Replacement Door Lock Actuators - Ebay Chinese Replacement Tutorial
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
Replacement Door Lock Actuators - Ebay Chinese Replacement Tutorial
Ok guys, I have been asked a hundred times by my customers why the Door Lock Actuators they purchased on Ebay are causing problems.
I thought I would create a post to help explain and hopefully save you some time troubleshooting down the road.
At $10 a piece they aren't a bad deal, but a large percentage are missing components that will cause issues with your vehicle.
Some of these symptoms/issues can be:
Again for the price these are hard to pass up. So here I will include some quick testing you can do before installation to make sure your units are working properly.
What is the most common problem with these Chinese units?
Typically it is missing one or both of the spring contacts for the lock sensors.
So here is a quick guide to help you test your replacement actuators before installation.
Note the following images for Pin and Arm reference:
Lever Arm A - Pull Toward Pins
Lever Arm A - Push Away from Pins
Lever Arm B - Pull Toward Pins
Lever Arm B - Push Away from Pins
That's it. If your actuators pass this test you should be good to go. If it fails any part of it then you are going to have issues.
Hope this helps,
Actuators Plus
I thought I would create a post to help explain and hopefully save you some time troubleshooting down the road.
At $10 a piece they aren't a bad deal, but a large percentage are missing components that will cause issues with your vehicle.
Some of these symptoms/issues can be:
- No chirp when locking
- Double unlocking
- Disabling of Security system
- Using Key will not Lock/Unlock other 3 doors
- Reverse Locking - Pressing Lock will Unlock and vise versa
Again for the price these are hard to pass up. So here I will include some quick testing you can do before installation to make sure your units are working properly.
What is the most common problem with these Chinese units?
Typically it is missing one or both of the spring contacts for the lock sensors.
So here is a quick guide to help you test your replacement actuators before installation.
Note the following images for Pin and Arm reference:
Lever Arm A - Pull Toward Pins
- Pin 2 + Pin 4 = Continuity
- Pin 1 + Pin 4 = No Continuity
Lever Arm A - Push Away from Pins
- Pin 2 + Pin 4 = No Continuity
- Pin 1 + Pin 4 = Continuity
Lever Arm B - Pull Toward Pins
- Pin 3 + Pin 4 = No Continuity
Lever Arm B - Push Away from Pins
- Pin 3 + Pin 4 = Continuity
That's it. If your actuators pass this test you should be good to go. If it fails any part of it then you are going to have issues.
Hope this helps,
Actuators Plus
The following 3 users liked this post by vr4/sc400:
#2
Do you know of a seller that sells one without any issues? There is also a tutorial on here showing how to replace only the motor; I might end up going that route since the motors are cheap, but if there's an aftermarket that works fine, that would be convenient.
#3
Driver
Thread Starter
I do not have a list of known good sellers. Hopefully others chime in with their experiences.
If you have the time I definitely recommend rebuilding your own units.
If you have the time I definitely recommend rebuilding your own units.
#4
Moderator
#5
Great tutorial, vr4!
I replaced the motors in the driver side front door actuator 4.5 yrs ago and in the driver side rear door actuator a little over a year ago. I have one motor left to repair a third one, but might try a cheap unit instead, as if would be a lot easier and now I know how to verify it.
I replaced the motors in the driver side front door actuator 4.5 yrs ago and in the driver side rear door actuator a little over a year ago. I have one motor left to repair a third one, but might try a cheap unit instead, as if would be a lot easier and now I know how to verify it.
#6
Pit Crew
I replaced the drivers side unit today and now I need to do the front passenger side unit. The next time should go a lot faster. I first tested the new part and all was good but when I installed it it did not unlock the door. After checking I found that there are a number of points that need to be seated just right when putting the new one in. I took pictures and will post them. the drivers side works great now.
#7
Just replaced my driver's door with this one from Amazon below, followed the guide in the DIY sticky. If there are any problems with it, I will make an edit, if there's no edit, it worked fine. I will probably attempt to replace the motor on my other ones instead of buying an aftermarket depending on how long I end up taking to open it and removing + reinstalling the pinion gear; since I replaced my driver's with a generic, I currently have the OEM one out and will practice on that
The following users liked this post:
maorsela (11-27-18)
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#8
Driver School Candidate
Replacing used actuator from junkyard work for a few month or none at all. I found motor from Camry 1991-1995 fitted perfectly to rx2000 actuator. You may ask why do I used older model. I guess it was well made motor than rx. I had Camry 1991, and all actuator still work. If you are going to get the motor from Camry, I would not take the driver side. I guess it got used the most. Good luck.
#10
Pit Crew
Thanks to vr4/sc400 post I bought actuators for both front doors. Last weekend I tested the one for the drivers door and it was good so I installed it and it works as it should. Yesterday I tested the one for the passenger side before installing but it is a no go on that one. I bought these through Amazon so I already started a return but I was hoping to finish this up this weekend. I am so thankful for the test procedure, it would have been a real pain to install and have it not work.
#13
Driver
Thread Starter
@vr4/sc400 Do you have the pin test for the rear actuators? I tried replacing the motor and ended up with one that ran backwards. I bought a complete actuator and it doesn't move at all.
Sellers on eBay/Amazon screw this up all the time and don't know or don't care......
If you are hell-bent determined to make it work you can cut the wires leading to pins 3 and 4 and reverse them. But honestly that's a half-assed cover-up, just spend the $5 and get a correct motor.
Lever Arm - Push Away from Pins
- Pin 1 + Pin 2 = Continuity
Lever Arm - Pull Toward Pins
- Pin 1 + Pin 2 = No Continuity
Motor Testing RIGHT PASSENGER: Using 12vDC
- +voltage on Pin 4, -voltage on Pin 3 = Lever Arm Pushes Away From Pins
- -voltage on Pin 4, +voltage on Pin 3 = Lever Arm Pulls Toward Pins
Motor Testing LEFT DRIVER: Using 12vDC
- +voltage on Pin 4, -voltage on Pin 3 = Lever Arm Pulls Toward Pins
- -voltage on Pin 4, +voltage on Pin 3 = Lever Arm Pushes Away From Pins
Regards,
Actuators Plus
The following 2 users liked this post by vr4/sc400:
caseyatbt (11-19-18),
turtelshea (04-20-20)
#14
Driver
Thread Starter
Regards,
Actuators Plus
The following users liked this post:
BeeKind (08-11-20)
#15
Driver School Candidate
If your actuator operates in reverse then the problem is your motor. You are using a CCW (counter-clockwise) motor, when you need to use a CW (clockwise) motor.
Sellers on eBay/Amazon screw this up all the time and don't know or don't care......
If you are hell-bent determined to make it work you can cut the wires leading to pins 3 and 4 and reverse them. But honestly that's a half-assed cover-up, just spend the $5 and get a correct motor.
Sellers on eBay/Amazon screw this up all the time and don't know or don't care......
If you are hell-bent determined to make it work you can cut the wires leading to pins 3 and 4 and reverse them. But honestly that's a half-assed cover-up, just spend the $5 and get a correct motor.