I believe the D1 actuator repair has been dealt with in the past. There is a mention on the site of a link with details, but this seems to have naturally dissolved. All the door actuators are losing potency, but before I dissect the back door unit with the Dremel, could someone please advise on any first-hand knowledge of the internal mechanics and experiences? Many thanks in advance. Regards Tony G

 

Discovery 1 Rear Door Actuator
Thank you Gervin23. The image is the unit from my '95 D1. I wonder whether your '97 differs from this configuration. This unit appears to be joint sealed, I'm not sure, but would appreciate some input before proceeding with dismantling. cheers

 

Brilliant looks simple enough. I'll let you know how I get on with a repair. Regards

 

To continue:
Opening the D1 actuator unit was difficult. Using a small hacksaw on the elbow corner to create a small gap I was able to gently break the join with a screwdriver. On doing the same on the opposite side and moving the screwdriver along the joint line it (reluctantly) opened. The internal gearing was good but required a clean and re-lube. The motor operated as expected with the FOB switching. The actual fault was a broken return spring in the door latch mechanism. Extracting the latch/ lock mechanism out of the tailgate door is a lesson in patience. It does come out but only at a certain angle. One certainly needs proctologist hands as some clip fixtures are awkward. I would recommend photographing all the steps taken in sequential disassembling, so as to avoid later frustrations on mis-sequencing on reassembly. Replacing the broken spring is a simple job, provided one end of the spring is put in the round hole first then the other in the triangle hole. Cheers, Tony G

 

That darn spring got me too. Chincy little thing. I replaced the whole mechanism. Nice to still be able to buy that part.

 

Is this the spring you replaced?

 

These springs are the same. The supplier is Southern Four Wheel Drive Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand. They had them made locally. Brick house quality. I would say with the NZ dollar in your favour, (UKP, USD, AUD) even with postage, the springs would be a better buy than the unknown. Cheers