Swapping door lock actuator rod?

Topic: Swapping door lock actuator rod? (Read 1410 times) previous topic - next topic

Swapping door lock actuator rod?

May 09, 2015, 05:09:08 PM

Ok, I must be missing something. I pulled out the old actuator (along with one of the connector's blades DOH!) and found that it didn't match any of the rods in the new aftermarket one. SO I pulled the old one apart by removing the clip, sliding the collar down, slipping out the 3 bearings and pulling out the rod. I did the reverse on the new one and everything seems fine but how in the world does that collar stay up to retain the bearings?!?!?! I tried testing it outside the car just to see if it worked and it did exactly what I feared would happen...it spit the bearings out.

I hosed it down with some white lithium grease. Do I need to get some heavier grease or am I missing something obvious here?

I'm at a loss!

Swapping door lock actuator rod?

Reply #1 – May 12, 2015, 03:05:32 PM

Well, I tried some heavier grease but the bearing wouldn't stay together while I was putting the rubber boot on.

So, I've decided to do a bit of re-engineering. :) As you can see above I swapped the original rod into the new actuator. However, I cut down a plastic spacer (in this case from the vinyl insulator from a ring terminal) and slid it onto the shaft. I followed this by inserting the actuator rod and placing the bearings in their respective openings. I used some Lucas Red 'N' Tacky to hold them in. I then put the collar/race on upside down and installed the retainer ring.

So far everything is staying together. :D

Swapping door lock actuator rod?

Reply #2 – May 12, 2015, 03:10:28 PM

Here is everything assembled

Swapping door lock actuator rod?

Reply #3 – May 12, 2015, 03:14:16 PM

The original actuator actually had a metal bracket. I chose to use the supplied plastic bracket because the 1/4" rivet fit more securely in this one. Hopefully, I won't come to regret that decision but it appears to be plenty sturdy. There was a little difference in the length of the brackets as well, however, there are no signs of binding and it actually seems to fit better now. The wire harness actually rubbed through the factory rubber boot and may have contributed to it's failure. The actual point of failure was that one of the spades in the connector came off though.

And there ya have it. Hopefully, it continues to work and maybe will help someone else in the future.