I have a 2001 Jeep Cherokee and recently the automatic locking mechanism on one of my back doors stopped working. When I press my lock/unlock button, you can clearly hear the "clicking" noise on the inside of the door panel but the actual button does not move automatically anymore. It really didn't bother me until the same thing happened to my front passenger door. You can hear the mechanism "click" when you try to lock and unlock but the button does not move automatically anymore. Since I hear the mechanism working on the inside of the door panel, is this a mechanical problem where something came off inside the door panel and can be reattached? Or is this an electrical problem where there's a disconnect in the circuit? More importantly, from a monetary standpoint, is this something that I can fix at home by myself? If so, how would I go about fixing it? Thanks.
maximum Ford's from the 1990's on which have potential door locks have this characteristic. even as the motor vehicle is in equipment and achieves a % higher than i trust 3 mph the doors lock. My 2000 Mercury Mountaineer does an same element. and that i'm sorry your boyfriend is an fool who would not comprehend something about straight forward mechanics of an motor vehicle.
If you have the tools or know somone to help you out with that and can work in a tight area and work blindfolded then your doing great. Otherwise you could be looking at a bottle of asprin and alot of swaring. If you know how to take the panel off with out busting it up and then good. Something could be caught up on a rod. You might want to just save the trouble and take the Jeep Dealer.
While u operate the lock and u hear the clicking sound it means the solinoid is working , the rod from the solonoid and the lock might have come off for this remove the door panel and refit the rod hope it works.
If you can get the trim panel off without breaking it (take your time, look it over carefully, and do the back door first), you should be able to fix it. If you can hear it working, it isn't an electrical problem. It is either a linkage rod has come off or more likely something in the mechanism has become stuck due to a lack of lubrication. Arm yourself with a can of wd40 to clean the gunk out, and a can of spray lithium to grease it up after it's clean.
It sounds like the rod linking the solenoid to the push/pull rods have come loose. You can fix this by taking off the door panel (and I'd against advise playing around with any wires.) Then push the lock button, and see what you can see. Reconnect the solenoid to the rods. ....oh, and for the love of gawd, don't take the whole door off, you'll never get it realigned properly.
