[88scortgt]

I recently found the 2-door PW/PL set-up and installed them in my GT. The door lock actuator will not work when plugged into the harness. The switch on the drivers door is good, the relay is getting power and you can hear it click. The plug for the actuator in the pass. door has power to it. The actuator itself will work if hooked up directly to the battery. But when I plug everything together, all I get is a click from both the relay and the door.
I contacted the local Ford dealer, and the parts are correct for the '95-'96 model years. The relay and door switch came out of a '95 wagon. The PW, wire harness and lock actuator came from a '95 GT. The parts guy said they were the same for all Escort body styles.
Anyone have any ideas?

 

[pcordes1979]

Sounds like you aren't getting enough voltage to the DLA through the harness, as if the voltage isn't enough(perhaps bad ground or a bad/loose connection some where either which would cause what you are describing). When you lock or unlock the drivers door what voltage is received at the plug? - Peter

 

[88scortgt]

That's what has me stumped. The voltage at the plug for the DLA is the same as the battery voltage. The voltage is the same with the DLA plugged in vs. unplugged. The service manual calls for a minimum of 10 volts.
I even opened up the relay to see if I could make sure the contacts were good, but it's a printed circut panel with no moving parts.

 

[pcordes1979]

Try checking the voltage at the door lock motor when the door lock motor is connected as then there will be a load on the circuit which can change readings. - Peter

 

[88scortgt]

I tore the DLA apart, and the motor will spin with the lock plunger removed. As soon as I put the DLA back together, it stops working. The DLA is getting full batt. voltage at the motor whether it is spinning or not. I followed the work through from the service manual, and according to the tests Ford says to perform, evertyhing should work. The only thing they don't give a test for is the actual relay. (other than having the correct voltage passing through it.)
The sevice manual did state that the DLA has a two way motor, and switches from forward to reverse when the polarity is reversed. If I understood the manual, the relay is supposed to switch the ground depending on the position of the door lock switch. I did not notice any change in polarity when checking for voltage at the DLA plug. Is that a good enough reason to think the relay is faulty?

Thanks,
Greg

 

[pcordes1979]

One more thing you may want to look at is the latch module itself. When I went to install the power lock setup on my car I decided to pull the whole assembly out of the donor car so all I had to do was connect the rods. I found on the original ones in my car were rusted which made locking and unlocking the rear doors a bit hard. Your's might be rusted a bit which could be holding up the lock motor but still allowing you to lock and unlock the door manually. Worth a look at least. Beyond that I do not know what it could be as it looks like you have covered all the bases. - Peter

 

[88scortgt]

I decided to just go back to the J/Y this weekend and find another relay and motor. I think the relay is bad, since it won't reverse the polarity. If that is the problem, then I'll have an extra motor to put in the driver's door so I can use a remote on it. When I figure out which one is bad, I'll post an update.

Thanks for the help!