Chrysler Repair: Van:Sliding door lock wont work with remote, chrysler town and country minivan, chrysler town and country

Question
I have a '97 Chrysler Town and Country minivan. I have just notice that the passenger side sliding door lock will not work with the keyless remote. It tries to lock and unlock but will not. If you lock or unlock manually, the keyless remote will not reverse the operation. Any ideas?

Answer
Hi Gene,
I assume that you can hear the motor attempt to do the job but it isn't, correct? That might indicate a need to lubricate the lock mechanism that the motor is trying actuate. If you hear nothing from the door, then it is possible there is an electrical disconnect that is the problem. Does the driver's power lock control panel effectively lock and unlock the door? If so, then it sounds like an electronic issue with remote keyless. The remote keyless of course will only lock/unlock all the doors if it is pressed twice, according to the manual. So try these various ways of operating the locks to see if it is a control issue or a functional issue in the door itself.
The manual shows there to be a lock motor, lock contacts, and a lock plunger. Any of those could be weak. There are 3 pages in my '98 manual that show the layout and describe how to remove/test the motor and to remove the plunger and the contacts. You could then test the motor with a battery and also verify the contacts and plunger are electrically conducting well. I would be glad to xerox and postal mail these to you on Monday of next week when I return from vacation. Just use the "thank and rate" tab where there is a comments section where you can tell me a postal mailing address. But tell me what you conclude by trying out the various ways of activating the lock.
Roland