Have done a rash of actuators lately, we pull the whole assembly, clean and lube. Most have some part that is sticking, stiff, likely the cause of actuator failure.
Rear hatch electric lock not working.
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Have done a rash of actuators lately, we pull the whole assembly, clean and lube. Most have some part that is sticking, stiff, likely the cause of actuator failure.
Another quick fix option:
If your actuator is being problematic, and after reading this thread you open up your actuator to find that the arm is not cracked, it is possible that the bushings on the actuator motor are dirty but the motor is still good. My rear door would only lock/unlock half of the time, I assumed that it was a cracked armature like the other two doors that I've had the same problem with but after taking the actuator cap off I saw that the arm was fine. So it must be the motor. I was able to clean the bushings and bushing block and it works like new.
These are the basic steps I took:
Pull the motor out of the actuator without damaging the wires/connections
Pry the two tabs back that hold the plastic back of the motor on.
Remove the back plastic piece and be careful not to lose the two small white plastic pieces in there that will be loose
Using plastic safe contact cleaner( I wouldn't recommend carb cleaner) remove the buildup from the bushings in cap and bushing block on motor (see pics)
Replace the grease that you probably lost on the worm gear.
Put it back together the way it came apart and test it out. Only takes a few minutes and its worth a try before paying the $50 bucks on amazon for a new actuator. Mine works like new, no issues since.
Great thing is you don't have to remove the whole actuator to inspect the armature and if its good then the motor pops right out. Your beer will still be cold when the job's done.
If your actuator is being problematic, and after reading this thread you open up your actuator to find that the arm is not cracked, it is possible that the bushings on the actuator motor are dirty but the motor is still good. My rear door would only lock/unlock half of the time, I assumed that it was a cracked armature like the other two doors that I've had the same problem with but after taking the actuator cap off I saw that the arm was fine. So it must be the motor. I was able to clean the bushings and bushing block and it works like new.
These are the basic steps I took:
Pull the motor out of the actuator without damaging the wires/connections
Pry the two tabs back that hold the plastic back of the motor on.
Remove the back plastic piece and be careful not to lose the two small white plastic pieces in there that will be loose
Using plastic safe contact cleaner( I wouldn't recommend carb cleaner) remove the buildup from the bushings in cap and bushing block on motor (see pics)
Replace the grease that you probably lost on the worm gear.
Put it back together the way it came apart and test it out. Only takes a few minutes and its worth a try before paying the $50 bucks on amazon for a new actuator. Mine works like new, no issues since.
Great thing is you don't have to remove the whole actuator to inspect the armature and if its good then the motor pops right out. Your beer will still be cold when the job's done.
By circumstance, I have two liftgates. Neither had a working electric lock. One in storage that I dented all to hell and it's replacement mounted in the truck.
I took the actuators out of both of them and both were broken in the exact same spot. Upon inspection of the plastic mold injection tabs, the crack forms at the position in the mold where the two flows moving around the arm would meet, which I speculate explains why the cracks form and why they happen in the exact same place on mine and the pics in this thread.
Since it was not obvious to me how or why the JB weld works?! - I decided to try to repair the crack in the arm. The first try failed, but the second try worked. In both repairs I melted a fashioned staple gun staple into the plastic using a soldering iron. The idea is to stitch the crack together. The difference between the good repair and the bad repair was the size of the Z shaped bent staple - melted in across the crack vertically. In my first try the Z was too small and the crack separated when I forced the arm back in place on the metal post. On the next try I made the Z almost as wide as the arm and I added two more bends in both ends of the Z shape. In other words, the top left side of the Z had a down tab and the bottom right end of the Z had an up tab.
In order to make this repair I found a punch that the arm just barely slipped over - like a ring on a finger. Then gently used vice grips to hold it all together - Not too tight, so the arm circular shape was not contorted. Then I melted the staple into the plastic - that part went smooth.
Getting the new actuator put back on required some hammering. I used a nut driver held up to the arm that allowed the metal post to rise up through the center of the arm. I hammered on the handle end of the nut driver untilseated all the way down. Make sure to align the actuator to known state of the lock - locked or unlocked - before hammering it on.
I tested the repair, and the arm held fast but the motor did not have the required torque to drive the mechanism. So I replaced that motor with the one from the other liftgate and it worked. Maybe I could have cleaned the brushes, but didn't have to. I can now lock my truck again!
I took the actuators out of both of them and both were broken in the exact same spot. Upon inspection of the plastic mold injection tabs, the crack forms at the position in the mold where the two flows moving around the arm would meet, which I speculate explains why the cracks form and why they happen in the exact same place on mine and the pics in this thread.
Since it was not obvious to me how or why the JB weld works?! - I decided to try to repair the crack in the arm. The first try failed, but the second try worked. In both repairs I melted a fashioned staple gun staple into the plastic using a soldering iron. The idea is to stitch the crack together. The difference between the good repair and the bad repair was the size of the Z shaped bent staple - melted in across the crack vertically. In my first try the Z was too small and the crack separated when I forced the arm back in place on the metal post. On the next try I made the Z almost as wide as the arm and I added two more bends in both ends of the Z shape. In other words, the top left side of the Z had a down tab and the bottom right end of the Z had an up tab.
In order to make this repair I found a punch that the arm just barely slipped over - like a ring on a finger. Then gently used vice grips to hold it all together - Not too tight, so the arm circular shape was not contorted. Then I melted the staple into the plastic - that part went smooth.
Getting the new actuator put back on required some hammering. I used a nut driver held up to the arm that allowed the metal post to rise up through the center of the arm. I hammered on the handle end of the nut driver untilseated all the way down. Make sure to align the actuator to known state of the lock - locked or unlocked - before hammering it on.
I tested the repair, and the arm held fast but the motor did not have the required torque to drive the mechanism. So I replaced that motor with the one from the other liftgate and it worked. Maybe I could have cleaned the brushes, but didn't have to. I can now lock my truck again!