How to fix Chev/GM door lock
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- This video shows how I successfully repaired the rear door lock mechanism on a 2000 Chex Suburban that was intermittently failing. The door lock switch on the drivers side was not reliably locking a rear door. UPDATE: Three months after this the door lock actuator failed completely. Today I posted a video showing more detail regarding electrical diagnosis of a failed door lock actuator, here.
• Car door won’t lock, d...
This amateur demonstration is offered for free, but with no guarantees as to safety or accuracy. Be sure to carefully research any problem you intend to fix yourself, and never rely on one source for critical information. Auto repair can be inherently dangerous, so before you embark on a repair be sure you are willing to accept the risks. Any misadventure you encounter if you decide to repair your vehicle is your responsibility.
UPDATE: Three months after this the door lock actuator failed completely. Today I posted a video showing more detail regarding electrical diagnosis of a failed door lock actuator, here. ua-cam.com/video/bLCDAuLuoeE/v-deo.html. With hindsight I suspect the actuator was already intermittently failing when I made this video, but since I got it working reliably for three months with lubrication alone, I wasn't inclined to replace the actuator without evidence to justify it. You'll find further details regarding how to take the door panel off and more information regarding how the Chev door lock actutator works, there.
I just did this today on all four doors of my 2005 Sierra 2500HD. I used break caliper grease for lubrication. I'm hoping it will last because of its resistance to heat. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for your video. I just bought an '07 Silverado and the driver's door actuator doesn't seem to like to work with the remote or even the door switch, but if the door is key lock cycled, the actuator works locally by the door switch with door open but not by remote and not once door is closed... Fun stuff!!!
That's interesting. It could be your actuator is on its way out, but I'd try lubricating the mechanism first to rule out the possibility of a mechanical problem. When doing that you may find evidence of rust or corrosion of the actuator that may help you decide what to do.
Great work Dave in getting it all cleaned up and working very well! Glad to see that it didn't cost you anything to get it fixed. 😀👍
Since I live on the far left coast of Oregon the issue here is almost always electrical & due to resistance buildup in the actuators from the humid environment. They will get weaker over time from current starvation.
I always keep a spare door-only key inside the passenger rear view mirror wrapped in plastic wrap. The mirrors usually pull out without breaking anything (compression tabs), especially if you can pull on two sides simultaneously.
A spare key is a great idea, if you can convince family to always replace it after using the concealed spare! I use a different hiding place but the same idea, wrapped in plastic. It's so hidden that even knowing where it is I still can't see it, but I can feel it when I lay under the car. The last one I concealed I used vacuum wrapping to reduce the chance of condensation of water from air in the bag, and secondary rust. Ya, my first instinct was electrical, too. I live in Victoria, so we are always close to salt water spray. But I do have a habit of overthinking problems, often the fix is much more simple. Thank you for watching!
You're lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world.
You, too! My wife and I are heading down to Salem Oregon to watch the eclipse next week. Our last trip along the Oregon coast was a life memory, I've never seen a more beautiful coastline. It was such a treat to spot migrating humpbacks from the roadside cliffs.
WD-40 is a great cleaner, but I agree with you that it doesn't last well as a lubricant. For these door lock/actuator rods, I've had very good luck in the past using a Scotch-brite pad soaked with WD-40 to clean the rod, then using silicone paste as lubricant. I've found that spray-on lithium grease can weaken some types of plastics in the long term.
Yes, I agree. I found a lithium paste that seemed to work pretty well, and of course silicone paste is a great standby especially when there isn't much dirt to contaminate the area. I think the original grease was lithium, not sure. I believe that both silicone paste and lithium grease are better than the spray-on silicone that I used here. It was just what I had on hand at the moment. Thank you for watching!
Worked perfectly. Thank you.
When you put the inner panel back on, it can be awkward to slide the panel down and at the same time align the metal rod with the plastic door lock slider. A better way to put the inner panel back on is to remove the plastic slider and its housing from the panel as a single unit (either at the beginning or after the panel is removed). This is shown at the end of the second video. After removing the panel you'll see how plastic clips hold the slider housing in place, you just pry the housing off. You effectively divide the task into two easy steps. Then replacing the panel is easier, because you don't need to align the metal rod while you slide the panel down into place.
Thanks for the instructional video. It was very clear. I am going to fix my Chevy Silverado door lock today.
"oh crap i just locked myself out of the car" ....you made my day once again sir...nothing like a good belly laugh at ourselves first thing in the morning...i keep TWO sets of primary operating keys at all times and one tucked away "just" in case, appreciate your attention to candor and thoughtful editing after the fact, happy holidays and a safe new year to you way up there in the great white north, and thank you once again for sharing this information, its pure gold to me because its useful and comes from the heart!
Excellent video😁
You gave me the exact solution to my issue. Thank you.
That was a simple fix for a change, i expected it to be a locked up solenoid or similar :-D
Typically very old cars have snapped wires in the gaiter between the body and door, no surprise really, being flexed for a lifetime is something that copper tends not to enjoy lol.
I solder in loops of wire in the gaiters to let it move, the rear tailgate in small cars also have "The gaiter of death." LOL.
For sure! It's easy to overthink these kind of problems, most are within reach of anybody with a multimeter and common sense. Cheers.
Thank you my friend I have Suburban myself I am sure I will use your method sometimes in future. Cheers my friend. Thanks for sharing.
Having the same car, it can be so helpful to know where concealed connections are before bumbling through. Thank you for watching, there's another one coming next week on the front door window motor. Cheers.
spelunkerd awesome keep up good job my friend. Cheers
Thank you very much for this you smart man!
Very informative thanks for posting
Thanx. Great vid. Very thorough
Very helpful, thank you.
You didn’t have to do all that.... my Chevy Silverado did the same thing on the drivers side and turns out the rod was just bent a little I had to bed it back up a little and it works perfectly...
What rod are you referring to? Thanks
Thanks you thanks you thank you
Great video for showing how to repair and lube the door mechanism. I'm having a similar problem with my 2005 suburban, except it seems to be with both rear passenger doors. It seems that they both stick, but they do so simultaneously, for example when one sticks, they both stick and when they do unlock they both unlock. So I am suspecting something electrical because they never stick independently of each other. Do you have any ideas or insight on what may be causing that issue. I will check further but the thing is they both seem to move a tiny bit when attempting to unlock. Thanks, appreciate your video.
With both failing at once I’d do drop testing and ground testing to look for corrosion of a common junction. Even so, those actuators are a common point of failure so it wouldn’t be rare to have both fail at once. A failing switch could do that, proven by drop testing with current flowing.
@@spelunkerd ok thanks for the info, I'll give those ideas a try, thanks again.
Thanks!
I've replaced both of my lock actuators, all 3 relays and all the fuses for unlock/lock, but my passenger door still won't lock with the door switch or the key fob
Always good to verify the part is bad. Presumably you have a problem with power or ground at the passenger door, but the problem could be anywhere along the pathway of the wires or even in the module. The most vulnerable points are moving parts, either inside the door loom at the door jamb, or at the switch, and of course points of contact where water gets in. If you do the testing shown in the video there won't be much guessing.
Well done, as always! And you didn't even get your white shirt dirty! :)
When Eric the car guy said, "stay dirty" he was getting at one of our core values. I love the smell of gear oil in the morning, ha ha. Thanks for visiting!
Wow... nice full head of hair
More grey every year, unfortunately. Can't stop time.
What if the locl dosent move when you press the the locl button?
Either the lock is not getting enough power to move, or the lock actuator has failed. The other thing to check is to be sure the child lock has not been activated, but the child lock shouldn't affect control from the drivers switch. You want to disassemble the system enough to verify with your voltmeter and test light which of these is the problem.
Hahahahhaha