pathfinder / qx4 electric door lock gremlins

[fueler]

Well my R50 started acting up today.... I got in my car to go to work.... as i was letting the engine warm up, i tried to open the door but it locked the moment I touched the interior door handle. It is the most bizarre thing i've ever seen. I had to use two hands, one to hold the lock open and one to open the door, because everytime i touched the door handle, the electric lock LOCKED all the doors! I can hear the relay click Also, my power door lock remote no longer opens all 4 doors - only the drivers side I can't tell if someone tried opening my car becuase the drivers side lock is already destroyed from a previous theft attempt ( although i thought i heard my alarm last night ) EDIT: video below
Modified by fueler at 11:22 AM 1/23/2008

[bmlawless]

It almost sounds like the vehicle thinks that your driver's side key cylinder is constantly being turned. You might try something as simple as sticking your key in and turning it back and forth a few times to see if that straightens it out. Do you get the same thing is you open the passanger door instead of the driver's side. According to the schematics, there is no connection betweent he handle and the lock, but there is a connection between the door switch and the lock system. If the vehicle is getting a constant signal to lock the doors, as soon as it thinks the door has been opened, I could see it cycling the locks.

This is all just a guess.

[fueler]

thank you BM thats a great start. Now i know what to expect when i take the door apart

Video: (fast connection recommended) you will see that sometiomes it does it, sometimes not

[url=https://forum-attachments.sfo2.digital ... blenms.flv]
Modified by fueler at 8:13 PM 2/5/2008

[bmlawless]

After watching the video, three things come to mind:1) You are definitely not opening the door, so the door switch should be out of the picture.2) The intermittent nature of the problem leads me to believe there is a short/open condition somewhere.3) Since there is no connection between the handle and the Smart Entrance Control Unit, there shoud be not action when you touch the handle.

My guess is that you have a problem with the switch and/or connector right there at the door handle. You will probably see it go goofy even if you were to tap on the door around the handle.

[timmack]

thats a little on the weird side from watching the video. you ever get it figured out, fueler?

[fueler]

nope. i left on vacation for 10 days, came back and the door is completely fine

[timmack]

haha, wth? did you have alot of rain there when it was happening? maybe the electronics got soaked in all the downpours i heard about in cali, and it dried out during that 10 day span and now its fine...who knows

[bmlawless]

Maybe someone else tried to break in and fixed it.

[fueler]

haha, wth? did you have alot of rain there when it was happening? maybe the electronics got soaked in all the downpours i heard about in cali, and it dried out during that 10 day span and now its fine...who knows

Good possibility. It was raining on the night that this started. Since then, i stored the QX4 in a garage for the last 10 days so it had some time to dry out.

Maybe someone else tried to break in and fixed it.

Haha not in my garage. But there are always more break ins when it rains - thieves love how the rain muffles any noise they make.

[SnowSurfLax]

Fueler - it could be the moisture. My ABS light stops coming on whenever I get the wheels good and wet.

Given how dry it is here, I'd suspect that the seals aren't holding up perfectly anymore. My seat belt sometimes feels a bit damp when it rains and I first put it on.

[fueler]

it started up again turns out the linkage is binding, triggering the magnetic door lock switch i'm not the first with this problem

[bmlawless]

Fueler - it could be the moisture. My ABS light stops coming on whenever I get the wheels good and wet.

I love the fact the the light STOPS coming on when it gets wet, implying that the majority of the time you are driving around with the light on.

i'm not the first with this problem

This is good, you should have some guidance on how to fix it. How did you find out you weren't the first? (No dirty jokes!)

[SnowSurfLax]

I love the fact the the light STOPS coming on when it gets wet, implying that the majority of the time you are driving around with the light on.

Dude... It's ABS. Y'know, that thing you might use once or twice in the lifetime of your vehicle? (assuming you aren't running around driving too fast on slick surfaces)

The only major accident I've ever been in (knock on wood) was CAUSED by ABS. Slammed on the breaks on dry pavement trying to NOT run into somebody, but nope. Crunched the front of my mom's Tore-as$, over $2500 in damage for stupid plastic front end. If the damn ABS system has let me lock up the brakes I should have cleared the other car by 1 - 5 feet. Instead I literally rolled into the little pickup and didn't even scratch the chrome on the solid steel bumper.

[fueler]

ABS does suck but i think the ford taurass might be partially to blame too PS i was at the junkyards yesterday and found a QX4. I asked about the spoiler for you, but the guy didn't want to separate it from the tail gate because "it leaves some ugly holes" i am quoting him haha

[SnowSurfLax]

Haha, he didn't think that maybe that was the reason you wanted it?

Actually, it's ok. I'm definitely going to get the flat hinges at some point in time. Or I may just take a hack saw to it, shape it and paint them flat black. Depends on how much effort either way takes.

I'm going for the flat and smooth top look as going towards a mpg increase. Fits in with the 500 lbs I want to shave off the gross weight.

[bmlawless]

Maybe it's because I live in a place where roads actually gets slick, but I like the ABS. Apparently, auto manufacturers, the feds, and insurance companies do too. I was going to leave the topic alone, but since it's fueler's thread and he decided to go down the path, I figured it is safe to go OT.

So, how bad is traffic when you are activating ABS on dry pavement?

[timmack]

i guess that would make this thread "fueler recommended"

[fueler]

I'm going for the flat and smooth top look as going towards a mpg increase. Fits in with the 500 lbs I want to shave off the gross weight.

Have you taken off the roof racks yet? they unscrew and give the roof a sleek look. It also quiets the cabin noticeably. I did that for a bit but put them back on cause they make the QX4 look taller, plus I use them from time to time

[bmlawless]

Have you taken off the roof racks yet? they unscrew and give the roof a sleek look. It also quiets the cabin noticeably.

Did you just remove the cross bars or did you take the rails off too? I will probably remove my crossbars in the summer for noise and fuel economy (I've heard it helps).

In the winter I need them for skis, but in the summer I use a hitch rack for bikes.

[fueler]

i took off all the cross bars but not the rails... the rails are too much work to take off

[bmlawless]

Just a quick photoshop, but now it looks like a Honda Passport.