J30 door problem
J30 door problem
My passenger door hasnt locked/unlocked with the remote for a while now and I decided its about time to get it fixed because its not good to leave the car unlocked and its annoying to use the key when someone locks the door from the inside and locks themselves in. Anyway...I was told it was the actuator that needed replaced. Is this located in the door panel or under the dash somewhere? How hard is it to replace? I know how to get the panels on and off I just need to know how difficult to replace this may be. Should i go to infinitipartsusa for the actuator?
The door lock actuator is actually assembled to the door latch mechanism in the door. I just changed my drivers door latch mechanism so i can speak from experience
Order the actuator and 6 door panels fasteners (clips) The clips have a tendency to break, not all but do not take a chance. I used the new ones and saved the surviving old ones for a rainy day
Go to http://www.carstereohelp.com and see the instructions for replacing the door speakers. Very good and detailed instructions to remove panel. Do this with the window up. Be careful pulling back the plastic sheet liner. You should only need to remove half way. The black goop is reusable so do not remove.
Take a few digital pics or sketch how the mechanism looks fully assembled. This way you know exactly where to put everything back
In order to remove the actuator you will need to remove the latch and actuator as one, Impossible to get to screws holding actuator to latch mechanism.
Remove the arms being careful not to break the holders. They rotate to release the rod. Remove the three screws holding the latch mechanism and the two screws holding the assembly. You will need to unplug the actuator. It takes a little work to get the assmebly out of the door.
I had to remove the bottom window track screw to allow the track to move enought to get the mechanism out. Mark the position of the screw before removeing so it can be reassemble in the exact location. Prevents track misalignment
After that it is very straight forward. Two phillips screws hold the actuator to the latch.
Took me about 1 hour total to do this job from start to finish
I think the actuator is around $60 somthing from Scottsdale
good luck
Order the actuator and 6 door panels fasteners (clips) The clips have a tendency to break, not all but do not take a chance. I used the new ones and saved the surviving old ones for a rainy day
Go to http://www.carstereohelp.com and see the instructions for replacing the door speakers. Very good and detailed instructions to remove panel. Do this with the window up. Be careful pulling back the plastic sheet liner. You should only need to remove half way. The black goop is reusable so do not remove.
Take a few digital pics or sketch how the mechanism looks fully assembled. This way you know exactly where to put everything back
In order to remove the actuator you will need to remove the latch and actuator as one, Impossible to get to screws holding actuator to latch mechanism.
Remove the arms being careful not to break the holders. They rotate to release the rod. Remove the three screws holding the latch mechanism and the two screws holding the assembly. You will need to unplug the actuator. It takes a little work to get the assmebly out of the door.
I had to remove the bottom window track screw to allow the track to move enought to get the mechanism out. Mark the position of the screw before removeing so it can be reassemble in the exact location. Prevents track misalignment
After that it is very straight forward. Two phillips screws hold the actuator to the latch.
Took me about 1 hour total to do this job from start to finish
I think the actuator is around $60 somthing from Scottsdale
good luck
I thought about this overnight and want to ask this
If you lock the door manually does it prevent you from opening the door from the outside? If so the door lock actuator is bad. If not there may be something wrong with the latch or the linkages. If it does not prevent the opening of the door from the outside then I suggest removing the door panel and seeing if a linkage came undone or somthing else like the door latch. The latch problem did this to mine and it made me nervous even with the alarm activated. Grew up in Jersey and never left anything unlocked as it would eventually be gone. Even if you locked it there was still a chance.
Do you hear the actuator working when ou press the lock on the remote?
I have always felt that a car should be mechanically sound before cosmetic repairs are completed. I would fix the door because if your car is gone then you have nothing. Save for the mats later. Call Joe at scottsdale and ask him how much the mats are from him.
Good luck. What part of FL are you in?
If you lock the door manually does it prevent you from opening the door from the outside? If so the door lock actuator is bad. If not there may be something wrong with the latch or the linkages. If it does not prevent the opening of the door from the outside then I suggest removing the door panel and seeing if a linkage came undone or somthing else like the door latch. The latch problem did this to mine and it made me nervous even with the alarm activated. Grew up in Jersey and never left anything unlocked as it would eventually be gone. Even if you locked it there was still a chance.
Do you hear the actuator working when ou press the lock on the remote?
I have always felt that a car should be mechanically sound before cosmetic repairs are completed. I would fix the door because if your car is gone then you have nothing. Save for the mats later. Call Joe at scottsdale and ask him how much the mats are from him.
Good luck. What part of FL are you in?
Well, I got the car from my brother August of 2002 and two things that needed fixed were the actuator in the passenger door and the rear regulator...both were checked out by a dealer. To answer your question....whenever i lock the door from the inside i cant open it from the inside or the outside. If i hit the lock button on the remote it doesnt lock that door no matter what. And if it does get locked from the inside...like when a stupid friend messes with it....i have to unlock it manually from the outside to get the door open. I dont worry about locking it too much....theres not to much crime here in tallahassee.
Im coming down towards your area though this weekend.
Im coming down towards your area though this weekend.