Date:         Mon, 22 Mar 2004 11:49:12 -0600
Reply-To:     "Woten, Rodney" <rodney.woten@LENNOXIND.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Woten, Rodney" <rodney.woten@LENNOXIND.COM>
Subject:      FW:      [VANAGON] help!  power doorlock problem   (2nd try)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Chris asked:


-SNIP
if it is indeed a bad drivers actuator, then why does it open from the RF
pass door?
chris
-SNIP



Chris,  
The actuator is actually a two way street.  Acting as a "master", it can send a voltage to the other actuators, causing them to reverse their orientation (lock/unlock). This happens, to THAT actuator, whenever you use a key in it or move its lock button up or down from the inside. On the other side of the coin, it can also receive a voltage from another actuator, which causes it to match the actuator that has just changed its state (the master).  In the first case a slider (a switch, really) inside the actuator reverses polarity causing the motor to reverse and send a signal to all the other actuators.  The second case is the receiving end of that signal, which reverses the motor, causing the slider in that actuator to move to the same position as the "master" actuator.  At the end of the process all polarities should match, and the whole system is static until a polarity change is initiated with the operation of a lock.

Your case tells me that you driver's door lock is working properly as a "slave", since it will actuate whenever you lock/unlock another door.  It appears however that you driver's door actuator is unable to operate as the "master".  Usually that's because the contact points in the slider are either worn down or corroded to the point that they no longer make contact.  Because of the system's design, the slider is not needed for an actuator to function as a slave, but is essential if it wants to be the master.  Mine were doing the same thing.  I took mine apart, built up the contacts with solder and filed them back to their original profile.  I re-lubed the whole mess and resealed the seam with silicone before reinstalling it into the door.  Since the existing accordion boots/bellows were crumbling, I also fashioned a new boot using a mt. bike inner tube, zip ties and some shoe goop.  They've worked ever since.  P-mail me if you have an questions.

Good Luck!
Rod Woten
'87 Westy
Des Moines, Iowa