"Thunk" sound from back seat area when locking doors

[StarmanDXE]

Hey guys! Did you think things couldn't get any weirder? Well it can!

First off, all of the rear speakers do in fact make the noise. So, crossed lines a-go-go! But wait! There's more!

The radio does not need to be on, nor does the engine need to be running, for the noise to occur.

The noise sounds very much like the initial DC voltage ("thunk") followed by the movement of the motor ("whrrr").

Another strange thing: When either of the rear doors are locked/unlocked with their respective pins, it causes the lights in the power window switches to go off (temporarily) on both doors.

Strange, strange, strange... Will do some more debunking shortly.

[StarmanDXE]

Well, I've been looking at the wiring diagrams, and the only connection between the locks and the windows I can find is a shared connection to a yellow wire controlled by a relay connected to the CEM.

My thought process now is that, since the LEDs shut off when the locks are activated from the back, something must be shorting and taking all of the power from that yellow line. My best guess would be either a power lock actuator or its corresponding relay. (But those relays appear to only be for "deadlock." Do cars in the USA even have deadlock?)

Although, I am still confused as to how the speakers would get such interference. It is just magnetic interference jumping one line to another? If so, I guess that would explain why all four rear speakers make the noise (as both rear doors share the same yellow wire). Otherwise, somehow the rear-left and rear-right speaker lines got tied up...

And let's not forget the fact that the speakers will sometimes make the noise simply when the radio is first turned on and also sometimes when moving the (power) driver's seat!

I'm beginning to think that the dying rear door actuator is an isolated problem and that the popping speakers is something completely different...

(Edit: Oh yeah! Any ideas what is/isn't part of the CAN and therefore can be disconnected/replaced without having to take the car to the dealer? Like, would I be ok replacing the actuators and relays and stuff? Or is it a yes-and-no answer...?)

[MadeInJapan]

Starman, I don't know the answer to your last question, but just on a whim, have you checked the wiring that does into your main fuse box for chafing and the like? The short doesn't actually have to happen in the doors.

[StarmanDXE]

I can't say that I have checked that. Which is considered the "main" fuse box? The one under the dash? I was going to pull a relay out from there just to test some things, but wasn't sure how to get to it (remove some screws I assume?) and it was too cold outside for me to even think about checking the manual and doing it then and there

I suppose if there was an issue there, it could cause a bunch of strange, seemingly interconnected issues. Either that or there's a problem with the radio/stereo somewhere/somehow...

Thanks for your help

[VCA]

I can't say that I have checked that. Which is considered the "main" fuse box? The one under the dash? I was going to pull a relay out from there just to test some things, but wasn't sure how to get to it (remove some screws I assume?) and it was too cold outside for me to even think about checking the manual and doing it then and there

I suppose if there was an issue there, it could cause a bunch of strange, seemingly interconnected issues. Either that or there's a problem with the radio/stereo somewhere/somehow...

Thanks for your help

For the purposes of your rear doors, the 'main' fuse box is the REM in the trunk, the buck stops there for those units. The wiring diagrams show connector #s as referenced to harnesses and where they terminate, so you can look up that information, and the information about which modules are CAN via the diagrams (hint: if you see two wires with a 'Z' looking line over them, one wire bold, one wire thing, that's a CAN connection).

[StarmanDXE]

For the purposes of your rear doors, the 'main' fuse box is the REM in the trunk, the buck stops there for those units.

Alright. But... The only tie I can find between the windows and the locks for the rear doors is a relay at the CEM

The wiring diagrams show connector #s as referenced to harnesses and where they terminate, so you can look up that information, and the information about which modules are CAN via the diagrams (hint: if you see two wires with a 'Z' looking line over them, one wire bold, one wire thing, that's a CAN connection).

Ah, thanks. I see that now in the key at the beginning.

Well, I really don't think I will be disconnecting anything connected with those lines (as it's all fairly major items like the CEM or the REM and whatnot), so I should be safe. But, I did notice that a few fuses in the trunk supply power to the REM? If I remove those, will it shut off the REM and cause me to have to take the car to the dealer?