My driver's side door lock does not work. The last time it worked it made a whining sound. All other door locks work when I use the unlock/lock button. When I use the remote the lights flash but will not unlock door, however it will lock the doors except for the driver's side. I looked at other posts and if I am understanding this correctly, it is an actuator thats causing the problem? Is the actuator expensive and how hard a diy is this? Thanks.

 

yup sounds like an actuator to me

If it makes a grinding sound, you may be able to fix it. I posed a reponse to someone on the diy section on how to fix that... try searching for that in diy requests...

it is a MAJOR PITA to put to back in, and only a minor pita to take out. Basically, to take it out, you have to take off the door panel, unscrew 3 phillips screws (easily strippable... watch out) and carefully remove/unhook it.
To put back in, you have to BLINDLY align a tab on the actuator with a tab on the door latch inside the door panel, without breaking either. Both of the times Ive done it took a good 45 minutes of carressing to get back in.
New actuators cost about $80 i think, but i fixed my old one for free when it broke...
Then when the motor on that one went kaput I got one from a junkyard for $15 that works fine. But its risky buying those from junkyards... they may or may not work...

 

I bought a new actuator online for about $45 I think. If it grinds the rubber bump stops inside might have come unglued.

 

Thanks guys. So maybe i'll take off the door panel tomorrow and take a look at it. nafango2: did it take you 45 minutes just to get the new actuator in?? finch13: do you recall where u bought the actuator?

 

I got it at rockauto.com They called it a "door lock solenoid"

 

It didn't take me as long to get it in. I took the window track out to free up some space. It's just cramped and you have to get the arm on the actuator onto a hook thing, but the hook faces away from you, at least in my 95.

 

yes it did, and that was the 2nd time i did it and ONLY putting the new one in, not including taking off/putting on the door panels, removing the actuator, etc. Maybe 45 is a bit of an eggageration, but it took awile and it is incredibly frusturating.
It might be easier to just take the entire latch assembly out, then it would be easy to get a new one in.
What makes it hard is that you have to choose between having two hands holding it and not being able to see it, or having one hand holding it and being able to see it. plus theres not a lot of room in there to get your hands. Unless theres some sort of trick to it I dont know about, it would prolly be easier to just take the entire latch assembly out (the actualtor screws onto that). However there are like 5 "cables" that clip into the latch assembly... make sure to remember which one goes where.
If you had the actuator and latch assembly in front of you, it would be a breeze.

 

Would an extra set of hands help?

 

not in the least. there was barely enough room for your own hands.
two minds might though...

in your 95 the hook was facing away from you?
my 96 had the hook toward you... and you had to bend the hook and a bracket a little in order to get it in... i was sooo worried about snapping it.

 

Ugh! It started working, then stopped, then started again! Is something just loose? Now the passenger side front one is doing it to and makes a clicking sound.....grrrr.