Door lock actuator
This solution is for a 1998 Ford Taurus door lock actuator replacement. In this solution, I'm working on the front passenger door of a 1998 Ford Taurus SE (4 door). I installed a new door lock actuator from Advance Auto Parts, it's a Dorman 746-145, about $50 list, my cost was about $30 with a coupon I got by googling Advance Auto Parts Coupons, and applying a code at checkout.
Disconnect the negative battery cable.
Remove the interior door panel: Unscrew and remove the push/pull thing used to lock and unlock the door manually. Remove the 2 Phillips screws on the sides of the interior door panel. Remove the Phillips screw that's in the bottom of the interior door handle. Use a large screwdriver to pry the lower right hand corner of the interior door panel out, you may or may not be able to pop the clips free, work your way across the bottom and up the sides, pulling or prying or both. Pop it free all the way around, the top center clip can be a bear to get free. Make sure all the other sides are free, then get the top center clip. I think I pulled the top right of the panel to the top right, over the top of the door lock rod/button, and then it just popped free.
Remove the wiring harnesses for the electric window and electric lock buttons inside the panel you just removed: Push the button in, and pull the ring extending around the button for something to grip to pull it free. Rocking it a little seems to help. I used channel locks once a few months ago, but be careful.
The panel's free, set it aside where it won't get broken. You can leave the speaker in.
Pull the plastic water barrier off of the right half of the interior of the door. Take some tape or something and tie it down on the left side of the interior of the door, you'll be working on the right side only.
Take a look into the bottom right corner inside the door with a small flashlight. There's the actuator. Take note of the new part, and the old part, and the way the rod's connected to the actuator.
Note the Position of the actuator in the door, look at the new actuator, the wiring release clip is on the right (towards the steering wheel if the door were closed).
You will NOT need to remove the rivet that's in the actuator bracket. It just holds 2 pieces of the bracket together.
Remove the two 11mm bolts at bottom right that hold the actuator bracket and window track/rail in place.
Remove the 3 torx screws on the edge or end of the door, that hold the door lock in place. Don't worry, everything won't fall apart, you'll be fine.... :)
Now you'll need to find out how much slack is in the wiring to the bottom of the actuator. Do not pull on the wires. But you do have to take off the wiring clip from the bottom of the actuator. If the wires are long enough, push the window track/rail out of the way and swivel the bottom of the actuator towards you a little for easier access. I used a small flat blade screw driver to hold the locking clip out, as I pulled the wiring clip off the bottom of the actuator. Good Luck......
You won't be able to see much, so take a good look at the new actuator before trying to take the wiring clip off the old actuator.
Now to get the Actuator out of the door: Carefully push/move the window rail/track out of the way, moving it as little as possible, don't kink it, while pulling the actuator towards you. The actuator connecting rod will swivel where it connects above (at the lock), and allow you to move it.
Once the Actuator is clear of the window rail/track, take a screw driver and push the lock itself in as far as is necessary about an inch or so), while holding the actuator with the other hand, continue holding the lock in with the screw driver, while maneuvering the actuator to free the connecting rod from the lock assembly above. A half twist/turn is about all it takes to free it. Note how to reassemble it before disassembling it.
The actuator with the connecting rod on it is out of the car door.
Now for the hard part, use pliers or screwdrivers or whatever it takes, and remove the old clip that holds that connecting rod to the old actuator.
Hold that connecting rod up to the new one.
The new one I got was a little bit longer than the old one, and would not work until after I ground about 1/16th of an inch off the end of it. Making it identical to the old part. I recommend using the old connecting rod. Easier.
You'll still have to use the new clip on the connecting rod either way. With O-rings. I used a new o-ring on the top side, and an old o-ring on the bottom, because the old o-ring stayed in place by itself, and the new one was larger, and fell off the connecting rod. Bend the old o-ring and make sure it's not full of cracks before re-using it. Ace Hardware probably isn't too far away....
Before attaching the locking clip to the connecting rod, put the rod into the new actuator. There should only be enough extra room for the o-ring. If there's more room than that, you won't be able to get the locking clip on. Meaning, you'll have to use the old connecting rod, or grind some off the new rod. Put the old connecting rod in the actuator, and the new connecting rod in the actuator, if the space is the same or less for the new connecting rod, you're ok. If it's just a little bit more, it probably will not work.
Once you're certain your connecting rod is the proper length, assemble the connecting rod of your choice to the new actuator using 2 O-rings and the new connecting clip that came with your new actuator. This will not be easy. I had to get Fay to help me. she complained her fingers were getting pinched, so I had her hammer it on, and yes, my fingers got pinched. But no blood. Just pinched. Maybe I should have held it with pliers instead of my fingers....
I used I think it was a 3/8" line wrench (probably the smaller the better, this was the smallest I had), over the top the the new clip, and hammered it onto the new actuator. By hammered, I mean barely tapped on the wrench with a hammer, while the line wrench was perfectly positioned on the clip - to drive it onto the actuator. Stop when it's on, or you may break something.
After it's on, turn the clip a little (say half a turn), if it stays on, leave it.
The rest is pretty obvious. Pry the bracket off the old actuator (I used a flat blade screwdriver), noting it's position on the old actuator, and put it on the new one.
Push the lock in with a screwdriver (thru side of door), just enough to attach the rod on the actuator back into its place on the lock assembly.
Putting it back together is easy. Just don't forget any of the bolts that were removed. Start the 3 bolts that hold the lock. Start the two 11mm bolts that hold the actuator bracket and window rail/track. Tighten those 5 bolts. Hit what you can with a spray can of white lithium grease (Walmart has it next to the carb cleaner). Hit the lock, linkage, I even hit the window track. But not the wires. Work the manual lock button up and down making sure everything works freely.
I siliconed the water cover back onto the door (silicone was handy), then reattached the door panel. Connect the window and lock wiring first, and don't forget the 3 screws that hold the door panel on. And attach the door lock button that screws onto the top of the that door lock rod last.....
Reconnect the negative battery cable.
Test the lock actuator.
Mine was binding at the top, where the manual lock button goes thru the hole in the door panel. I probably should have bought new skinnier lock buttons, but I had the grinder out anyway, so yes, that plastic/rubber button got ground down. All the way around. Works fine now. This was probably the cause of that actuator going out.
Good Luck to You with Yours.... :)
Seat —Third Row Bench
Removal 
CAUTION: Removal of the third row bench seat requires more than one technician. 
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