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Rear door latch repair


Otis413

Active Member
Article Contributor
Joined
Jun 2, 2018
Messages
187
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117
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43
Location
Cass, WVa
Vehicle Year
2004
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.0 SOHC
Transmission
Automatic
A while back I saw a question about how to remove the rear door panel to repair the door latch. There were no replies so I thought I'd post some pics of my door latch (lower) repair.
30652

The inner panel can be removed by unbolting the upper sholder-belt (a nut) the lower seat belt and the rear seat belt can be left in place if you don't need to swap out the panel. (held on w Torx bolts)
Just wiggle side to side and upward on the panel, it will pop loose. Putting it back on is a bit more of a chore, remove the plastic "pins" from the door and place them in the panel, line up with the holes and shove back in place.
30653

The latch itself, (Right side, lower) A is the switch connector, door ajar and dome light. B is the latch release, on mine this was stuck by dirt and rust, I sprayed with WD40 and worked it side-to-side with a pair of needle nose pliers, rinse and repeat.. C is where the cable end hooks in, it was also stuck, again, WD40 and working it up and down freed it up. D is where the cable housing hooks on. Hold C in its up position and pull the inner cable out of the slot (D) and you can fish the inner cable out of its slot.
Below is the latch itself removed (3 torx screws from the underside of the door) with the wire and cable installed.
30654

I had to grind two of the mounting screws off, they're the same size/thread as ford fender screws but the fender screws are too long. I didn't want to make an hour trip for new screws so I shortened some spare fender (8mm hex) screws for the job after getting the old cut of screws stubs out.
 
Last edited:


KaHOnas

New Member
U.S. Military - Veteran
Joined
Jan 18, 2021
Messages
14
Reaction score
14
Points
3
Location
Chattanooga, TN
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Engine Size
4.0 OHV
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Tire Size
235/75/15
My credo
Get the job done, correctly, the first time. There's beer to be had.
The irony (maybe?) that there are no replies to this either. Until now. I've been having the dome light issue with my driver's rear door. I didn't have any idea where the switch was until now. Thank you.
 

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