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:

• 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

 

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.

 

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.

 

Can you please add the link to this thread in our list of DIY's

Thanks

Salim

 

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 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.

 

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

 

 

 

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.

 

@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.

 

 

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.





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

 

Motors inside the actuators get weaker and weaker over time, putting them at the threshold for producing enough torque to actuate the lock mechanism. What typically makes them fail in close succession to one another is a nominal drop in voltage of your vehicle. Temperature moves from warm to cold, new electronic accessory, aging battery/alternator....... take your pick.

Regards,
Actuators Plus

 

I went ahead and ordered a new motor last night. Since I now have an extra actuator, I will use your instructions to bench test it before tearing the door apart again.