Quick question Removing door trim

**Uncle_Ken** · 10-02-2008, 10:06 AM

Its Sunday morning and I've started to replace the actuator in my AU today.I have unscrewed and removed all the bits (side screws, power window pod and handle surround. It feels 'lose' from the bottom and side but is still 'firm' at the top.

How do you pull it off for the last bit?

Uncle Ken

**Uncle_Ken** · 10-02-2008, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle_Ken

Its Sunday morning and I've started to replace the actuator in my AU today.I have unscrewed and removed all the bits (side screws, power window pod and handle surround. It feels 'lose' from the bottom and side but is still 'firm' at the top.

How do you pull it off for the last bit?

Uncle Ken

AND its the driver door

UK

fordon · 10-02-2008, 10:29 AM

Im guessing its the clips up top which are cliped in,you should be able to push the door trim up,give it a push up and pull door trim towards you.
Clips are quite firm and will pop out.

That was my experience with the doors anyhow :-p

**Uncle_Ken** · 10-02-2008, 10:44 AM

How many clips are at the top?
UK

JMO · 10-02-2008, 10:46 AM

Don't pull too hard just enough to get it away from the door. You'll have to lower it slightly to unscrew the door lock button thingy (technical term

)

EDIT: there are 3-4 clips (from memory)

chief · 10-02-2008, 10:48 AM

When you take out the power window switch there is a 10mm bolt inside the door trim.

It also helps if you remove the black plastic triangle from just above the door trim behind the mirror.

**Uncle_Ken** · 10-02-2008, 11:04 AM

Thanks Guys. I'm taking pics whilst I do this for a tech guide.
UK

AU1XLS · 10-02-2008, 11:16 AM

Dont forget to unplug the mirror switch before pulling to hard

Racecraft · 10-02-2008, 11:19 AM

there is another 10mm bolt under that round plastic cover 2/3rds of the way towards the front too iirc

**Uncle_Ken** · 10-02-2008, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racecraft

there is another 10mm bolt under that round plastic cover 2/3rds of the way towards the front too iirc

Ta got taht one now

UK

GK · 10-02-2008, 03:23 PM

How's it going Ken?

GK

**Uncle_Ken** · 10-02-2008, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

How's it going Ken?

GK

Well I've just written up a tech guide on how to remove the door trim.
(but I don't know how to share the PDF).

The sad news is the actuator seems fine so I will do the passengers door next.

UK

private9 · 10-02-2008, 03:48 PM

Hopefully it went well for you! My first 2 times doing it, I was fine.

Then I attempted it a few weeks ago after work while I was sick on my donor car -result: stuffed door trim and I broke the speaker grill!

To this day I still don't know how I managed to not undo the 10mm bolts that I knew about!

**Uncle_Ken** · 10-02-2008, 04:30 PM

I have done a quick write up on to remove door trim on an AUII.
Let me know if I left something out or the steps are in the wrong order

http://www.fordforums.com.au/attachm...chmentid=39943

UK

:

**Uncle_Ken** · 10-02-2008, 06:16 PM

Bugger what a day. Took off all 4 door actuators and no broken spindles and they all move in out when I hit the button.

The car doors still won't lock.

What next? What have I missed?

UK

**Mechan1k** · 11-02-2008, 03:21 PM

That's weird .... the only other thing that I can think of is that the car thinks a door is ope and won't lock ... it doesn't need to be a broken spindle for this to happen ... all actuators tell the BEM is the door is closed. If the BEM thinks a door is open ... it will let you know by sounding the horn and unlocing the doors again.

So you still may have a stuffed actuator and not know it.

I am presuming you have the Fairmont ... does it have a ficture of all doors and tells you which one is ajar??/ Or do you just have a door ajar icon like the lower series???

If you have the latter it is going to make it harder to diagnose ... if you have the high series one though ... sit in the car with all doors properly ... and see if the ico tells you which door is open on the car ... that will be a dead giveaway to which actuator is stuffed.

Hope this helps for now.

**Uncle_Ken** · 11-02-2008, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

That's weird .... the only other thing that I can think of is that the car thinks a door is ope and won't lock ... it doesn't need to be a broken spindle for this to happen ... all actuators tell the BEM is the door is closed. If the BEM thinks a door is open ... it will let you know by sounding the horn and unlocing the doors again.

Thats the noise mine makes UK

So you still may have a stuffed actuator and not know it.

I am presuming you have the Fairmont ... does it have a ficture of all doors and tells you which one is ajar??/ Or do you just have a door ajar icon like the lower series???

No its a standard AUII with door ajar icon. Bugger.

If you have the latter it is going to make it harder to diagnose ... if you have the high series one though ... sit in the car with all doors properly ... and see if the ico tells you which door is open on the car ... that will be a dead giveaway to which actuator is stuffed.

Hope this helps for now.

I am going to put back the front locks on Saturday (lucky I don't need the car mid week) and see what happens then.

UK

**Mechan1k** · 11-02-2008, 07:20 PM

Wonder if it would throw a code back to the BEM ... it may tell you which door .... although I am grabbing at straws here now.

I don't have a list of codes though ... Ford should be able to tell you ... but God knows how much they will charge you.

Although seeing as you are now well versed with pulling door trims off ... I guess you could try trial and error.

In the end though ... you may have a faulty BEM as well. Hopefully though it is a rogue actuator.

JMO · 11-02-2008, 08:22 PM

Try disconnecting each actuator completely one at a time and then locking with the remote. I drove around for about 2 weeks without the drivers side actuator plugged in and the other doors would lock/unlock fine with the remote. All I had to do was use the key to open the drivers side.

If you do this, you should be able to tell which one is acting up.

Hope this helps

**Uncle_Ken** · 16-02-2008, 04:27 PM

Ok its netx saterday and all actuators now back on and doors are shut. If I take out hte keys and a door is ajar shoiuld this show up in te cluster (low series)

UK

**Uncle_Ken** · 16-02-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMO

Try disconnecting each actuator completely one at a time and then locking with the remote. I drove around for about 2 weeks without the drivers side actuator plugged in and the other doors would lock/unlock fine with the remote. All I had to do was use the key to open the drivers side.

If you do this, you should be able to tell which one is acting up.

Hope this helps

Tried disconecting one by one and same horn ta ta ta and the doors lock/unlock
each time

UK

**Uncle_Ken** · 16-02-2008, 05:01 PM

Going to try something now. Going to pull out the cluster and unplug plug the cables ot see if that makes any difference.UK

**Uncle_Ken** · 16-02-2008, 07:47 PM

Ahh, All working now!! Finally. Having taken off, disconected and repalced everythng unpluging and re pluging the cluster did the trick.

UK

Some pics tomorrow of more plastic surgery for my AUII

**Uncle_Ken** · 23-02-2008, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle_Ken

Ahh, All working now!! Finally. Having taken off, disconected and repalced everythng unpluging and re pluging the cluster did the trick.

UK

Some pics tomorrow of more plastic surgery for my AUII

Pics are online here, windows still working one week later

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...33#post1997633

sambo1974 · 06-03-2008, 03:21 PM

Hi All,

I m new to the forums, and I some dramas in replacing the actuator on the rear right door of our a ford au station wagon. I got the door panel off, but I just could not remove the rod(long piece that attaches to the innner door) Any ideas or where i can get a step by step pdf document? Cheers

tickford90 · 06-03-2008, 03:28 PM

for the door trim, there's a bolt under the power window buttons which got me, once thats out and everything is disconnected, power windows and mirrors, pull the trim from the bottom towards you (not too much) and smack with your hand upwards and it should come out of the clips from the top.

sambo1974 · 06-03-2008, 03:30 PM

the ford i have is the forte, so there is no power windows. Should I take out the old actuator first and the long wire(rod) will come out easier?

Mr Hardware · 06-03-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

the ford i have is a really, really old forte, so there are no power windows.

fixed.

sambo1974 · 12-03-2008, 12:23 AM

All fixed. Only cost me $66 for the actuator from the wreckers.