Diagnosing electric locks ?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 10
From: Nashville TN
Diagnosing electric locks ?
OK, they haven't worked corectly since I bought the car and now I think it's about time I fix them. When actuating, it takes like 10 hits of the switch to make it go all the way back. The lever feels pretty stiff and using the key to lock/unlock the door feels really hard like I'm almost going to bend the key so I guess the problem is somewhere other than the motor. I've pulled the door panels off before but I couldn't realy find much to lube so I just lubed any hinge points but that didn't help at all.
Are the door switches normally this hard and the locks hard to turn? Where should I lube to smooth things up. What luube hsould I use? I want to try this before I go replacing the motors since they work everytime I hit the switch, they just don't seem to have the power to fully actuate the locks. This was happening to both locks when I bought the car @ 67k miles.
Are the door switches normally this hard and the locks hard to turn? Where should I lube to smooth things up. What luube hsould I use? I want to try this before I go replacing the motors since they work everytime I hit the switch, they just don't seem to have the power to fully actuate the locks. This was happening to both locks when I bought the car @ 67k miles.
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 72
Likes: 0
From: Huntsville Alabama
Originally Posted by kman0066
OK, they haven't worked corectly since I bought the car and now I think it's about time I fix them. When actuating, it takes like 10 hits of the switch to make it go all the way back. The lever feels pretty stiff and using the key to lock/unlock the door feels really hard like I'm almost going to bend the key so I guess the problem is somewhere other than the motor. I've pulled the door panels off before but I couldn't realy find much to lube so I just lubed any hinge points but that didn't help at all.
Are the door switches normally this hard and the locks hard to turn? Where should I lube to smooth things up. What luube hsould I use? I want to try this before I go replacing the motors since they work everytime I hit the switch, they just don't seem to have the power to fully actuate the locks. This was happening to both locks when I bought the car @ 67k miles.
Are the door switches normally this hard and the locks hard to turn? Where should I lube to smooth things up. What luube hsould I use? I want to try this before I go replacing the motors since they work everytime I hit the switch, they just don't seem to have the power to fully actuate the locks. This was happening to both locks when I bought the car @ 67k miles.
Had the same problem after removing and reinstalling the driver side door panel. Found that the rod from the inside sliding lock could easily bind on the panel. Suggest trying the locks with the panels off and see if it frees up and go from there.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,384
Likes: 124
From: Reno/Sparks Nevada
Mine was doing the same thing. I had replaced the speakers recently and had to remove the inner aluminum door panel and swing it out of the way. When I did that the linkage rod slipped out of the rod guide at the rear edge of the aluminum panel. I slipped it back in and bent the tabs over a little. Been fine since.
Art
Art
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,524
Likes: 10
From: Lufkin Texas
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
Originally Posted by MrRenoman
Mine was doing the same thing. I had replaced the speakers recently and had to remove the inner aluminum door panel and swing it out of the way. When I did that the linkage rod slipped out of the rod guide at the rear edge of the aluminum panel. I slipped it back in and bent the tabs over a little. Been fine since.
Art
Art
The rod can come out of the guide a bit. Also these little plastic tabs that go on the rod have a fuzz tab on the sides of them. Mine on my passenger side was all worn and boogered up and causing it to stick. I replaced it with one of these original GM's I picked up on ebay and solved the problem.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 4,813
Likes: 0
From: Port Orange Florida
Lol...........do this first.Take some spray lube and use the small tube it comes with.Insert it in the outside keyhole and spray for a second or so.Put your key back in and turn it back and forth a few times...you'd be surprised how it easy it will move..... 
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 10
From: Nashville TN
Funny thing, I go lube up the lock...click. It works. I put the door back together...stutter....click. Okay the rod is bent up a little also.....click.
I hit the button once, and both doors unlock. Locking still takes two trys every now and then but it works a hundred times better. Thanks for the ideas guys. I lubed the lock, the actuator, and hinges with some motorcycle chain lube I had laying around, worked great. I swear I tried this before and it didn't work...oh well, I won't complain.
Now to fix those stupid door panels from peeling back. Well I actually fixed one of them in the process of lubing the door lock. The other, probably needs to be replaced.
I hit the button once, and both doors unlock. Locking still takes two trys every now and then but it works a hundred times better. Thanks for the ideas guys. I lubed the lock, the actuator, and hinges with some motorcycle chain lube I had laying around, worked great. I swear I tried this before and it didn't work...oh well, I won't complain.
Now to fix those stupid door panels from peeling back. Well I actually fixed one of them in the process of lubing the door lock. The other, probably needs to be replaced.
