BanjoJamie

The person that owned the car before me changed the dash lights, but I am not sure if he took the needles off when doing so.

I took the plastic off the face of the cluster and removed the speed needle. The small white piece that connects the needle to the cluster was brittle and broken! So I took the needle inside and fit the pieces together again and super glued them, reinstalled and now the gauge works perfectly! Now to figure out my fuel gauge that is stuck on 1/2 a tank!

Installed an actuator today and the car is good as new. It took about 6 hours all together but well worth not entering from the passenger door!

Okay, I got my door open believe it or not. I actually don't believe it myself at this point. I am posting my reply on this thread instead of my own in the hopes that someone else with this problem can fix theirs as well. I will post pictures when my actuator comes in and I install it.

First, I took off the part of the door panel that goes around the inside door handle. Mine is the taupe interior and the part I removed is the lighter color part. It attaches with metal tabs to your door panel.

I then cut a hole in the panel underneath to access the lock and handle rods.

I then used a reciprocating saw to cut the piece of metal in between the two access holes to better access the door lock actuator.

I then used trial and error to find the latch that opens the door. Door opened and I screamed my victory cry. (It took three hours to get this far!)

From there I took the whole door panel off, and was able to see the broken spring that caused all of my woes.

I still need to install the new actuator and when I do so I will take pictures of my work and explain where the latch is to open the door!

Can anyone help with actuator installation tips or tricks?

I hope I helped someone with this. The only tip I can give is that the latch moves DOWN to open the door, so don't waste your time trying to pull anything up!

Okay, I got my door open believe it or not. I actually don't believe it myself at this point. I am posting my reply on this thread instead of my own in the hopes that someone else with this problem can fix theirs as well. I will post pictures when my actuator comes in and I install it.

First, I took off the part of the door panel that goes around the inside door handle. Mine is the taupe interior and the part I removed is the lighter color part. It attaches with metal tabs to your door panel.

I then cut a hole in the panel underneath to access the lock and handle rods.

I then used a reciprocating saw to cut the piece of metal in between the two access holes to better access the door lock actuator.

I then used trial and error to find the latch that opens the door. Door opened and I screamed my victory cry. (It took three hours to get this far!)

From there I took the whole door panel off, and was able to see the broken spring that caused all of my woes.

I still need to install the new actuator and when I do so I will take pictures of my work and explain where the latch is to open the door!

Can anyone help with actuator installation tips or tricks?

I hope I helped someone with this. The only tip I can give is that the latch moves DOWN to open the door, so don't waste your time trying to pull anything up!

The door won't open at all. I don't know if it is the lock or the handle. Any way to open the door or to remove the door panel while the door is shut. What about removing the door panel trim that surrounds the window switch and door handle? Please help it's a daily driver.

Any luck fixing this. My 94 is having the same problem. Can I remove the upper door panel alone?

I did. I will take it out again and take a picture of it. Thanks!

Hello all! I replaced the dash lights in my 94 ES300 and the speedometer and gas gauge are broken. Any help would be much appreciated!