Paint and Body Door lock and interior handle tech

7991LXnSHO

wanna catch the space herp
10 Year Member
Sep 1, 2010
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Kearney, NE
I need another opinion before I dig into my driver’s side door lock and inner handle system.
1. The power locks work fine, but when it was cold and wet, something froze, and the lock rod came out. The key unlocks fine, but I am worried about breaking the key to lock the door because it is so hard to turn. I want to spray the back side of the lock with WD-40 or liquid wrench to free it up, then garage door dry lube before closing things back up. There was way too much gummed up lubriplate in the passenger door parts when the power lock went a few years ago. Any other ideas on what might be needed?
2. The inner handle on the driver’s door sticks out more than it should when closed. Is there anything to adjust or bend to fix this?
 
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The front tip of the inside handle just does not fold back in all the way, 3/8” maybe? It looked ok with the honking Billet trim, but I ditched that for the stock ones. I can get General K’s pics tomorrow in the daylight.
My real worry is with blood thinners, XL hands, and the sharp metal edges in the door that I can guickly make a nasty mess. At least the car is already red! I am pretty sure what I have to do, but do not want to spend anymore time in there than gloves will protect me!
The actuators will pop out for testing. They are recent reproductions that are working well. (Jrichker’s upgraded ones will be next time,) I am not sure what got frozen up with ice when I had it in for exhaust work and the doors stuck. I hope the lock rod clip is salvageable.
It would be a good time to replace the lower door panel pocket and add two rows of better elastic (mine has some holes in the bottom from being sagged too long too far. Is LMR the place to call for new ones and is there still a secret StangNet discount code for them or another place? Can someone PLEASE send it to me?
Thanks!
The rest is talk, not tech.
Several years of severe un-health issues, including a heart attack that should have killed me dead, and ongoing recovery, set my projects aside for too long! I want to enjoy driving my cars again.
It is fun to see kids in newer Stangs drooling with their mouth open while driving the other direction. I wonder what will happen when a obnoxious owner pulls up next to me going the same way? As I replaced the drone master mufflers, their newer car will be louder. It would be fun to challenge them to a track showdown, win or loose.
 
The handle does not stick out a huge amount, but my 79 would have caught shoelaces and pant cuffs sticking out that far.

After talking to the nurse, it is better for me not to risk getting anything sliced up inside the door for now. So I hope I have a good, small shop lined up to fix it Wednesday.

@jrichker, can you post the most current power lock solenoid upgrade DIY for me? I have one printed out from 5 years ago, somewhere, and wonder if there have been any updates for what vehicle to get better solenoids from. The NAPA ones I put in are the same speed as always, but lack that “thunk” that makes me feel better about parking the car away from home.
 

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Follow this link to fix your door lock actuator problems

You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer which is also a free download – http://get.adobe.com/reader/

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/attachments/door-lock-actuator-fix-pdf.88290/

Stuck with door lock actuators that don't work and don't want to pay the $50+ for a new one? Tried the junkyard ones and found that they last six months and freeze up?

A new actuator for less than $8. Fix one side for $20, do both sides for only $28. I don't sell parts, I don’t make any money off of the upgrade, I just tell you how to do it cheaply and easily.

By the way, I am still using the same $4 actuators I bought in 2002 and this is the second Mustang I have installed them in! Beat that with your fancy replacements!
 
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Ive got a set of those $4 actuators too. The only downside is that the motor WILL burn up if you hold the button down too long. When I say burn up, I mean they will literally burn up. Passenger side had flames coming off of it, melted it's housing, plastic dripped down into the door, etc. I plan on changing to a lower amp circuit breaker to help protect them. The factory ones pull quite a bit of juice; these ones pull about 4.3A each.
 
I got so tired of taking my door apart and spending money on more actuators that I just took the rod off the top. Key works great every time now. Never sticks. I can mash the lock on the door down now smoothly...no hard to mash lock. No I don't have power locks at the moment but do I really need it? I'd really like them to work as they should and I am working on a fix that lasts. But for now, no worries. I know this isn't your answer but it made me think about mine.
 
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I took the rod out of the drivers door years ago as the actuator failed twice (Ford replacement part). Passenger side is still power. No leaning across the seat to open/lock the door that way which is nice. I never missed the drivers side power lock. Passenger side is very hard to lock manually. Drivers side is easy as pie, just no power. My drivers side handle does stick out a bit though like you mentioned, I just never noticed it before reading your post. As a guess I'd say mine is from use. It's a plastic handle that gets warm in the summer. Most have 30+ years on them.
 
Here is the follow up. The outside handles were replaced before I got the car, and EVERYTHING was drowned in Lubriplate spray that was gummed up. The lock cylinder was gummed up. It is cleaned and is OK. The bear claw latch had some rust under the lube gunk and was not working well. It cleaned up and is fine. The actuator wore out from working too hard and was barely moving. The parts places in town would have to order several days out, so the door is back together for now with the solenoid disconnected on the driver's side. I replaced the passenger side with (I think) a Napa part 5 years ago that works well, but does not go THUNK.
Next step, review Jrichker's .pdf for better parts, and hope non Mustang parts do not set off a nuclear reaction in my car doors.
 
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Follow up a year later. The passenger side is now not working when both locks are plugged in. It needs all the power in the circuit to work.
So, I will get the parts for the conversion going. I have one more new Ford style actuator that might pop in in the mean time, or I can just use manual locks. Although the passenger one is close to 10 years old, it has not been used much. What a poor design.