Reattaching a Power Door Lock Actuator in Mom's 2011 Ford Crown Victoria

A while ago, my mother asked me what a certain noise was in her 2011 Crown Vic.  She also said the passenger door lock wasn't working.  It didn't take long for me to figure out the big rivet that holds the power door lock actuator to the door itself had broken off.  When that rivet breaks, the power lock won't function correctly as it needs to be firmly attached to the door to work.  This happened years ago to Vic 1.0, and my old mechanic used a nut & bolt to fix it.  

I decided I wanted to do the job right, so I sourced the correct rivets, and FINALLY forced myself to do the job recently on a hot summer day, borrowing a capable riveter and a few tools from Bob at Belmont Seat Cover.  

If you need to do this repair, some of the tools you'll need are a T25 torx, a 7mm socket, panel remover tool, patience.  The rivets I went with are Auto Body Master part number PM49930, purchased at Checkered Flag in Ayer MA.  There are others out there that will work, but I didn't need 100 of them!  Make sure they have a dome-like appearance like the originals.  

I didn't take photos when I started the project as I was just plain too distracted.  But taking the door panel off is a bit easier with this panel than the 1998 style ones, other than needing something other than a Phillips screw driver.  The most important thing to remember is, if someone hasn't already, DO NOT break the plastic tab off the switch panel!    This is very easy to do if you don't know about the problem.  Once you break it, the panel will never sit snug again without "persuasion".  And unless you have a black interior, finding a replacement will no longer be a simple task.  

Below are some "maps" to help you with this job.  Again, I didn't think to take pics until it was too late, but something's better than nothing!

Once you remove all hardware, simply lift the door panel up and off the door itself.  Feel around and you will find the lock actuator is just sort of hanging, thus banging around in the door, driving you nuts, and also making it so your power lock won't function correctly.  You will see the cad-plated bracket with a hole in it, perhaps even the remnant of broken rivet like in Mom's door.  You can clearly see the hole in the bracket, and how it should line up with the hole in the door.  I used some sticky black goo to help hold the two together while we prepped the riveter.  Then, POP went the rivet and the repair was all done!

Next, I taped up the black shield thingy and slipped the door panel back on... forgetting to line the lock knob up properly with the hole in the panel like I do every single time!!  Plug the switch panel back in, carefully pop it back on, and you're good to go.  

A New Addition to the Driveway... Introducing, MomVic!

I never thought I'd see this day, but here it is... Introducing, MomVic!

Yes, after all these years, Ma finally has a Crown Vic of her very own.  Her 1999 Lincoln Town Car finally looked so crappy and needed enough repairs that it was retired, miles unknown thanks to a replaced digital dash, but still under 100,000 miles.

MomVic is a 2011 LX in black with gray leather, about 85,000 miles.  So far, she really likes it.  It did sit for a while before being sold at auction, so there are a couple of things to look into, like one rear door power lock that doesn't seem to be working, and the CD player isn't working.  Shame, because it is super-clean and nice.

Even though it was clean, it needed a good wax.  I just wasn't up to doing it myself, not on a black car, so we had Arlington Auto Detailing handle the job.  Everyone was impressed with the results!

And YES, I am jealous of the rims..............  I did the initial clean up of them myself, for old time's sake...

Alas, this IS Massachusetts, so from here on, it will be subject to snow & salt, pollen & bird mess, parking lots & jerk drivers.  All reasons I myself could NEVER live with a black car!  Vic 2.0's medium blue paint was hard enough to live with!

On the way to it's new home...

Fresh from the detailer...

Settling into a new driveway... 

The 1999 Lincoln Town Car in 2016... I never liked
that car, and am glad to see it GONE!

Hey... nice rack!!

Vic 2.0 was THE most reliable Vic Mystery Mechanic (aka: Todd) ever owned.  While he owned it, he had one air conditioning part replaced, and one windshield wiper motor.  But the wiper motor was his fault (he always says not to leave your wipers on when you park for the night and there's a snow storm!).

So when on 8/28 I started the car to do a little work over at Belmont Seat Cover, and noticed the wiper motor sounded awful and didn't have much "ooomph", I started thinking back to the headache I had with motors in Vic 1.0.  Those past experiences made me start pondering how I was going to pay for A) a new Motorcraft motor B) a crappy rebuilt motor.  Then I started pondering the option of trying a used one.

Long story short, I spent some (messy) time at a local junk yard and removed a motor from a 2011 Massachusetts State PD cruiser.  I decided to leave it attached to the rack, and also thought it may be a good idea to bring the trim, hoses, weather strip, and wiper arms with me up to the check-out guys.  I had received a quote ahead of time for just the motor if I took it out of the car myself.  For the SAME PRICE, I got the whole setup!

This morning I decided to reverse the process and install the new (used) rack into Vic 2.0.  I started at about 11:45AM, and finished at about 3:45PM.  I decided to work slowly and take a lunch break, which slowed things down (along with stopping to feed the local squirrels and chipmunks!).

Other delays came from trying to remove the wiper arms (and HOW am I supposed to fit a screwdriver there??) a few times, and trying to remove a rusted on bolt on the metal bracket that attaches to the bottom rack bucket.  I never did get the nut off, but I did manage to "remove some metal" from it...

And so now Vic 2.0 has a 2011 wiper motor/rack/trim/weather-strip setup!  It also now has that super annoying "extra wipe" function, which I have NEVER understood.  It should make for a lot of yelling during the winter months, as I am super-wicked-picky about having a clear windshield...

One thing I learned this time that I didn't when I changed the motor in Vic 1.0, is that there is a little "flapper" by the motor that seems to allow water, etc OUT of the rack area, but doesn't allow critters IN.  Seeing as the 2011 had a mouse nest inside that area, I'm not so sure it works that well.  BUT, when I looked at the flapper in MY car, the whole area was clogged full of "shmoo".  I am starting to wonder if this has been a factor in the "What is That Musty Smell Coming From?" saga.

OH, that reminds me, I also squished some Permatex under the bottom lip of the windshield in effort to try and stop the Mystery Leak.  Of course, it was purchased around 2004, and I didn't have enough in the tube.  Also, nitrile gloves aren't tough enough to keep that hazmat off your fingers...

So, long story long, I am all set for winter, providing a 6 year old motor lasts longer than Vic 2.0's replacement one did.

176,000 MILES and Door Switch Panel Repair PART 1

Today Vic 2.0 hit 176,000 miles.  It is amazing how few problems this car has had in it's life.  But it is now 11 years old, and is starting to show/feel it.

Many of you who own these cars are aware of a very annoying issue they have with the driver side switch panel mounting tabs breaking off and thus making the panel pop up.  This has annoyed me as well, and I tried adding small pieces of Velcro to the panel and door to keep the thing down.  Didn't work.  The self-adhesive didn't adhesive as well as I had hoped, and the thickness of the hook & loop halves added too much thickness, so even when the panel DID stay down, there was a "padded" effect.  In other words, the panel didn't sit flush like it is supposed to.

So today I was sitting in 2.0 in a parking lot, and used a screwdriver to fully remove the switch panel so I could peel off the Velcro.  And what did I find inside the door?  Two of the broken mounting tabs.   That made me start thinking about repair options.  In the past, I have used a plastic repair product that really worked well on a couple of broken Javelin grills, as well as the power/volume knob on Mystery Mechanic's Uniden scanner, which is still in 2.0.  

I headed on over to a local auto parts store to see what they had in stock for plastic glue/repair products, knowing they stock some hard to find items.  They didn't have anything of the proper quantity and/or price.  On my way out, the boss suggested Gorilla Glue.  I have never used it, and it didn't cost too much, so I said "ok, but if it doesn't work I'll be back to yell at you!".

Below are some photos I snapped during the "repair".  I put that in quotes because I am skeptical, and because the glue takes 24 hours to set up.  So stay tuned to see if the repair did or did not work!

Some of the supplies used

Some of the Velcro that didn't work out.  You can see where the tab has broken off.

One of the broken tabs I found inside the door.

Where the break and glue is.

Where the other break and glue is.

Brand New 2011 Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptors For Sale WINCHESTER MA

Seeing as Bonnell Ford in Winchester MA sold me Vic way back in 2000, and it is Thanksgiving, I am giving them a bit of a plug here.

As of today, they have 7 brand new 2011 Crown Victoria Police Interceptors in stock, for sale only to  government agencies.  If you would like more information on these vehicles, please contact Allan Eydan at (781) 729-9700... and tell him Jonelle sent you!