Unusual Central locking problem.. 2001 X5

[oldskewel]

Originally Posted by shedtastic

So of course as soon as you have the correct technical terms from other members on here, suddenly the search tool delivers much more pertinent results and you realize your 'unusual' central locking issue is not so unusual..
(of course, most cars' previous owners were not so cheap as to leave it until both rear door actuators were kaput..)

So I've ordered a Mabuchi FC-280PC-22125 motor off amazon, and also a Dorman actuator.

I'll see if i can fix the old actuator (excellent write up by oldskewel, https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...or-repair.html but it remains to be seen my drilling skills are up to the job..)

If I manage it - I'll return the Dorman actuator. Otherwise I'll be able to fit that.
I'd like to stick to OEM parts, but I'm not keen to drop $750 on three new actuators..

Glad to see that someone else will hopefully try this. Some comments:

My actuator is still working fine. The other 3 are still original and working fine. I think the PO mostly used this truck for a ~60 mile/day commute by himself, so only the driver's door lock actuator got worn out. Something to consider for those who might program all 4 doors to actuate together.

I agree from the symptoms you're reporting that you probably have failed/failing unlocking actuators. The fact that the all lock fine with central locking is a good clue for this. That the problem is worse in colder weather or with a weaker 12V battery makes sense, and points to the actuators as being the problem (vs. needing a new battery or more global warming).

As mentioned in that write-up, I used that Mabuchi FC-280PC-22125 motor since I already had it in-hand from my Honda repairs. But an ideal fit would have been one exactly the same but with the longer shaft and worm gear. Since I did not have one with the longer shaft in-hand (have since bought a few that I have as spares now), I did not try transplanting the worm gear off the original shaft. I just transplanted the new plastic end cap onto the existing shell + rotor (all as described in the writeup). It worked great for me, and would be a safe bet to expect it to work for you, but if you're ordering parts anyway (remember, I did all that blind to what I'd find in there), you might want to get ones with the longer shafts and maybe try putting the gear on there.

Take your own photos as you go. It will make the reassembly much less impossible.

On the rivets, they are not your typical ones that you might already have a riveter for. They are machined steel, tight fitting pivots, etc. You can see a few of them in the photos (but only a few of them need to be drilled out).

The challenge is not in getting them off, it is in being able to basically reinstall something when you're done that does the same job.

So I generally tried to drill them out carefully, drill and tap a screw hole in the center, and then reinstall using a screw of just the right size, with a good washer too. Key things to have are sharp (I used Cobalt) drill bits, a small drill that you can position carefully (or a drill press, which would be ideal), and a good selection of options for the screws/nuts, taps/dies, and washers. You'll want to get the best performance you can out of this thing that used to be a piece of perfectly fitting solid steel, reconstructed after drilling, tapping, etc.

Whenever you finally access the motors in your actuators, I would immediately apply 12V and make a clear note of the rotational direction vs. voltage polarity. Hopefully even your dead motors will move enough to reveal their polarity. You would not be happy to finally get this back together and find out that the motor is driving the wrong way.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by oldskewel

Glad to see that someone else will hopefully try this. Some comments:

My actuator is still working fine. The other 3 are still original and working fine. I think the PO mostly used this truck for a ~60 mile/day commute by himself, so only the driver's door lock actuator got worn out. Something to consider for those who might program all 4 doors to actuate together.

I agree from the symptoms you're reporting that you probably have failed/failing unlocking actuators. The fact that the all lock fine with central locking is a good clue for this. That the problem is worse in colder weather or with a weaker 12V battery makes sense, and points to the actuators as being the problem (vs. needing a new battery or more global warming).

As mentioned in that write-up, I used that Mabuchi FC-280PC-22125 motor since I already had it in-hand from my Honda repairs. But an ideal fit would have been one exactly the same but with the longer shaft and worm gear. Since I did not have one with the longer shaft in-hand (have since bought a few that I have as spares now), I did not try transplanting the worm gear off the original shaft. I just transplanted the new plastic end cap onto the existing shell + rotor (all as described in the writeup). It worked great for me, and would be a safe bet to expect it to work for you, but if you're ordering parts anyway (remember, I did all that blind to what I'd find in there), you might want to get ones with the longer shafts and maybe try putting the gear on there.

Take your own photos as you go. It will make the reassembly much less impossible.

On the rivets, they are not your typical ones that you might already have a riveter for. They are machined steel, tight fitting pivots, etc. You can see a few of them in the photos (but only a few of them need to be drilled out).

The challenge is not in getting them off, it is in being able to basically reinstall something when you're done that does the same job.

So I generally tried to drill them out carefully, drill and tap a screw hole in the center, and then reinstall using a screw of just the right size, with a good washer too. Key things to have are sharp (I used Cobalt) drill bits, a small drill that you can position carefully (or a drill press, which would be ideal), and a good selection of options for the screws/nuts, taps/dies, and washers. You'll want to get the best performance you can out of this thing that used to be a piece of perfectly fitting solid steel, reconstructed after drilling, tapping, etc.

Whenever you finally access the motors in your actuators, I would immediately apply 12V and make a clear note of the rotational direction vs. voltage polarity. Hopefully even your dead motors will move enough to reveal their polarity. You would not be happy to finally get this back together and find out that the motor is driving the wrong way.

Would you mind sharing where you bought the spare motors?

[oldskewel]

Originally Posted by upallnight

Would you mind sharing where you bought the spare motors?

Bought on eBay. Quick search shows this item to be probably the same thing I bought:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4X-20mm-Lon...W/391317052501

Of course that link will eventually go dead, so this is the title: 4X 20mm Long Shaft Car Door Lock Actuator For Mabuchi Lexus Toyota Honda 12V NEW

Note that it says "For Mabuchi" vs. just "Mabuchi", so it is a Chinese clone. When my 4 arrived, I did a quick test, applying 12V and they all worked fine. They also matched up in size and polarity with the short-shaft ones I have.

But I have not installed them in anything yet. Due to the incredibly low price (4 for $10, 10 for $20), I did not research too much and just bought them to stick on the shelf.

Also, from looking at that eBay listing, it contains the same part number as the short-shaft motors, but with an extra L (for long shaft, I will assume) at the end. So searching for that may be your best bet:

FC-280PC-22125L

Also, it looks like there are some of these motors available with a flat shaft. From my photos of the driver's door lock actuator, the shaft is round, not flat.

[Baker]

Originally Posted by oldskewel

Bought on eBay. Quick search shows this item to be probably the same thing I bought:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4X-20mm-Lon...W/391317052501

Of course that link will eventually go dead, so this is the title: 4X 20mm Long Shaft Car Door Lock Actuator For Mabuchi Lexus Toyota Honda 12V NEW

Note that it says "For Mabuchi" vs. just "Mabuchi", so it is a Chinese clone. When my 4 arrived, I did a quick test, applying 12V and they all worked fine. They also matched up in size and polarity with the short-shaft ones I have.

But I have not installed them in anything yet. Due to the incredibly low price (4 for $10, 10 for $20), I did not research too much and just bought them to stick on the shelf.

Also, from looking at that eBay listing, it contains the same part number as the short-shaft motors, but with an extra L (for long shaft, I will assume) at the end. So searching for that may be your best bet:

FC-280PC-22125L

Also, it looks like there are some of these motors available with a flat shaft. From my photos of the driver's door lock actuator, the shaft is round, not flat.

Thanks for your informative write up on the actuator motors - would that motor be a suitable repalcement for both of the actuator motors?

[oldskewel]

No. The other motor (locking vs. unlocking) turns the other way. But also, from the one actuator I took apart, that locking motor was in great shape.

[Baker]

Originally Posted by oldskewel

No. The other motor (locking vs. unlocking) turns the other way. But also, from the one actuator I took apart, that locking motor was in great shape.

I've got a feeling both of mine are playing up - having issues with unlocking and locking the passenger door. Do you have any suggestions for the locking motor - would rather replace both while it's opened up (or at least have both on hand!)

[oldskewel]

Originally Posted by Baker

I've got a feeling both of mine are playing up - having issues with unlocking and locking the passenger door. Do you have any suggestions for the locking motor - would rather replace both while it's opened up (or at least have both on hand!)

The info on that other motor is in my initial thread with photos. You may be able to get the model # off there, etc. And like I said, the polarity (direction) was different from the Mabuchi ones.

In most cases, you'd have actual wires running, so if you wanted to change direction you could just swap the two wires to reverse voltage polarity. But in this case, the wires are embedded in the plastic, and the motors just plug in. Really slick. But makes it a whole lot more difficult if you wanted to change it.