from manually pulling the stem up.

 

[tenikiwon]

Shouldn't. but you never know.
I swapped my door handle but didn't look at what the lock manual pull was connected to. It might be possible that someone was holding the handle while unlocking. I think that could mess something up. Thats what broke my door handle