take the panel off on the left side where the relays are, undo the screws that hold them in, get a bit of sandpaper, and clean up the metal so there's a good ground. I remember mine also did that and it was just a dodgy ground.

 

Yeah, actuator was loose, rods are loose, and that bracket that the actuator pulls is loose too. All these things are on with rivets which makes it ultra annoying. The lock mechanism might be full of too much gunk as well, i greased it alot, is it possible to over-grease it??

 

I'll check the ground as well under the kick panel!

 

are you talking to me

 

no specifically, just saying what i went through to get mine working.

 

if there was a problem with the ground, wouldn't it not work at all? Cuz mine clicks and moves slightly, but not enough to lock or unlock...

 

not necessarily.
If there's any resistance you won't get the full punch from the relay, hence not moving all the way.
I doubted it too till i saw it with my own eyes.
Only take a minute to check though, and its free :P

 

Damn!! I'm pissed i didn't check this before... So, how can i tell 'visually' if the metal is making a bad contact? Or should i take sandpaper to the metal anyway?

 

I'd sandpaper it just to make sure.
If you get all the bits done that don't cost anything it works out better for your wallet.
Sandpaper the metal that the relay screws onto, if I remember correctly that screw is the ground, so if its rusty just put a new screw in, make sure there's good contact between the relays and the metal, and see if that make a difference.
Then spray the crap out of the linkages, actuator and other bits in the door with a spray can of degreaser, really soak it in and let it literally wash any gunk out to the bottom of the door, if you have access to an air gun or even just a can of compressed air, blow that through, then apply your grease.
Check all the linkages are straight, and if necessary even bend/unbend them a little with a bit of trial and error to see if you can get the actuators to work.
I actually tested my actuators by holding the lock or unlock button down, if it instantly goes to max its fine, if it moves and then slowly moves the rest of the distance, its probably a build up of something, if it moves a bit and thats it, and then another few presses gets it all the way its probably your relays, or bad ground.

 

sorry and to answer your question, if you can see rust, its bad, if there's grease or grime and crap, its probably bad, if you really want to rule it out, you could always run a wire from your neg- terminal on the battery and wire it to the relay.
If something isn't working i usually eliminate all the car wiring and run it straight from the battery wiht a fuse, then i know straight away if its the part or the car wiring.

 

Very good information evilstuie! Thanks a bunch, I hope I can fix this over the weekend, I'll try all the above mentioned tips! Hope it works!

Thnx
-marc

 

So, most of these seem relevant to me, but not entirely. My power locks work intermittently. Sometimes, I click it to lock the doors, and it won't work. Sometimes, it works fine, like three or four times in a day. I can even unlock, lock, unlock, lock...etc. Then sometimes, it's like there is no power to it. It never half-@$$es locking though. It either works, or it doesn't. Any ideas?

 

i think the relays are on the way out.

 

How much of a pain is it to replace those? And where are they located?

 

If they click and make noise but not moving the rods to lock/unlock prob.
just a good cleaning with WD-40 and a bit of spray white lithium grease
will fix them up.

I did this with my 84 and they now work fine.

 

Hey guys, old thread but... I just did the passenger door again today and i couldn't find WHERE the relays are! Any clues? Are they under the kick panels?

 

the relays are on drivers side kick panel

 

ah, thanks!