Symptoms:

Drivers door/Passenger door will not open. No noticeable noise from the lock area (see pic 1), this was apparent on my car as i could hear the passenger side lock engaging/disengaging but not the drivers side.

I have heard that quite a few S's suffer this fate, but mainly early S's.

Also I've heard people say 'spray WD40 on/in the actuator' however this will do jack shit, its a concealed unit and it had more enough grease inside. I opened it up attempting a repair and its a basic motor, arm, polarity changer, spring and worm gear. I think the motor/brushes inside had seen better days and it had worn in places.

1. Remove door card, remove rod guard (1 screw) and disconnect lower rod+upper rod to locking unit.

2. Remove the 3 screws on the side of the door:


3. With one hand manoeuvre the locking unit+actuator for easier access whilst holding the lock mechanism.#

4. Remove the 3 screws on the actuator:


5. Remove the 2 electrical connectors to the actuator unit and pull the unit down and towards you (just an inch) and remove the connection to the rotating arm (this arm locks the door remotely).


6. While you have the door cards off and mechanism removed, spray the rod end connections and locking mechanisms with WD40 - my passenger side door release was sticking slightly, this solved it.

6. Follow the above steps backwards to put back together again.

 

Just some things to add this ......

Take some pictures as you do each stage of the removal - knowing where you need to hold things whilst working blind on reassembly is a MASSIVE help and leave the window up. That way if it starts to rain and you have the door card off and disconnected you can at least shut the door and go inside.


I didn't unscrew the lock mech from the door, reason being i reckoned it would just come back to bite me later when i needed to put something else back in.


Unscrew lock guard - this exposes the 2 screws holding the actuator to the lock - this is a small self tapper and the usual SOFT head.

Remove locking guard bar - one screw and probably rusty but a proper size screw so less chance of stripping the head.

Unscrew the two small threaded cross head bolts that hold the actuator to the lock and remove actuator.

Bring actuator inside and unscrew the 5 small screws. Remove faulty motor from dead unit and swap the new motor and new rubber seal into it. This matters because if its your drivers door, it has the control unit in which activates the passenger door lock remotely.

When you've finished, you will be left with this. One new housing, one old seal and one very dead motor.





Refitting .......


On the two small brass cross head bolts that bolt the actuator to the door, pop a small tab of bluetack on the bolt thread - this keeps them in place but flush to the back face otherwise you'll not get them in the right place whilst keeping the actuator arm in the right place on the lock. Carefully turn each screw backwards until you feel it 'click' onto it's thread then tighten up.

Connect the two plugs and check that it works.

Don't be tempted to try and get a head AND an arm into the door - unless you're 15 or anorexic you won't fit. You want your head as far to the leading end of the door and as close as you can in order to get your arm in at the trailing end of the opening. The opening is where the foam sound deadening block comes out of with the door card removed.

It has taken me about an hour and a good 15 minutes of that was fecking about trying to decide which origami position worked best, fiddly but not overly complicated.

 

Bitch of a job...

 

Oh agreed, it's not one i'd want to do over and over again and i'd guess being 6' plus really doesn't help I just put an old car mat on the floor and sat down with my head pretty much in the door

AJ - FIX YOUR IMAGE LINKS!!!!

 

Thanks for that!

Might have to try that on the 'Lude - sometimes it fails to unlock & I think it causes the alarm to go off. Alarm's probably f ucked too, though.

 

Just dragging this up, where did you source the motor for the actuator UncleFester? I'd like to sort this for this weekend.

Thanks.

 

I got mine new from the USA when i ordered a load of other bits and bobs - think it was about $25 there.