Door lock problems

[erikv11]

So I do not have actual pics of the pin, I didn't take any previously when I figured it out and right now all the actuators I have in the garage have the pin broken off. But I took some pics to try to describe clearly how to figure out if the pin is broken, and where the pin is located. Keep in mind the L and R actuators are mirror images, and front and rear are slightly different (I think?):

1 unlocked.jpg (119.23 KiB) Viewed 5216 times

2 rotate to lock.jpg (116.34 KiB) Viewed 5216 times

3 locked.jpg (184 KiB) Viewed 5216 times

4 rotate to unlock.jpg (136.47 KiB) Viewed 5216 times

5 where is the red pin.jpg (121.58 KiB) Viewed 5216 times

7 red pin location 2.jpg (84.7 KiB) Viewed 5216 times

Once somebody takes a peek inside a non-broken actuator, maybe we can complete the collection of pics with one of the pin!

[cn90]

Thanks erik!

I wonder if the "red pin" problem is repairable?
Where do we get parts to fix this?

On a related note, I found a nice video showing how to test the actuator with 12V battery as the source of power.
I note that the youtube guy switched the polarity of the wires to move the lever either up or down.

[rspi]

The problem is that is may work once or twice. When they are hot, from sitting in the sun or something, then they fail.

[erikv11]

Yeah, we know about the issues with the electric motors. The question is, have you run into many broken pins?

So far it is 3/3 with broken pins for me, only of those one also had a failing motor. Well plus there is one dead actuator in my S70, don't yet know if it is the pin or the motor.

[cn90]

So erikv11 was correct, I took my RF actuator out, removed the PTC resistor and bridged with copper wire.
Re-assembled with 3M adhesive, same issue (lock knob going down to lock but not going up).
Turned out it was the Red Plastic thingy as erikv11 posted previously.

So:

1. Live with it (any passenger would have to wait for me to lean over to unlock the door).

2. New Actuator. Bad design from factory.

PS: I wasted time rebuilding the electric motor (replacing PTC with solid copper wire, BTW use the smallest screwdriver you can find to undo the 2 small tabs on the side), so for future reference:
- Once the door panel is OFF...reconnect only the white connector to the RF lock switch to test the motor
- Place your ear next to the actuator and operate Lock/Unlock button (on the door panel) to test the electric motor. If you hear the motor spinning in BOTH directions, but the lock know ONLY going down and not UP, then the problem is the Red Plastic thingy that erikv11 said above. In that case, new actuator is the way to go. If you are brave then remove the actuator and play with the Red Plastic thingy.

[sleddriver]

I am working on a 98 V70 where both rear doors will only lock when using the button or the key.

I inspected the actuator mechanisms and found a surprise: In both cases, the motors are working just fine. Instead, the little red pin that the mechanism pushes against to open the door, is missing (presumably broken off?) on both of them. I repaired one of them by just swapping the good motor over to an assembly with a bad motor I had in the garage. That side is working now, which confirms that the motor has no issues and the problem was just the broken plastic.

Anyway, since the first two I looked at had broken plastic but *not* motor issues, clearly this is another issue to look out for. Just wanted to post that up.

+1. Thanks for that erikv11!
Just installed a PnP lock mechanism in the pass. front door. It will easily lock the door, but not open. The motor is quite strong, it's 50°F outside, the lock doesn't work slowly either like the others I replaced a few years back.

Therefore, I suspect something is wrong with the plastic levers used to move the post up & down and release the internal cam so it can rotate and allow the door to open.

[djekan]

Hi, I've replaced the two rear lock door motors, after replace the LH side all OK, after replace the RH side the problem pop up, now the two motors only lock the latch but doesn't unlock, I've remove the motor RH to test only the LH and doesn't open now, so I tested the motor directly to the battery and it work great, revert the test wires an works in both directions... I install it and just close doesn't open, any ideas?
Thank you.

[erikv11]

Read the posts right above yours that discuss this exact problem in great detail, starting with the post with all the pictures with orange writing on them. Lock-but-does-not-unlock is what happens when the pin is broken, check the pin visually.

[Philthy]

Thanks to Erikv11 for this post. I have the dreaded lock, but won't unlock from the key fob, and after several hours removing the whole electric window mechanism (C70 convertible), can confirm that the pin is broken on mine. On mine though, the plastic is yellow. I knew something had broken inside the lock, when I found a small yellow piece of plastic, with the pin on it, in the bottom of the door skin. I've got one coming from ebay, and hope to get some video and pictures to help others, as it is a royal pita to remove everything from the door to remove the lock mechanism. I'm also hoping to strip the mechanism, and see if I could fabricate one up in aluminium to replace it. It appears to be a weak spot on these vehicles.
Thanks.

[JimBee]

Do any of these failures result in not being able to open the door at all?