Ford Van Door Wont Open Fix - Rubber/plastic cable end pieces broken - E150/250/350 econoline

Here is the Ford Econoline van rear door mechanism in its full naked glory,
along with my fancy new shiny metal end pieces threaded into it. 
So, the doors in the van stopped opening .... that is, when you try to pull the release mechanism, the doors don't open... like a child lock mechanism is on or something.  First it started with the rear door... outside latch, then inside one stopped working too.  Then the side door inside mechanism stopped.  What a PIA.  So, I found out that the rubber/plastic end pieces on the ends of the latch cables deteriorate over time and they had probably worn out.  Sure enough that is what it was.

I ended up buying a 20 pack of metal ends off someone from Ebay. They worked great. After I took off the deteriorating rubber cable ends, I simply slid these on.  I found that I didn't need to crimp them, although I did use a hacksaw to narrow the diameter a little so that they would be easier able to slide into the latch retaining mechanism.

Here are some pictures... I hated that I could not find pictures on the Internet that depicted the Ford Van's lock latch system. After reviewing lots of diagrams, I saw that the end of my cable needed to go into the top of the mechanism.  I decided to cut a hole in the door to look inside and see.... and sure enough the cable must be threaded into the top of that bitch!  You need not cut a hole to do this repair.  Anyway, I was able to pull out the latch without removing the power lock mechanism.   It was a pain the ass to put it back on, so I simply used zip ties to attach the power lock up and down to the inside of the contraption.  I suppose you could remove the power lock mechanism, but I didn't want to fool with drilling out a rivet and putting a new rivet in.

So, onto the show .. here are some pictures that may help you if you decide to tackle such a project.


Had to really think about how to thread that f-n ball 

The ball pulls that 911506 leaver to open the van door

Another picture showing me threading the Van door latch
Holding the Ford's rear door latch mechanism in the proper orientation against the door

A peek down into the hole to see the lock as it sits in place in the van.  You do not need to cut a hole.

All done! It all works, power lock, both sides, everything!!!
And now all metal ends... and they will last longer than I will!

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