That screw style design was used for years, and as they age they get very stiff, being all metal. you can feel it when you try to lock/unlock the door manually.
I ended up replacing mine in my '89 Lebaron with the newer style low-friction (mostly plastic) ones out of a AA body. They worked much better, especially in cold weather or when the car had sat for a while and the battery wasn't at it's fullest charge. They were a direct swap-in except for the electrical connector. I used the old lock actuators and the pigtails for the new ones to make short jumpers.
I ended up replacing mine in my '89 Lebaron with the newer style low-friction (mostly plastic) ones out of a AA body. They worked much better, especially in cold weather or when the car had sat for a while and the battery wasn't at it's fullest charge. They were a direct swap-in except for the electrical connector. I used the old lock actuators and the pigtails for the new ones to make short jumpers.
