Quote:
Originally Posted by TBGeoff
Sunedog -- I've encountered same problem on our '99 ML for the past few months. Last weekend I made time to fix it. As Supradupe explained, the problem also on mine was a broken actuator shaft. Fortunately, I was able to drill a hole in the short stub that was left and inserted a sheet metal screw with a head that would make the necessary connection to the mechanical locking linkage. I tried to be careful in selecting a screw that was not too long in order to avoid interfering with the solenoid action. Also, I was careful to drill a hole that was large enough to accept the screw without splitting the shaft, yet small enough to provide a tight fit for the screw.
The fix may not last forever but then, neither will I!
Geoff
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Thanks Geoff, great idea.
I did the same as Geoff after taking a look at the assembly. The only difference was that I used the largest diameter sheet metal screw that would fit the actuator mechanism. I pre-drilled a hole, started the screw to establish a thread pattern and then cut the screw off so that it didn't extend too far into the plastic plunger.
Total job cost was $22 for 8 plastic chistmas tree connectors (not kidding) to replace those that broke during the removal of the panel. Job took about 1.5 hours with the repair of the plunger.
Ski