Central Locking Actuators (passenger door, common problem)

[Jace]

(for those of you who don't know, the 'actuator' i'm referring to the little motor in the door that pushes and pulls the rods that operate the door locks)

i recently (two months ago max.) replaced the stock actuator (on my 1990 NA6) with an aftermarket mazda/ford (i think) door lock actuator kit from jaycar (comprising of all the connections and brackets i needed) with very little difficulty. the motor was dead when i bought the car.
i made sure i greased the rods at friction points, mounted everything nice and securely and double checked the connectors for the wires from door to actuator unit.
thinking that i'd just spent the best $9.95 i could on my car i was very happy with the result.

until maybe a week ago, when i noticed the passenger door isn't locking again. i'd like to think the replacement actuator i used would last me for the rest of the time i own the car.
jumping to conclusions, i think the motor has packed it in, again.

could this be to do with dodgy energy supply to the door? or maybe unusual stress on the actuator's motor caused by a stiff/jamming connection in the rods/levers?
everytime i pull the door skin off more of the mdf card breaks away, so i wanted to ask the question before going and destroying my door inners more.
thanks.

[Jeo]

No idea what actuators I've got in mine but they don't look standard. I've had each side stop working once each, both times just ended up being the actuator rod had slipped away from the locking rod.

I'm assuming you would have checked this but last time you took your door skin off, was the actuator itself working?

[Wuey]

I have the same Jaycar actuators and am happy with them although I did have some water damage issue on the driver side. I wrapped the replacement with a piece of plastic sheet and it's been good for more than 7 years now. After I tipped the water out of the old actuator and applied 12V from a bench power supply to it, it actually still worked but I junked it anyway. Don't try this method by using power directly from the car battery as you might cause a massive short.

Also, applying some Loctite blue threadlocker on the pinching clamp will ensure that it will not come apart again. Be careful not to use too much force on the little screws as the clamp metal is quite soft.

[Juffa]

I installed Jaycar actuators in my first 5 a number of years ago. The two most common issues I found were exactly what Wuey said



With regards to removing the inner door card. I found that using a wide blade implement to lever the card away from the door works best. It spreads the load over a great surface area and reduces the damage.

J

[Jace]

No idea what actuators I've got in mine but they don't look standard. I've had each side stop working once each, both times just ended up being the actuator rod had slipped away from the locking rod.

I'm assuming you would have checked this but last time you took your door skin off, was the actuator itself working?

the replacement worked perfectly for a few months, and now doesn't.
the car's very waterproof, made sure i cleaned out the bottom of the doors before i put everything back in and only found very dry dust and it wasn't long after i washed the car's exterior that i was into the door.

i'll make sure i get around to it tomorrow night and post my findings back here.

[Garry]

the car's very waterproof,

I had water problems with my Jaycar actuators as well. I wrapped them in plastic and never had a problem again.

I'm surprised your doors are dry IH8. NA/NB doors tend to get very wet.

[Jace]

it's waterproof, so long as when i wash it, i don't spray directly at the top edge of the window glass.
i spray downwards from an angle, so that the lip of the softtop deflects the water spray away, and so that the top inch or so of window doesn't get any water.
worked out this method when washing my 60's mercedes. the nylon wheels that the windows rest on are worn down, so the window drops down about 5mm from where it should be sitting.
the rain doesn't get in at all is basically what i'm getting at, so my door's stay dry.

ps: haven't done it yet.