'99 XJ driver door power locks intermittently works

Like the title says, my '99 XJ driver side door's power lock works and doesn't work intermittently. All the other door locks work fine. Right now, it's in one of its "doesn't work" stages, so it's super annoying. Call me lazy or picky, but when I press the lock or unlock button, I want the darn thing to work.

I used to think that it was temperature related, but it has been warm here for a week or so and it still hasn't started working again. This has happened a few times over the past couple of years where it will work for many months, and then it will just stop one day for now apparent reason, and usually a week or so later, it will start working again.

I don't get it. If something were broken, it shouldn't start working again. Anyone else have this happen?

Drivers door lock actuator could be bad.

check the wiring between the door and the body...wires in there are known for splitting/cracking.

JrTxJ said:

check the wiring between the door and the body...wires in there are known for splitting/cracking.

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X2

JrTxJ said:

check the wiring between the door and the body...wires in there are known for splitting/cracking.

Click to expand...

Does the rubber tube thing come off so that I can check that out without destroying the rubber tube?

Yes, use a flat head and pry that sob off!

If checking the wires in to boot doesn't turn up anything, it's more than likely the lock unit itself that's gone bad.

I've got a '98 and have already replaced the front driver's door one (twice) and the left rear passenger one. Mine did pretty much what yours are doing now.

They are sealed an non rebuildable, as far as I can tell. Not too difficult to replace. Just keep track of the "rods" orientation as you swap them out. The rod locks swing, and lock the rods in place. Don't break those! A good tip to removing the door panels is to slip a putty knife between the door panel and the door, and drag it across until you stop at panel plug, slip another putty knife on the other side of found plug, then lift and pop out the plug...

I've been "collecting" electrical stuff like this (door locks, master control switch, window regulators, etc.) as they pop up on Ebay. I'll just replace them as they fail.....

Ivan said:

If checking the wires in to boot doesn't turn up anything, it's more than likely the lock unit itself that's gone bad.

I've got a '98 and have already replaced the front driver's door one (twice) and the left rear passenger one. Mine did pretty much what yours are doing now.

They are sealed an non rebuildable, as far as I can tell. Not too difficult to replace. Just keep track of the "rods" orientation as you swap them out. The rod locks swing, and lock the rods in place. Don't break those! A good tip to removing the door panels is to slip a putty knife between the door panel and the door, and drag it across until you stop at panel plug, slip another putty knife on the other side of found plug, then lift and pop out the plug...

I've been "collecting" electrical stuff like this (door locks, master control switch, window regulators, etc.) as they pop up on Ebay. I'll just replace them as they fail.....

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I'm going to finally dive into fixing this tomorrow. If I need to replace any of these parts, where can I find them? Junkyard? Auto parts store? Online? Thanks.

Try Ebay using "jeep cherokee door lock" for your search...there's a bunch for sale right now.

I'd wait to mess with the door panels until you are able to replace the bad acutators. Though it's not terribly difficult to remove the door panels, it's something I don't want to do too often. The door and lock rods can be tricky to separate when you other hand it holding the panel. Don't bend the rods!

So this past weekend, I attempted to find out what is causing my door lock to not work anymore. I first checked the wires near the door hinge, and they all looked like they were in mint condition.

I then went on to try and check the door lock actuator behind the door panel. Once I removed the door panel, I discovered that my '99 has a nice looking panel that seems to be an insulator of some kind. I didn't have the heart to remove it.

Ivan, do you or anyone else know of any write-ups on how to replace the actuators? I don't really want to remove that inside panel until I know exactly what I'm into, ya know?

The inside panel is a weather seal of sorts. I just cut mine near the edge of the door opening, and sealed it back up with duct tape. It's been a while since I've replaced an actuator, so my memory is sketchy...

To remove the acuators, you have to remove them from inside the door. Once you've loosened the door panel, you have to disconnect the lock & open/close rods, attached on the door lever/lock assembly, on the door panel. There are clip locks on the rod ends. Unsnap the clips from the rods by rotate them up a bit until you are able to disconnect them from the rods. Keep track of which rod goes where by color of rod end. You then remove the screws on the outside of the door, holding the door lock. Grab the rods inside the door as you remove the last screw, so you can then guide the lock/acutator out of the door. Swap the rods over to the replacement actuator, and reinstall in reverse.

It'll make more sense once you dive in. Just remember to keep track of the rods and how they are connected, and don't bend the rods!

I found a couple of good write-ups on how to do this. Seems pretty straightforward with the right tools. There are a bunch for sale on ebay right now. How safe would it be to get one from a junkyard XJ vs the ones on ebay? The stealership wants $119 for this, P.S.

$38 plus $8 shipping seems kind of steep on ebay. Is this what I should expect to pay?

I was patient and it paid off. I got a front driver side door lock actuator on ebay for $15 plus $12 shipping. Next I'll go pick up a torx T30 tool and swap this sucker in once I get it. I sure hope it fixes the issue. I'll let you know. Probably won't get the actuator for at least a week.

The ebay one may well be a junkyard unit (lots of junkyards pull commonly needed parts, and rare parts, and ebay them instead of letting the great unwashed near them.) I paid 10 bucks each for mine at the JY, for future reference.

On the 96 down design, the stupid things are riveted in. Not sure how 97+ is held together (sounds like torx from your post?) In either case, it's not that painful a swap. Good luck.

I have a nice JY nearby my home, but due to time constraints and priorities, I rarely get a chance to rummage through the Jeeps over there. It was worth the price to have it just show up at my door and for me to swap it in when I get time.

The seller has a guarantee that it works, so I feel pretty good about the purchase. Too bad I don't have a friend at the JY that could pull the parts for me... now THAT would be nice... my own little parts hunter

I got around to installing the door lock actuator today. Not the easiest job fishing around in there to remove and reinstall the plastic tabs that hold the rods in place. I got it done though and my door lock works once again.

No more unlocking the door with the key. I'm pretty happy about it... until one of the other three decides to stop working on me.