LX450 Auto Door Locks Going Crazy

[dustinwild]

Okay, so I've searched a lot on these forums, and I just haven't found anyone with this problem. I have a 1997 LX450, I've removed the factory RS3000 system thinking this was the problem. It has only changed the problem.

So, I'll try to explain what it's all doing.

When truck is off, drivers side door open, the locks try to stay locked. If I unlock them using the switch inside, or key outside (2X unlock) the doors lock immediately after, same goes for using my aftermarket alarm. It does trigger the unlock, but locks right away after.. Makes for a fun game when trying to get into the truck. This all however only happens sometimes.

When the truck is running, things are similar, however when the drivers side door is open, and I unlock the rest of the doors using the DS door switch, the locks will go haywire, locking and unlocking rapidly, until I close the door when they will continue for a couple seconds, then stay locked.

Once the truck is locked, it stays locked, but when it's unlocked all of these things are fairly random. Sometimes I have no issues with the locks, but more often then not, I'm fighting the unlock button to try and get into the truck.

Any help would be great, even a starting point. This truck is new to me, and this is the biggest problem I'm having.. Other then a slight sputter when sitting idling at a stop.

Thanks for any advise!

 

[Parsnip]

Read page 13 of your owner's manual. Something is not right with your auto door locking system.

I think one of your door plungers is not working right. See if you can free them up with a gentle wrap and a spritz of electric parts contact cleaner.

I may be way off but this is a good starting point.

 

[Foothills Cruiser]

Check the switch on the back of the drivers door lock cylinder. Try unplugging it and see if your problem goes away.

 

[Kernal]

Which switch?

 

[Foothills Cruiser]

When you lock or unlock the drivers door with the key, the other doors do the same thing. Inside the door (must remove door trim pane) attached to the back of the key lock cylinder there is a switch that tells the other locks what to do, that switch can be causing your problem.

 

[Kernal]

Are you referring to the door lock assembly?

 

[Foothills Cruiser]

On this vehicle the switch is built into the door lock assembly, not on the back of the cylinder as I previously stated, but there is a switch. I don't think the problem is the door pin switch or plunger. When the vehicle thinks the door is open and you try to lock the doors they will automatically unlock once, not continuously. This can be caused by a short in the harness, I would check the wires where they go through the door boot, but harness problems are not very common.

 

[akoutdoors1]

I've had a similar experience on another type of vehicle. THe problem was wear and gunk within the locks themselves. WHen I tried to unlock the doors there was enough resistance from crud and wear that the doors would not fully unlock, or the locks would come up for a moment and then go down again. I took off each door panel and cleaned out the mechanisms, then sprayed lubricant throughout the mechanisms behind each door panel and the problem was fixed. Good luck.

 

[dustinwild]

I think I may also have issues with the key buzzer in the ignition causing something, it's always going when I open the door. I've tried just messing with the drivers door lock, from the outside, hitting it, jiggling it etc, with no results, I'll unplug it completely and see what happens.

I kind of figured if it was the exterior door lock switch, that it would continue to try to lock the truck no matter if it was locked/unlocked, running, or not. As I mentioned, once the truck is locked, it stays locked, and nothing else happens. But even if I leave the truck unlocked, after a few minutes it will lock itself, if it doesn't lock immediately after I try to unlock it. If I manually unlock the door, it stays unlocked. Things only go berserk when I use any of the electric unlock methods.

Thanks for all the tips.