NS Door actuator failure

[epipete]

Ive searched through the previous threads to no avail but have a problem I need some advice on please

Having not been in custody of the car much lately, I now have a load of jobs to do, the most critical, since its return from the mechanic is a failure of the Actuator on the passenger door!

I've stripped all the trim off to see what the problem is, there is a crunching sound as the actuator tries to lock but silence in the unlock, and I can't figure out how to remove the actuator, any ideas?

Also, is this a standard GM piece of kit? Are there any cross references, in which case if I can't fix it I can survey the local scrappy or eBay

Pete

[Enright]

The actuator/latch mech is all one. The manual is pretty good for describing it's operation and removal/refitment.
Basically you unplug it, disconnect the rods that go to/from it, and it's just secured by the 3 screws of the latch mech.
I can't remember any other cars having them, but there's not much to go wrong so you should be able to run the wiring through the holes in the door in order to fiddle with it to get it working again.
If all else fails, I'm sure our friendly neighbourhood Surfboardfiller will have one for a reasonable price.

[dapinky]

A picture is worth a thousand words......

PB190017.JPG

(short answer - I have one! - can it wait until you're home for Christmas?)

I would expect it to be a 'simple' wiring issue - or a jammed rod - if it's sort-of working, but if you get the old one out and it's duff, then you can have my spare one.

[Fredjohn]

Forget mint Elans, yellow cars and money, this post is precisely what LEC is all about as far as I am concerend

[Nickydee]

Although it is all one unit, the actuator unit itself i.e the black bit rather the whole lock is available in the states. There is a thread on this some.where.

It held in place with three bolts in the door which are easy enough to remove, the problem arises in getting in out of the door but I've mange to remove and replace the whole unit without removing the window winder mechanisim completely by just slackening off the appropriate bolts.

Cheers Nick

[epipete]

Still haven't got round to looking at this (mainly because it's so fiddly and I fear breaking the linkages). The motor appears to attempt to open but sounds dead on closing!

It's winter here as well so I think I shall take the door off and strip it down completely, check the door beam for rust, clean, paint and reassemble.

Am I correct that the door can come out as a complete unit? Just disconnect two wiring looms behind the A pillar, remove the two hinge pins and it should lift free?

[GeoffSmith]

:goodposting:


Forget mint Elans, yellow cars and money, this post is precisely what LEC is all about as far as I am concerend

[dapinky]

Am I correct that the door can come out as a complete unit? Just disconnect two wiring looms behind the A pillar, remove the two hinge pins and it should lift free?

Pete, the theory is fine, but as it's an elan, it is never quite that simple!!!!

Firstly, undoing the 2 multi plugs can be a bit awkward - in my case it was made even more so as a previous owner (or his mechanic) had spliced wires into that area for the alarm system - on both sides of the joints - so i had to cut and solder extra wires into another 4-pin plug / socket to keep it simple for reassembly.

The next issue is getting the plugs through the bodywork - the bodyshell has 2 seperate grommets (one each side of the void where the wires pass through) - it appears that when they engineered this particular area the bloke doing the inner one was working in metric whilst the outer one is imperial (or he was pi$$ed!) - they don't line up directly!

Getting them out is easy enough, then feed one plug through at a time, remove the 'E' clips from the hinge pins and knock them out with a small hammer - DONT TRY TO TWIST THEM OUT - THEY ARE DESIGNED TO BE AN INTERFERENCE FIT AND IF ROTATED LOOSE THEIR SPLINES AND CANT BE REUSED.

You may need an assistant to hold the door whilst you do it, but it can be done solo if you need to.

Replacement is a lot more awkward when it comes to the plugs - feeding them through the holes in the body can be a tad annoying!

And when you want to push the grommets back into place (inner one), it's advisable to keep sensitive ears away from the words that are likely to be heard

[epipete]

Oh Joy, something to look forward too, I may just have another Cyprus Brandy (or two) before I commence!

[Artaban]

I agree that the grommets are a complete pain but I recruited some child labour with long arms and small hands and they were able to grovel around in a way my vast bulk doesn't allow me to. Pick one that is desperate for pocket money as they seem to ignore the inevitable scratches that Lotus maintenance will give them and they heal quicker than I would. I dress it up as being part of their education to know how a car works and of course when they have their own car they may find themselves stuck on the side of the road needing to unbolt the radiator fans. The tactic seems to be working so far.

The actual room available to get the door grommet back in can be very tight. I had to adapt a flat blade screwdriver to do it but it did take a lot of persuasion. Personally I would just take the lock out of the door and fix it. I managed to service one of mine that wasn't very well and its perfect now. Is the rod to the door lock button correctly in place as these often come loose from the mechanism as the white clip breaks (A100B6037F) and the rod may have come adrift and be jamming something.

Let us know what it turns out to be.

Andy

[epipete]

Well, I have removed the lock from the car. What a palaver! Manage to get it out without removing the window but it was such a struggle that it probably won't go back in that way, so a strip down looks in order but probably not requiring the actual door removal!

Here it is in all its rusty glory!

Not much to see really, the actuator fires on locking and merely click/crunches to an almost imperceptible degree on opening! There is nothing to disassemble in the actuator itself, leastways I can't see how it opens (if, indeed it does!)

So, I'm left with a dud door lock and a car where the door won't fasten (till its replaced).

Dave, I'd like to take you up on your offer of your spare if I might, however you must allow me to make some restitution for your past and continuing kindness.

Finally, is there anyway of removing the actuator from the lock, which would allow me to clean it all up and, at least, that would allow me to secure the car, not that it's critical as I shall lock it in the garage until the new year (we fly tomorrow!)

There is a metal retainer within the door catch, can this be removed as it appears to be suffering from rust and could probably do with being treated?

Pete

[epipete]

Ah, just to update on that I have managed go seperate the actuator from the latch mechanism - 2 or 3 little brass screws. There is also another sensor which I have removed from the Latch. The mechanism us currently in the dishwasher, where else?!?!?

The actuator seems to be a sealed unit, on reattaching to the car it tries to operate on the locking but not on the unlocking and as I can't open the case it I guess is knackered!

[dapinky]

Pete,

I'll bring it on 29th (to wherever Geoff decides we're having lunch).

If it makes you happy, I'll let you buy my sandwich!

[epipete]

Dave, thanks for the motor, I now have it mostly fitted - finally!

A combination of sleeping puppies, warmer weather and increasing impatience meant that this morning I finally made some headway - all the 'rods' are now fitted, two of three electrical plugs are now connected, the third is a real bitch, can't see where it goes, can't get my fingers in, can't get any leaverage.

It's a bitch, if I'd known I'd have connected the electrics before it all went in, it sure as hell ain't coming out for this!

update: finally decided to remove the window, that was another bitch, but at least Id done this before so knew what to expect! Clipped the final plug back in and Door lock job done

Now to reinstall & realign the window, and put the trim back on. Then check to see why the window rattles on the drivers side & why the seat heater isn't working on the passenger side. And that's it for a while I hope.

I'm optimistic it might get done this weekend even!