Hi guys,
I tried searching and couldn't find anything quite like this. I have a 1990 F250 with power locks. It's been sticky on the passenger side for some time now and usually you had to push it in manually to lock the door. A few days ago I tried to unlock the passenger door from the outside with the key and it wouldn't budge. I went in through the driver's side and tried lifting the handle from the inside (which would normally unlock the door) and it too wouldn't budge. So the door is stuck in the locked position and won't open at all. Any ideas here?

 

Something you can try, spray some penetrating oil down behind the glass and give it some time to work. It can become a little messy ,but it just may free up the mechanism enough for you to open it manually. Once it's open you can remove the interior panel and see just what will need to be lubricated or corrected.

 

Thank you so much for the response. I have managed to get the door panel off (although not without breaking it) so I have access to the inside. Does this sound like an actuator problem or is the latch mechanism sticking?

 

I would suspect the latch mechanism is sticking/hanging up to the point where the interior release handle won't even work. You should be able to lock and release the mechanism manually even if the actuator isn't working, unless it's stuck midway somewhere.

 

Yeah the door lock won't budge...it's stuck in the lock position no matter how hard I pull or how much I mess with the stuff inside the door. I have managed to get the door open but still no luck getting the lock up. I will try spraying everything tonight with some liquid wrench and see if that helps. Is it possible that a malfunctioning actuator would prevent the door from opening?

 

I'm able to open the door from the inside now. The lock will still not move up and the key won't unlock it from the outside. Any additional thoughts?

 

Can you see anything that may have come loose or disconnected? If not, give it some more time for the penetrating oil to work.

 

Nothing is loose or disconnected. The rods connecting the actuator and the lock on the door won't budge but everything else seems movable. I'm thinking this must be a seized actuator. I tested the switch and it's working fine. Next question is how the heck do you get that actuator out of there? I don't see any bolts or anything...looks like there is a rivet holding it in and I'm not sure if there are some clips or something on the inside???

Thanks for all your help so far hanky!

 

You may need to remove the rivet . Will check and get back to you.