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Trying to repair the sliding door locking device

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tjeepman
226K views 135 replies 83 participants last post by  GamFam12 
#1 ·
Passenger side slider buzzed a bit last year, a sure sign something was up. Sure enough, the lock/unlock device failed a few months later. Manually locking/unlocking worked, but what a paid.

I took it aprt today to see if it was something that I could fix... in short, no. Here are some pictures and procedures however.

First- I loosened the 3 torx screws on the back (rear facing) side of the door, these 3 are around the latching mechanism.

Then from inside, with the door partially closed, I popped off the door panel- use a screw driver to start popping 1 location, make your way around to pop off about 10 other plastic push-ins. You may break 1 or 2, you can buy replacements. You have to unscrew the juice box holder on top first.

You will see a black/plastic dust cover stuck on the metal, once you remove the panel. I could not fully remove it without undoing some more bolts, so I just folded it over it as its on the other side of the door anyways.

With the door closed, and you inside, you can pull out the whole locking mechanism which has a motor and other stuff all in one piece. you will need to remove a styrofoam piece, and undo the lock bar- pull back a holder, a the rod comes out of its holder. Slide the whole piece out, undo the power lock wiring harness (carefully).

I checked the 4 pins for power- sure enough, 1 pin goes HOT when the lock is pressed to lock, another pin goes HOT when you unlock. Wire 3, I do not know what up with that, wire 4 was a ground, which had connectivity. I was pretty sure that I had no line cuts, so I continued with the removal.

There is a small torx screw holding the locking actuator to the other things there. I now tested the locking device with a 12V battery. Little, or no movement so I was on the right path.

I took apart the actuator (picture 1 below), and exposed the guts (picture 2). I popped out the motor (picture 3) and played with that for a bit to see if it was the motor. Sure enough, it was. The motor turned for 1-2 seconds, then stopped. Could be a diode, a current limiter, anything. So I popped the cover, and there was a lot of carbon & scortching (picture 4 below). Time to replace.

Since is Sunday, and nothing is open, I put the van back together, the door is in LOCK mode, so I am safe till tomorrow.

If I think about it, I will take pictures of the process to remove/replace this actuator.







 
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#2 ·
Keep up with the pictures if you can. They are worth a thousand words. My locks are fine for now - 2003 Voyager - but you never know when I might have to do the same thing you're doing.

John
 
#3 · (Edited)
Stupid me, or so the day started out. I realized that the door is now locked, but there was no way to unlock it to open it, and get to the latch screws. I went to the stealership to get the part- $172 taxes in! Part number 1-04717961AB.

Back home, I figurred that I could re-install the actuator without having to remove the latch! I had to hook the slotted end over the matching location in the locking mechanism, lined up the single screw hole, and gave it a try. It seemed to work. So I hooked up the power, and it worked- locked and unlocked!! Whoo hoo.... I had to remove once more to put the latch bar back in place and lock it down (see pictures below). Then, replace the foam piece, lock the bar in place at the front, replace the dust cover, then the panel lining up the push-in pieces and tapping with a mallet.

Email me if you have any questions.

Panel:


Dust cover (marked with tape so I could re-align on re-install):


Foam piece (marked so I could re-install)


Connecting rods- both locked into place with the swing-over clip in place:


Actuator and screw to remove it:


Actuator and connecting rod, locked in place with the red pull-over holder:
 
#4 ·
I just did this last weekend on one of my 2005 Grand Caravans. It was the drivers side sliding door and the part number was also 4717961AB. The list on it was $115, but ended up paying "shop price", which is 20% less ($84). The new actuator was larger than the original broken one that I removed. I was concerned it would not fit, but it does. Hopefully, the newer part is bigger because of a better (larger) motor. The shop manual instructs to remove the door handle and door stop, but those steps are unneccessary. The manual also instructs to remove the lock/latch assembly, which may not be necessary, but makes the job easier (especially when putting in the new actuator). Using duct tape to reapply the water shield (black rubber cover) works great. Also, the fastener pins they use to support the inside door panel to the frame are much better than in past generations (did not break or damage any). Some of the pins that stay attached to the door frame when removing the door panel are easily removed by popping them out (prying with a medium flathead screwdriver on the center underside of the pin). You want to have all pins secured in the door panel when reinstalling to the door frame. Overall, the job took about two hours. Good luck!
 
#5 ·
I'll be asking questions on this as the week progresses, our passenger sliding door lock has stopped functioning (I can see it try to go up and down, but it does not, only manually) Looks like I have to replace the motor to fix this. And it figures this is the same side I am constantly replacing my wire fix on, plus it has a bad clutch on this side also.
 
#6 ·
I Fixed It!!!

Hi all!
I had the same exact problem with my door lock as PT SEAN did.
It took some time but I was able to fix it for about five dollars!
I was able to identify the motor and purchase two from www.activesurplus.com through EBay.
The worn-out motor in my lock assembly was labeled as a Mabuchi Motor. A little looking around on their website and I was able to identify the model number.
Quite a few companies are selling these motors on the internet. The majority of companies selling these, however, are selling them in large quantities. I was able to purchase just two of the Mabuchi FC-280PT-20150 motors from Active Surplus.
The only drawback is that Active Surplus is located in Canada. They shipped it to me in the US no problem though.

Here’s how to fix your lock after you get your motor. Carefully remove and disassemble the lock assembly as PT Sean instructs. You’re going to have to take the gear off your old motor because the new one isn’t going to come with one. I wrapped my little gear up with some small pieces of duct tape to prevent any damage and pried it off. (The gear came off really easy). Putting the gear on the new motor took a little more effort but was really easy too. First I put one drop on loctite in the hole in the gear. (Not sure if I needed it or not but figured it wouldn’t hurt). I then pushed the gear onto the shaft as gently and straight as I could. I wasn’t able to seat the gear by hand so I placed the motor and gear into my shop vise and slowly pushed the gear onto the shaft.
At that point all that is required is to put the motor back into the assembly and button it up.
(If you happened to remove the large black gear from the assembly while performing all this work, you’re going to have problems getting it back in properly. It’s hard to explain but there is a return spring connected to the shaft. I’ve included pictures to illustrate how the spring looks in the incorrect position. )

I am sure that this process will work for other small motors that need replacing on various other automobiles.
Have fun!
 

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#8 ·
Active surplus is on Queen street in Toronto's downtown. I spent many hours years ago browsing through his place. A lot of everything down there. Cody, if you could post a part number for the motor from Active I would greatly appreciate it. I still have warranty for 20,000 more kms and 18 months yet, but for $5 I would pick a couple of those motors up cause ya just never know....down the road
 
#9 ·
Thanks to PT and Cody for the excellent write up and info. I just repaired my 05 tonight. I ordered 4 motors from Canada a whopping $11 delivered and now have 3 backups. I have an extended Chrysler warranty but the deductible is $100. You guys saved me some $$$ here!

Thanks and bunch and happy holidays ;)

Fixit
 
#10 ·
Town Country

I had the same problem a year ago and took it to the dealer (that was before I enrolled in this forum), they charged me $250 for parts and labor.

A few weeks ago the other door presented the same problem but to my advantage I had the failed actuator I had replaced. I order two motors from ebay and replaced one in my extra actuator, it was a bit tricky to put back into place the large black gear but the tip and the pictures from "CODY" were a great help.

After I followed the instructions I was able to make it work, but only with the remote, when I unlocked manually the door wouldn't open. I had to dissassemble again and I found that I didn´t place the actuator's arm correctly (the arm with the bigger hole). That hole has to fit a round part (about 1 cm) that unlocks/locks the latch when you are not using the remote.

After reinstalling everything went well and now it works perfectly. Thanks everyone for the posts you saved me exactly USD244.
 
#12 ·
I have Dodge Caravan 2001, and my Driver side sliding door has problem..latch/actuator motor does open or loack, i open the black motor..and now i have problem, motor seems to me is ok...some thing else is not working inside the actuator...i gave small motor power driectly it works on both side...any help plz ...what should be a problem....?
 
#13 ·
Sorry i mean my Door Latch Motor does not moves the LOCK up or Down, i open the door and remove that latch motor out, and open it plastic black motor,

But when i connect small motor directly to Van battery to test is it working, it does work, in both directions...

i am thinking there is big Round Spring which holds on one end for big gear to swing on other side, that spring does not have enough Tension to bring back the Big Gear.

It moves one side and bring back Big Gear quickly back, but one i moves that that gear other side spring does not push the gear back i have to puch little bit the gear to come back on its position.

Do i have to get new Spring some where, reason if i try to fix this it will break and do not have much wire in it , it suppose to be loose aroung gear neck.

Any one wants to help me at this point.???
 

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#14 ·
You have to make sure the actuator rod is in the motor assembly OK when you mount it back in. Also.. my motor would turn but did not have enough power to latch /unlatch. When I put the new motor in, it was way stronger. It potential could be the motor. I was able to test my assembly before I mounted it to make sure it moved back and forth.
 
#16 ·
a few pointers:

The factory sliding door lock actuator is DRY! (no lubrication whatsoever!) hence it becomes very difficult to operate and burns up motor brushes..

the spring trap mechanism (which keeps the actuator in Locked/Unlocked position is of particular concern (friction of dry plastic is very high..) see pic below - red circled area..

View attachment 2380

A few other observations:
on early 05: LH (drivers) sliding door actuator can be removed/installed with latch in place. RH (passenger) door latch assy MUST be removed to access the lock actuator (since the access hole for actuator attaching screw in in the wrong place)

If you need to open/close the sliding door with lock actuator removed - no problem! the lock defaults to "locked" position - to open the door, slide the metal bar (which goes through the plastic actuator arm/loop UP and depress the interior lock button..)
 
#18 ·
Driver's side sliding door won't open

I don't know if my issue is similar to what was discussed here but here goes anyway. Last week, the driver's side sliding door decided that it will not unlock electronically. I can't even pull up the lock manually to open the door. Any ideas what the issue is?

Thanks!
 
#19 ·
same issue, lock actuator..
you should still be able to manually unlock it (it will require some force/pressure/pulsing the knob..) unless something completely broke in the actuator..

If you're having hard time grabbing onto the knob, you can remove the trim around the bump stop and pull/push directly on the link..
 
#20 ·
Chalk up another success story with Driver's side actuator on my 2005 T&C. Ordered motor from Canada (2 motors for $3) and with freight, total cost is $8 and I have a spare motor. Took about 2 hours but could do another easily in less than an hour.

Many thanks to those who contributed to me saving $300 or so!

C.B.
 
#21 ·
I will replace the whole actuator tonight on the drivers side slide door. I bought a new one but it is bigger than the old one and the notes on the parts screen said if it was different from the old one then remove the latch bracket. What do I have to do to get this to work? Thanks
 
#22 ·
need more help!

I followed the steps laid out by PT Sean and Cody above (Thanks guys for all the pics and detail). I ordered the motors from activesurplus and was very excited to fix my rear sliding door lock for only $7. I got the old actuator out just fine. The problems started when I opened it and found that my actuator actually has a different motor than the FC-280PT-20150 listed by Cody. My 2007 T&C has a FC-280SC-20150 motor. The motor I need has the shaft coming out of the other end of the motor, and it has a very long steel worm gear on it.

2 questions:
1. anybody know where I can buy one of these FC-280SC-20150 motors or an equivalent?
2. how do I get this worm gear off? This gear is much longer than that shown in Cody's picture (mine is probably 1" long) and it seems to be stuck on there pretty good.

If I can get a source for the motor, I'll try harder to get the gear off. Searches for this motor part no. haven't helped much. Anybody know of an equivalent motor or where I can get the FC-280SC-20150 motor where the shaft comes out of the metal motor case instead of out of the plastic end?

Thanks for any help.
 
#23 ·
more help with actuator motor

I followed the steps laid out by PT Sean and Cody above (Thanks guys for all the pics and detail). I ordered the motors from activesurplus and was very excited to fix my rear sliding door lock for only $7. I got the old actuator out just fine. The problems started when I opened it and found that my actuator actually has a different motor than the FC-280PT-20150 listed by Cody. My 2007 T&C has a FC-280SC-20150 motor. The motor I need has the shaft coming out of the other end of the motor, and it has a very long steel worm gear on it.

2 questions:
1. anybody know where I can buy one of these FC-280SC-20150 motors or an equivalent?
2. how do I get this worm gear off? This gear is much longer than that shown in Cody's picture (mine is probably 1" long) and it seems to be stuck on there pretty good.

If I can get a source for the motor, I'll try harder to get the gear off. Searches for this motor part no. haven't helped much. Anybody know of an equivalent motor or where I can get the FC-280SC-20150 motor where the shaft comes out of the metal motor case instead of out of the plastic end?

Thanks for any help.
 
#26 ·
Just wanted to say THANKS!! Got the motors from active plus and repaired my rear drivers side sliding door power lock that hasnt worked for like 2 years.. The repair was simple thanks to the great writeups and pics...My actuator was also very dry so I used some general purpose grease I had laying around to lubricate all the moving peices while I had it apart...mostly to reduce friction and put less demand on the motor...$4.00 fix and about 2 1/2 hours of sweat equity...In your face chrysler..u rock cody:thumb:
 
#27 ·
This is one of the most helpful and valuable forum threads I have EVER seen on any subject!! Thanks so much guys! I just called the dealer, and they want $113 plus tax for a new door lock actuator, so this thread is going to save me some headaches and money!

I am working on my wife's 2006 3.8L Dodge Grand Caravan SXT (with powered sliding doors).

Unfortunately, PT Sean never actually said what year his van was, nor whether it had powered-sliding doors. The photos look exactly like mine (I popped the trim panel yesterday, Memorial Day), so I'm assuming his is also a 2006 with powered-sliders.

Then Cody came in with the very excellent information about where to buy the little DC motor (thanks Cody!). However, he also never mentioned what year model his van was nor whether it had powered sliders.

Then BrodyB came in and said his 2007 used a different DC motor in the actuator, but he also did not mention whether his doors were powered or not.

(PT Sean, Cody, and BrodyB: If any of you happen to see this, can you post a verification that your vans are 2006 or some other year model? Also, do they have power sliding doors?)

So the big questions are:
1. Is the DC motor difference due to year model changes? Or...
2. Is it due to option differences, e.g. a powered sliding door vs. a manual-only sliding door? These options definitely require different wiring harnesses and I'm pretty sure they use different lock actuators. (I'm leaning toward this possibility.)

So the 2 motor types
- For Cody's van, it's a Mabuchi FC-280PT-20150.
- For BrodyB's van, it's a Mabuchi FC-280SC-20150.

Again guys - your information is extremely valuable!! I haven't yet removed the actuator, but I'm about to take a chance and order a couple of the 280PT motors. But it'd help narrow down exactly what's what (as far as the DC motors) if you guys could post year and option packages for your respective vans.

In general: FOLKS - give us some details about your automobiles (year, make, model, options package, engine, etc.) when you make a post. It would really help out future readers. Plus, too much information is always better than too little.

Thanks,
Ron
 
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