$576 for a door lock actuator? Help !!

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Chooch

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I'm hoping someone out there can provide some rational help for me about one of the most RubeGoldberg pieces of design/engineering I have ever seen. (And I say this after owning 7 Italian cars.)

My 2000 LS driver's side door lock actuator went tango uniform on me. My key fob locks and unlocks the other three doors, but I have to do the driver's by hand. VERY annoying in a rainstorm.

Dealer was embarrassed to tell me that when he went to order the part, he was informed you cannot buy an actuator. You have to buy the entire door guts, a single unit that includes even the speakers!! to get a new actuator.

Price is $576.07 plus labor. [Part number is 1W4Z 54203A29 AC]

1. Is this true?
2. Is there an alternative?
3. Is there a workaround?

Sure would appreciate your collective brainpower.

Have 100K on this great car. Other than an alternator failure at 80K, this has been remarkably reliable.

Thank you for any help.

PS My other vehicle is a Bonneville. Triumph Bonneville. Any other two wheelers out there?
 
Wow, yet another reason to put in my hat to teach me never to buy a limited production type car, i. e. buy the generics. Why do I keep buying cars that only brand X has the parts for?

I have not owned my LS long enough to get this problem so I am working off past experience and postings on similar problems in different cars, including some Fords. I am a hobby mechanic, so not an expert...


Wild guessing is that I recall hearing that the computer that controls your keyless entry is in the driver door. This being the case, I would expect your old key fob to still control the entry but why it doesn't open this one door beats me, unless Ford really Rube'd it by coding even the actuators to the computer. Surely it can't be, I would think it would be too expensive to carry different coded actuators, unless it gets them $576.07 plus labor. Most actuators are simple solenoid driven mechanical devices and don't have any "intelligence", it would seem odd if they did.

Dealers always like to replace entire assemblies since it fits their "remove and replace until fixed" mind set. So I can see why he says only a complete assembly. But a tinker would find a way to replace just the defective part.

I wonder if maybe you didn't properly hook up the actuator? Does the actuator work by pushing the unlock button on the driver or passenger door? If it does then you are probably hooked up right and Ford somehow coded the actuators. If it doesn't work,when you push the buttons then I would suspect a bad connection. I am assuming the buttons work thru the computer, but it could just be a parallel hardwire which would work even if the computer was dead, which puts us back to square 1 of not really knowing.

Junk yards are good places to find stuff, especially if you need a complete assembly. Maybe you can find this at a local yard, or even one of the web based yards.

Sometimes it isn't the actuator itself that is bad but a bad ground or power connection. I would check all electrical connections in that door that affect the actuator. A bad ground can cause an actuator to work from one door button but not another, so maybe this is a similar problem.

If you have a rusty ground, a wire brush may be what Dr. Rube Goldberg prescribed.

Hope some of this helps and hope someone who knows speaks up. This does seem to be a common problem with Ford products, their electricals, especially doors seem to get flakey sooner than other brands. Hope someone has the exact solution, other than shoveling the cost of a set of tires into the cure.

Good Luck, you guys with exotic parts pricing are starting to make me wish I bought a plain old chevy or something.

Jim Henderson
 
Chooch said:
Price is $576.07 plus labor. [Part number is 1W4Z 54203A29 AC]
Click to expand...

:eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

That's just not right....

Unbelievable. I cannot imagine that a door lock actuator is anything more than just that...an actuator. Have you tried another dealer to make sure your parts guy wasn't missing something?? If that is true, I would take the door apart and get me some measurements and a picture of the actuator. See if it's a solenoid type or screw type. Then I would start trying to match it up with something else. I would also check the aftermarket and see what they offer. There are companies out there that offer door locks for all kinds of cars. See if they have something that will work.

The module in the door should have absolutely nothing to do with the actual mechanical operation of the lock...unless they've done something new and different...and I haven't see where they have.
 
Answer to LennDawk

LennDawg said:
i dont mean to change the subject, but where in the Cuse are you located Chooch?
Click to expand...


Lenn: Live in LaFayette, work downtown. You?
 
Call Maxx at Five Star Ford - Im sure he'll do better on the price -- (See ad on the right) Be sure to tell him your from LVC.
 
Jim and 2001... You are correct. It definitely is a faulty actuator, not a loose connection or anything else. To the best of my understanding , its mainly a simple solenoid that has failed or worn out.
 
Chooch said:
Jim and 2001... You are correct. It definitely is a faulty actuator, not a loose connection or anything else. To the best of my understanding , its mainly a simple solenoid that has failed or worn out.
Click to expand...

The actuator can be one of two types...a solenoid which simply plunges up and down, or a screw type which is actually a motor that "screws" the rod up and down. I'm not sure which type this has. You may be able to play with it and see. Normally, solenoid types actuate the locks very quickly and with a solid "thunk" when they are activated. Screw types are a little slower and you don't get quite the "thunk". Confusing, huh!

Anyway, find out what you have and start matching it up with something else. I CANNOT believe you have to pay that kind of price for just an actuator. I still think your parts guy may have missed the boat. Like was mentioned here...call Maxx at 5 Star and make sure. If that is the only way you can buy that thing, I would scream like hell to everyone who would listen.

By the way, A-1 Cardone remans a LOT of different items. You might look for an aftermarket supplier like Carquest, NAPA, Auto Value, etc. and see who carries their line and check with them.
 
I work in the cuse too, live out and Cazenovia. Nice to know there are others around here.
 
I know on alot of vehicles the actuator is intergral with the latch and the latch must be replaced to repair the actuator (focus for example). But having to replace everything inside the door doesn't sound right. I can definatly see a latch getting replaced, but having to replace the speaker and DDM etc seems out in left field. Call another dealer and just get a pricequote on a dr door latch.
 
Have you considered a junkyard? There is no way in he!! I would pay that much for this one small part.

Look on eBay for the people selling LS parts that are obviously from a car being parted out and e-mail them your request. You can probably find this one part pretty cheap used.

my .02 cents.............
 
HEY!

I HAVE THE FRONT AND REAR RIGHT DOORS WHICH I DON'T REALLY NEED.......
you interested?
 
bigvala said:
HEY!

I HAVE THE FRONT AND REAR RIGHT DOORS WHICH I DON'T REALLY NEED.......
you interested?
Click to expand...

What a coincidence my driver side door went out as well about a week ago, only works by key, im not too sure how long its been happening but i only noticed when my brother said "Yo your door doesnt lock" ill take it to a mechanic and see what he says, but 576 hmmmm....
 
Handles, Locks, Latches and Mechanisms
Actuator

The actuator is not repairable and is a part of the latch assembly
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Description Year MSRP Price Core Price Your Price
Latch assy Right 00-02 $145.20 $108.90


Latch assy Left 00-02 $148.45 $111.34

the top is straight from the service dvd the bottom is an online price for said assembly.i bet max can beat it.
john
 
aristo1963 said:
Handles, Locks, Latches and Mechanisms
Actuator

The actuator is not repairable and is a part of the latch assembly
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Description Year MSRP Price Core Price Your Price
Latch assy Right 00-02 $145.20 $108.90


Latch assy Left 00-02 $148.45 $111.34

the top is straight from the service dvd the bottom is an online price for said assembly.i bet max can beat it.
john
Click to expand...

That's a little more like it!
 
2001LS8Sport said:
That's a little more like it!
Click to expand...
Well, I went out to my car this morning and my girlfriend pulled the door handle before I had hit the unlock button on my fob and the alarm started going off as she says, "its unlocked." I immediately took the door panel off to do some tests.

Turns out, all my lock/unlock switches work. The part of the system that doesn't work is the passenger side door lock actuator. I did some tests to see if I was getting power to the actuator (which I am on both lock and unlock) so now it looks like I will be getting the assembly. Not too happy about it.

Has anyone done this job yet? I am assuming I will have to remove the ext. door handle and the latch as well as the other cable connecting to the int. door handle and then remove the actuator? It seems pretty forward, but I just wanted to see if anyone had any other tips/word of caution before I get started?
 
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