Chevy Astro and GMC Safari Forum banner

Electric lock solenoids not getting enough power

12K views 51 replies 13 participants last post by  hdtrc 
#1 ·
My 99 safari seems to be having issues delivering power to the lock solenoids on the driver and passenger doors. Initially I thought the problem was the solenoids themselves, but upon pulling them apart for cleaning, I see no mechanical reason for them to not work. And upon hooking them directly up to the battery, they work just fine.

Measuring the voltage at the solenoid terminals, I get +-11.8 volts with no load, which I know to be way too low. Hooking up a 12v bulb only lights it very dimly. When the solenoid is hooked up, the motor gets about 8 volts, and it drops until the motor stops. Then it takes a while before the voltage comes back up enough to start the motor spinning again, and the cycle repeats. It almost seems like a messed up capacitor?

Oddly enough though, the side door solenoid still works just fine, although I haven't checked the voltage. Furthermore, when I unhook the RKE module, the driver door solenoid voltage drops to +-0.3 volts. What the heck is up with that?

I inspected the harness in the door and found no broken wires, and had a look under the dash but didn't see anything that looked damaged.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Schematics would be helpful too, if anyone has them.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Ok, so I managed to find the schematics for it, and I think the problem might lie within the door lock relay.

http://content.chiltonsonline.com/conte ... 026200.pdf

Problem is, I can't find this relay. I looked all over the fuse/relay block diagrams, and I'm not seeing it. Does anyone know where I might find it? Is it in the RKE module or something?
 
#7 ·
jnbgoch said:
Phantom said:
Door Lock Control Module behind right kick panel
Where can this be purchased? Not coming up on AutoZone's or O'Reilly's websites.
In 2000 they changed a little , instead of having a separate door lock control module , they use the BCM =Body Control Module ,,,

There are other relays and remote control module ..any particular problem you are having?
 
#8 ·
My lock switch only operates my slider. I have to manually lock the other doors. Should the lock switch also operate the barn doors? :confused:

On a side note, when they all used to work, when you hit the lock button and had the slider open, it would wait to lock the slider until +/-5 seconds after you closed it. This, too, has stopped.
 
#10 ·
Phantom said:
Have you checked the 30amp power acc fuse/circuit breaker in the fuse panel under dash? seems the side door is wired a little different going directly to the BCM, yes your switch should operate all doors
I'll check that, thanks. Anything on the other doors, or is that the relay?
 
#11 ·
That is just a circuit breaker fuse , they go bad sometimes with age ,
there is a relay behind the right kick panel and another relay behind the left kick panel
each door has it's own actuator motor that moves the lock rods
The BCM is above the radio ,,and if you have the keyless remote the receiver for that is back behind it too
It seems that the issue you have affects all the doors so it will likely be some single point of failure , when you find it , likely that all doors will be back to normal

EDIT: It is also possible that you have a direct short in the door switch or a door jamb switch that can cause your fuse/circuit breaker to blow

The cigarette lighter fuse 13 is also directly connected to door lock switches if it blows the switches won't get power .

Fuse 15 is connected to the RKE receiver.
 
#12 ·
Phantom said:
That is just a circuit breaker fuse , they go bad sometimes with age ,
there is a relay behind the right kick panel and another relay behind the left kick panel
each door has it's own actuator motor that moves the lock rods
The BCM is above the radio ,,and if you have the keyless remote the receiver for that is back behind it too
It seems that the issue you have affects all the doors so it will likely be some single point of failure , when you find it , likely that all doors will be back to normal

EDIT: It is also possible that you have a direct short in the door switch or a door jamb switch that can cause your fuse/circuit breaker to blow

The cigarette lighter fuse 13 is also directly connected to door lock switches if it blows the switches won't get power .

Fuse 15 is connected to the RKE receiver.
After re-reading my post, I wasn't 100% clear. The locks "actuate", just don't move the levers in the doors to move the lock bar up and down. Could this be the actuators going out? The relay not putting enough power through?

I checked the 30 amp fuse in the engine bay, removed it to check, wiped it off and replaced it. Everything still works the same way.
 
#13 ·
Being 11 yo, maybe the grease is all boogered up/hard and not letting things move freely. Doubt the lock rods fell off on both sides. Another thought is for some reason your not getting enough voltage to the solenoids, and they could just be giving out, but it seems odd they would both go at the same time.
 
#14 ·
There is fuse # 13 in fuse panel inside interior under dash behind brake pedal

Circuit Breaker A in same fuse panel ,,this one located off to the side ,

These are both inside interior , you can see their location in the owners manual
,You may need someone to help identify if each actuator is working by having someone place their hand at lower part of the door while the switch is used to lock/unlock , a vibration should be felt on each door in the area of the door actuator , they can be loud so even if just one is moving it may sound like they all are ,
Usually just some dirt and grime through the years can build up on the rods/mechanism and cause the rods to barely move or not at all , the only way to know for sure is to remove the door panel and physically check for movement , if each actuator is moving but the rods are not you can wipe down the rods and spray well with WD-40 and manually move them back and forth and that should free them up , if the actuator is working you can feel it working by placing hand on the actuator while you lock.unlock door , if you have a remote keyless entry system you can do it with the remote control
 

Attachments

#15 ·
Jasen said:
...Another thought is for some reason your not getting enough voltage to the solenoids...
Just today I took apart my passenger door panel and found that one of the stranded
wires to the door lock switch was only attached with ONE of the strands. Like there's
20 strands in the wire and 19 of them had broken. That's sure to cause a voltage drop.

I've been having problems with my aftermarket remote not always wanting to LOCK
the thing. It seems to always unlock. We'll see if that had any effect.

Lump
 
#16 ·
Newbie here...
I was wondering about the fuse 13 (door lock and rear switches.)
If this fuse is blown will the key fob still work?

My issues are that the key fob locks and unlocks all the doors just fine, and when I engage the lever into Drive the doors automatiaclly lock. Which is normal. But I can't use either switch on the doors (inside) to unlock.
Also I can't open the rear hatch. The push button won't do anything.

This is weird.
I'm out of town and my wife calls me and tells me this. (Always when I'm out of town!)
Any info would be great and I can relay this to her.

se
 
#17 ·
Steviee7 said:
Newbie here...
I was wondering about the fuse 13 (door lock and rear switches.)
If this fuse is blown will the key fob still work?

My issues are that the key fob locks and unlocks all the doors just fine, and when I engage the lever into Drive the doors automatiaclly lock. Which is normal. But I can't use either switch on the doors (inside) to unlock.
Also I can't open the rear hatch. The push button won't do anything.
Remote control key fob is fused through fuse 15 ...a 10 amp fuse a different power source than the door switches .

Switches on the doors are fused through fuse 13 a 20 amp fuse ,, try replacing fuse 13 and see if that gets the door switches working again.
 
#18 ·
I think I've got it down to the lock actuators going bad. I tore into the passenger side one and messed around with it. Lubed it, worked it and hooked it back up. :rofl: :rofl: It worked intermittently and still didn't operate to it's full extension length. At the local PnP, they're $14 each. AZ and O'R have them for $54 each. RA $33. Do you guys think I'm better to get new or would PnP parts suffice?

Thanks for all the info.
Brad
 
#19 ·
That's a hard call to make , depends on condition of said unit , it may work for years to come , then again it may only be a short time , make sure the rubber boot is in great condition , and part looking like new , preferably out of as new van as possible , they are likely used in many cars as well so you may find a newer car to pull from ,, at RA about twice price of used part , to save the time it takes to go looking at P&P cars ,, kinda depends on what is more abundant , time or money , :)
 
#20 ·
The newest they had were 97's. I have been leaning to the RA ones to "guarantee" a working part. If they would have had some 05's, I would have jumped on them.

Now, if I could just get the right RKE key fob for my van. According to the GM parts manager I talked to, there are two different ones. The one I have is the wrong one!!! :banghead:
 
#22 ·
Lumpy said:
The price I'll pay for a replacement part is directly proportional to
the degree of difficulty involved in reaching, removing and replacing said part.

Lump
You got that right. For easy to replace parts, I'm a fan of cheap house-brand parts that have a life-time warranty. I keep all receipts tucked safely away where I don't lose them so I can get free replacements but for more important things I don't like doing, I go with high quality.
 
#23 ·
jnbgoch said:
Now, if I could just get the right RKE key fob for my van. According to the GM parts manager I talked to, there are two different ones. The one I have is the wrong one!!! :banghead:
Talk to the folks at http://www.keyless-remotes.com --- they sent me both remotes for my previous 2001 Astro and then let me return the one that didn't work for a refund. You may be able to send the one you have in and get credit toward the right one.

When the '01 was totaled and replaced with my current '03 Safari, it happened to be the right remote!
 
#24 ·
Rey, have you solved the problem? I didn't see any replies from you after the first few.

My 2002 driver lock actuator won't unlock the door via the keyless entry if it gets below 60 degrees. Above 60, it works fine. I lubed all of the linkage except for the actual lock itself...tried to remove it but need to know how those rods come off. Is there a c or e clip on the end? My eyes don't focus close up like they used to.

I might swap the passenger and driver door actuators to see if the problem transfers.
 
#25 ·
On the inside of door the lock is held in place with a C clip

you may try squirting some Lock-Ease with graphite or WD-40 into lock , that may free it up ,

the rods are held in place with plastic push on clips , though there sometimes are the thin metal slip on clips on the lock tab
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top