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Thread: Weird Power Door Lock Problems

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    Weird Power Door Lock Problems

    I have a 2014 Mirage (Indonesian RHD specced with Exceed trim) with no modification in the electrical system.

    1. Around a month ago the locks on the front passenger side (FL) intermittently started showing problems, when I trigger to lock/unlock all the doors (trigger from remote or from driver side door) the locks wont change state i.e. still locked when I trigger unlock and still unlocked when I trigger lock.
    2. A week later I ignored it and it suddenly started working again, then after around 3 days the problem magically transferred to the front driver side (FR).
    3. I ignored it again for around 3 weeks and now the front passenger side (FL) and rear passenger side (RL) door locks intermittently showing the same problems just like a month ago. Plus the front driver side (FR) door lock has now failed completely.

    Any idea why? I did a measurement on the battery voltage when the car is off and when the car is on, and it came out normal.
    Should I open the actuators and maybe clean the brushes on the motor with a contact cleaner? (I've read that sometimes the brush is corroded or became weared out with usage)

    Oh and does anyone know the type of the motor used in the power door lock actuator? Just in case if I need to replace the motor.

    Here's some videos of the problem.





    Thanks in advance.



  2. #2
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Interesting. First I've heard of it.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  3. #3
    Car is out of warranty, I assume?

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    Car is out of warranty, I assume?
    Yeah it's out of warranty in July 2017, 2 weeks ago I tried to bring it to the dealer where I bought the car though. They said that the actuator motor is broken and needs replacement, because the warranty has already expired, I need to pay the parts out of my pocket. They quoted me around $110 for one actuator, so now because 3 doors is broken, I'll need $330 to replace all 3 broken door locks which sucks.

    So I declined the offer and chose to fix it myself as I've read that replacing or fixing the actual motors in the actuator is easy and the replacement motors only cost around $5 - $10 per motor. What I don't understand is why they all broke in almost the same time, I'm afraid there's some electrical problem that caused it.

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    Senior Member daleWV's Avatar
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    I know you said you tested your battery voltage as normal but from my experiences with aftermarket door lock actuators on other cars, a weak battery can cause flaky actuator operation just like this. Do the locks work any better with the engine running?

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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by daleWV View Post
    I know you said you tested your battery voltage as normal but from my experiences with aftermarket door lock actuators on other cars, a weak battery can cause flaky actuator operation just like this. Do the locks work any better with the engine running?
    I agree with this line of reasoning.

    Quote Originally Posted by Clockwork View Post
    Any idea why? I did a measurement on the battery voltage when the car is off and when the car is on, and it came out normal.
    What do you consider 'normal'?


    On the other hand, there is no report of problems with motor starts, and I would expect that to be a larger draw on the battery.

    ??

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by daleWV View Post
    I know you said you tested your battery voltage as normal but from my experiences with aftermarket door lock actuators on other cars, a weak battery can cause flaky actuator operation just like this. Do the locks work any better with the engine running?
    Sadly the locks doesn't work any better with the engine running.

    Quote Originally Posted by Eggman View Post
    I agree with this line of reasoning.

    What do you consider 'normal'?


    On the other hand, there is no report of problems with motor starts, and I would expect that to be a larger draw on the battery.

    ??
    From my last measurements:
    Engine off - 12.63 volts
    Engine running - 14.17 volts

    Yeah, there's no problem with other electrical systems beside the locks. The starter motor runs fine everytime.

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Clockwork View Post
    So I declined the offer and chose to fix it myself as I've read that replacing or fixing the actual motors in the actuator is easy and the replacement motors only cost around $5 - $10 per motor. What I don't understand is why they all broke in almost the same time, I'm afraid there's some electrical problem that caused it.
    Too bad you're out of warranty.

    It sounds like you're handy. So I would pull one of the actuators and have a look -- see if you can determine why it failed.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Time to measure voltage at the locks.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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  12. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    Too bad you're out of warranty.

    It sounds like you're handy. So I would pull one of the actuators and have a look -- see if you can determine why it failed.
    Quote Originally Posted by Eggman View Post
    Time to measure voltage at the locks.
    So yesterday I finally got time to work on my car and opened the actuator and fixed the motor, now it is working properly!

    I did measure the voltage with a digital multimeter to the 2 motor wires but the pulse voltage is so quick that it doesn't have time to register on my multimeter (only flashes 8 - 10 volts). So this method only tells you that there is voltage coming from the wire.

    I'll post a full write up of the procedure later along with some pics and videos.

    Spoiler: the culprit is the actuator motor with its burnt commutator.



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