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Weird Power Lock Question

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  azure 
#1 ·
Hi, quick question if anyone has any ideas...I have read through a number of the threads on this forum about failing power locks, and I have the same issue. None of the locks work on my 99 Sable, although they all "try" to work; the actuator motors whirr, and the locks push up and down a little bit, but don't do the trick. The relays sound like they're working fine, and all fuses are in order.

I was going to order a new door lock actuator and try to put it in and see what happens (even though I thought it was strange that all four actuators went) but my wife made a good point: When I start driving the car, and the doors try to "auto-lock" as they always do when you start driving, even though the doors only "try" to lock, and don't actually lock (as would be expected), but for some reason the rear passenger lock actually locks.

In other words, while none of the locks actually lock or unlock by pressing the buttons, one of the doors DOES lock when the car does it automatically while driving.

Anybody have any idea why this would be???

Or any general advice for me? Should I try to replace one of the actuators and see what happens (not too experienced with this kind of thing)

Thanks!
 
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#3 ·
If they're trying to move, then yes, I think the actuators are okay. But probably clogged. I had issues with another Ford vehicle. Took a lot of oomph, WD-40, and some patience, but I got it working again.
 
#4 ·
Yes,

I had the same problem when I bought my '99 Taurus used. Well, the driver door worked and the front passenger side worked occasionally.

Previous owner said there had been an unsuccessful attempt at fix by mechanic.

I found an article that described how to fix. It is located here.
This person had a truck, so the door panel dismantling is a bit different, but the lock stuff is the same.

Power Door Locks FIXED!!!! - Page 26 - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

I was able to get them all to work without buying any parts or spending any $$$. They worked great for the 5 years I had the car.

I used a very small bit to drill out the rivets and replaced with screws.

Hope this helps.
 
#5 ·
Hey thanks everyone for your assistance! I finally took one of the actuators out of the door, and took it apart, and interestingly, the problem that it had was not one that I had seen anyone else in the threads discussing. I tested the motor and it worked fine; the problem was that when the gears attempted to move the fan-shaped "hand" that actually pops the lock open, they physically were not meshing properly. It's surprising, but somehow the mechanical aspect of the actuator was no longer functioning properly which I definitely did not expect to see. I'm curious to see what the state of the other actuators will be when I get to them...

So I put in a new actuator, and it worked, but the problem is that while I was prying the old one apart from the lock assembly I guess I must have bent the lock assembly slightly, and now it doesn't "hold" the actuator snugly in place anymore. They fell apart several times, and I probably should have taped them together, but foolishly I didn't and now the lock stopped working, so apparently they fell apart again inside the door. Annoying. Guess I have to open it up again and tape them together.
 
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