1998 Ford Explorer Door Lock Actuator
I bought my 1998 Ford Explorer Limited two years ago. It currenly has 98,000 miles. It seens like things are starting to go wrong. My son is a mechanic, just starting out & I'm trying to get some information for him so he can help me out. First of all the power antenna quit working. You can hear the motor when you shut the car off & it should be going down, so I think it's just the mast that needs to be replaced. Is it hard to do and does anyone have a way of telling us how to do it. Today I got home from work and I could't get out of the car. The power door lock on the driver door quit working. We had to take a pair of plyers and pull up on it and then I tried locking and unlocking and it seemed to work. When Ishut the door it automatically locked on it's own and we had to do the same thing. I've been online looking at how to take the door panel off and can't seem to find any good diagrams or instructions and wonder if it's the actuator that is bad and needs to be replaced. How do I find out what is wrong with it. I'm a single mom and have limited income so any help would be greatly appreciated. :D
Apr 7, 2006 at 12:29 PM
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You can purchase a manual on the vehicle from the link below. The antenna mast is reatively easy pulling the assembly out is more difficult.
With the door locks if it only occurs with the one door it's likely the actuator.
Pulling the door panel off is pretty simple just need to find all the screws holding it on and be careful not to brake the clips attached
With the door locks if it only occurs with the one door it's likely the actuator.
Pulling the door panel off is pretty simple just need to find all the screws holding it on and be careful not to brake the clips attached
Apr 8, 2006 at 1:19 AM
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Suggested Repair
If only the driver door lock fails, the actuator is the likely cause. Remove the door panel by finding all screws and carefully releasing the clips, then inspect or replace the actuator. The antenna mast is relatively easy to replace, though removing the antenna assembly is harder. A vehicle service manual can help.
Conversation Summary
The owner of a 1998 Ford Explorer Limited reports a power antenna that still runs but does not retract, plus a driver door power lock that stuck and then locked automatically. The expert says a single-door failure is likely the actuator, door-panel removal is straightforward if the screws and clips are handled carefully, and the antenna mast is easier to service than the full assembly. A service manual is recommended.
