Taking the door panel
off this 2008 F150 was a complicated job.
The plastic
door panel has nine fasteners, two clips and a
latch cable that I had to remove.
I call it overkill.
(The red arrows point to
all the fasteners.)
I used a small flat
screwdriver to pry off the cover above the
latch.
Behind the latch cover I found two bolts
that I removed with an 8mm socket.
I used a small flat screwdriver to slightly
separate the window switch panel from the door
panel.
That is when I noticed the notch (red arrow)
that the was molded into the panel for a
screwdriver to pry off the panel the rest of the
way.
With my thumb
pressing on the connector tab, I separated it
from the switch.
View of switch panel back side.
There were 4
electrical connectors on this switch panel.
In the corner
by the armrest I found a bolt and removed
it with an 8mm socket.
This was only four inches
away from the two
bolts near the latch... that's a lot of
fasteners pretty close together.
To remove the speaker grille in front of
the switch panel
I used a small flat screwdriver to pry off the
cover.
I found another
notch (red arrow) for a place to start
prying on the grille.
I used a flat
screwdriver to push inward on the grille tabs to
release them without causing damage.
View of back side of grille panel.
The red
arrow shows one of the tabs.
View of area
covered by the grille.
The red arrow shows
the slots the tabs go into.
I removed four screws holding the
speaker.
These required a 5.5mm or 7/32
socket.
With my thumb
I pressed down on the wire connector tab and
pulled it loose from the speaker.
I pulled out the retainer (red arrow) at the bottom of the
speaker housing.
This is something I never seen before... the two
plastic screw clips at the bottom need to
be removed.
The top screw clips can stay.
Using a pry
tool I removed the two plastic screw clips. They
just popped out.
Then at the very bottom of the door, I removed the last two screws holding the
plastic door panel to the metal door shell.
I pushed the
plastic door panel upward to unhook it from the
metal door shell.
With a small flat screwdriver, I pried off the
plastic end of the cable sheath where it
connected to the door latch
retainer.
Then I
removed the metal cable end (red arrow) from its slot.
At this point the door panel was completely
separated from the truck.
View of back side of plastic door panel.
You
can see the hooks that are molded into the
plastic.
View of metal
door shell with dust cover.
Removing The Side View Mirror:
If I wanted to remove the side view mirror, first
I would disconnect the wiring to the mirror (red
circle). This can be disconnected by releasing
the connector tab with a small flat screwdriver.
Then using a 10mm socket I would remove the
nuts (red arrows) holding the mirror to the
metal door shell.
Important! Have a helper hold the mirror or it
may fall
and cause damage.
Removing The Rear Door Panel:
I found six
fasteners holding the rear door panel to
the metal door shell.
I pried at the top of the vertical plastic cover
at end of the window.
This cover hooks in at the bottom.
View of back
side of vertical cover.
I used a 5.5mm (or 7/32) socket to remove the
screw behind the cover.
With a small
screwdriver I removed the cover above the latch.
I used an 8mm socket to remove the two bolts from
the latch area.
Then with a
flat screwdriver I pried up slightly the window
switch cover and found the molded notch
and pried the switch panel off.
Then I removed the electrical connector to the
power window switch.
With an 8mm
socket I removed this bolt in the arm rest.
I removed two screws at the bottom of the door,
using a 5.5mm socket.
I lifted the
door panel upwards to unhook it from the metal
door shell.
With a small flat screwdriver, I pried off the
plastic end of the cable sheath where it
connected to the door latch
retainer.
Then I
removed the metal cable end (red arrow) from its slot.
At this point the door panel was completely
separated from the truck.
Back view of the rear door panel.
The rear door
with the door panel removed. At this point the
plastic dust cover can be removed to reach
inside and repair the power window mechanism,
door lock or speaker.
