Power door locks - wiring question

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Joined
Feb 9, 2006
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22
Messages
182
Location
Maryland
Quick question on the wiring. At the door, before the connector, how many red wires should be joined/connected (before the connector)? I have a soldered joint that has 1 larger red wire and 4 smaller gauge wires before the red wire goes into the connector. I just replaced the master switch (with a tested used unit from this board - tested on seller's end) and everything now works except my door locks are still inop. I'm wondering if these 4 smaller wires aren't the source of my problems - since it's a soldered joint and doesn't look factory. Thoughts on what the 4 smaller wires are for - alarm? Thanks for any help!!
 
should the red wire, leading to the connector, have a single red wire-to-single red wire crimp before the connector (like all other wires)? i'm tempted to cut out the 4 wires and splice the 2 main reds together to see if i can get the locks to work. was hoping for some insight here before i did that, though. thanks.
 
damn. i remember reading that thread and thinking i had to try that - even before the new master switch (needed that anyway). i totally forgot about that. thanks for the reminder!!! i'll try that and see what happens. maybe those 4 smaller wires aren't my problem...
 
IF that doesn't work I can pull the harness on my parts truck and snap a picture. PM me if you are interested.
 
just tripped the breaker for the door locks and i now have both front locks working. not sure what the rear lock issue is, but i'm happy to just have the fronts working for now. i'll look into the rear at a later date. thanks for the reminder.
 
next time you go out, just take a paper clip with you and see what happens. thanks again.
 
I am in the midst of the rear door lock no worky syndrome as well.

I'll try not to bore you with all the details--trust me--but I will try to give you some insight from my experience:

Try, while driving at speed (RPM's above 2500) to activate the doorlocks. If your situation is like mine, they'll all work like champs. If they do work, what you've learned is that your electrical system has resistance in it that the resting charge of the battery can't overcome.

Then, check your fusible links... again, if your situation is at all like mine, you might find some corosion, melting, etc. on one 'em. For me, it was the squarish link. If I fuss with it, the locks will work.

I've ordered a two new sets of Fusible Links from Cruiserdan (one spare). Hopefully they'll arrive soon, and I'll report back to you.

Good luck, I KNOW how frustrating little things like power door locks can be!

s.
 
thanks a lot, smallman. i will try the 'driving locks' scenario and see what happens. please let me know if the new fusible link works for you. thanks.

btw, how many red wires do you have at the 'crimp' before the connector? i think i might have an inop alarm and it's tied into the door locks. need to spend more time on this to figure it out.
 
btw, i'm pretty sure i can hear the rear locks 'trying' to work when not driving.
 
If you can hear the locks trying to work... sounds like the same issue as me.

I have an aftermarket alarm that the PO(one of 'em) put in as well, and I've been told by more than a few folk that tapping into the stock wiring with an AM alarm can/will reak some havoc on the electrical system. However, I recently replaced my battery and for a few weeks, with a battery with a new charge, the door locks worked great.

But, after awhile, I was back to where I started with the locks trying to work...

It's been awhile since I tore into the door and looked at the master switch. My mechanic had told me that the master switch was likely the culprit when the problem first materialized, and that it would probably be corroded and dirty. So, when I opened up the door and saw that the switch clean and shiny, I pretty much didn't give it a second thought. If the new fusible links don't do the trick, I'll have a look again at the master switch and report back to you on the red wire crimp issue.

Cool, good luck.
 
i actually haven't looked too deep into this myself. i've been busy tearing into other aspects of the cruiser and will now spend some time trying to figure out this issue. here's what i have noticed/seen so far - i have those 4 smaller gauge wires leading into the door locks, i have multiple wires tied into the positive lead on my battery, i have a bundle of wires under the dash (by the hood release) that are bundled together with some electrical tape and i have a small key pad device on the very lower front of my console. i'm thinking all that sh*t needs to come out and then we'll see what works...

the joy of a 17 year old vehicle - you have no idea what the POs before you did and how badly they rigged it up. :eek:
 
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Watch out, that may be the self-destruct trigger! Hear anything ticking? :eek:
 
Got the new fusible links today and installed them along with a new brass positive battery terminal.

The locks worked great for a minute--for a minute--and then the rear passenger door lock started the same not working business. Strange that it'd work for a bit and then back to the old BS. (I have taken that door panel apart and verified that everything is clean/lubricated)

Hmmm. I'm starting to be stumped here myself. I thought for sure that replacing the fusible links would be the magic bullet.

Oh well. I may follow ImportSilvia's lead and pull the master switch harness from the driver's door and solder all the crimp points.

Let me know if you/anyone has any other ideas.

Cool, good luck.

s.
 

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