Rear door locks won't function electronically

nelliott500

nelliott500

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Did some quick searching, but I get a ton of results that have nothing to do with my issue. Just bought the car today, but didn't notice this issue until I got it home. Both of the rear doors will not lock or unlock with the driver's door switch or the remote entry. My first thought is failing actuators, but I'd like some more insight before I dig into the doors. When unlocking, the locks twitch a bit and look like they try to open, but they only move a little bit and it's not enough to open the door. Same goes for locking.
 
The lock motor (actuator) is inside the door latch assembly. You may be able to clean them out and relubricate them to get them working correctly.
 
I'll give that a shot this weekend.

Anything I need to know before tearing into the door? I assume the panel is just held on by clips like a standard door panel? I replaced both power window motors in my '99 Camaro and I replaced the driver's motor in my '94 Lumina Z34 so I'm quite familiar with doors at this point.

I was hoping to find an online repair manual for the car.
 
I had to replace my rear driver in my 03. I bought a used one from an 05 and is way quieter then my others. I'm thinking about getting the rest of them if still available lol. Mine had I believe 5 screws. on the bottom, 1 on the side and 2 under a cover behind the handle.
 
Don't mean to thread jack but I just ran into a similar problem about a month ago. One of my rear doors does the same as you described, and I googled the issue and found that its most likely the actuator. The other door on the other hand has me stumped, so the lock on the inside is unlocked but the door won't open, I hit the lock/unlock and I can hear it move but the door won't open. So I cant open the door to take the door panel off. I searched for a solution and the only thing I found was that someone just cut the panel open, and I don't want to do that. Any input is appreciated.
 
HighRule said:
I had to replace my rear driver in my 03. I bought a used one from an 05 and is way quieter then my others. I'm thinking about getting the rest of them if still available lol. Mine had I believe 5 screws. on the bottom, 1 on the side and 2 under a cover behind the handle.
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Thanks for the info.
 
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=25687&highlight=Door+Handle

i know its technically not just what u need(or the right door)...but definatly a good lil walkthrough with pics on how to take apart a door on the ls

and i agree with a previous statement. clean it (i used a air compressor) and lube it (wd40 works well for a while...but there may be a btr grease u can use that wont dirty/dry out so quickly)
 
nelliott500 said:
Did some quick searching, but I get a ton of results that have nothing to do with my issue. Just bought the car today, but didn't notice this issue until I got it home. Both of the rear doors will not lock or unlock with the driver's door switch or the remote entry. My first thought is failing actuators, but I'd like some more insight before I dig into the doors. When unlocking, the locks twitch a bit and look like they try to open, but they only move a little bit and it's not enough to open the door. Same goes for locking.
Click to expand...

joegr said:
The lock motor (actuator) is inside the door latch assembly. You may be able to clean them out and relubricate them to get them working correctly.
Click to expand...


Mine did that a while ago. I tried lubing and re-seating the plug. It didn't help and the only solution was to replace the actuator.
 
Looks like the locks worked a couple times this morning, but went back to not working again. I think they may just need a good greasing.
 
nelliott500 said:
Looks like the locks worked a couple times this morning, but went back to not working again. I think they may just need a good greasing.
Click to expand...

See my post above. You will most likely need new actuators to cure the issue.
 
LS4me said:
See my post above. You will most likely need new actuators to cure the issue.
Click to expand...

Still, there's little harm in trying cleaning and lubing first. This has worked for some people.
 
LS4me said:
Yep. That's where I bought mine. Be forewarned....They aren't cheap by any means!
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Try getting a used one first. That's what I did and it only cost me $35 shipped. It worked without any problems.

Do a seacrh on ebay of damaged LS' being parted and look at the user name. It's normally the name of the company you can google and get a contact number to call and see if they have one they can sale. I did that for mine and I'm going to call tomorrow for seat covers. armrest and a LSE Grille by searching that way.
 
the problem with a used one is that you dont know how close it is to failing. it may last years, or it may last days (hell it may not even work at all)

whenever possible, i try to use new quality parts as to minimize the chances of having to go back in just to fix it all over again.
 
I have had to replace 3 out of 4 lock actuators on my LS..... Rear doors went first.
 
Has anyone had this problem with the driver door ? Mine is locked shut. I've tried the key fob and manually with the key itself. My bigger problem is, how the heck do I get it open to remove the door panel?
 
ShortCircutLS said:
Has anyone had this problem with the driver door ? Mine is locked shut. I've tried the key fob and manually with the key itself. My bigger problem is, how the heck do I get it open to remove the door panel?
Click to expand...

Can you open it by flipping the lock from the inside?
 
You can probably go to a mechanic and they can pop the lock like you would do if you locked your keys in your car. Does the lock switch move at all when you manually try to unlock? Or is it just stuck solid? If it's stuck, something's probably jammed up in the latch.
 
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