jerryg2112
Well-Known LVC Member
Here is the original and one of the replacement motors that I bought. The motors are readily available on ebay and amazon. The common ones are FC280 22125 and FC280 20150. The dimensions are 18mm x 24mm x 30mm. Shaft diameter is 2mm by 10mm long or 20mm long. The shaft and drive gear have splines. I was not able to find a motor with them in this size and configuration so you will have to add a set screw to the drive gear. The motors are available with a flat side or you can grind your own which is what I did. There are two side plug inserts and two mounting holes 11.5 mm apart by the shaft. The motors I bought had the holes but were not threaded. Tapping them is easy. Make sure to get a motor with holes. I bought Mabuchi motors and not the cheaper imitations. I wanted to make sure that the motors had the torque they are rated for and with chinese counterparts you can’t be sure. If I did the replacement and my locks still worked weakly I wouldn’t know for sure if it was the the replacement motor or the mechanical portion of the actuator. Look for the name on the end cap. Mabuchi is molded into the plastic cap.
The mounting hole thread size is 2.5mm. I found this by trying testing different screws in the original motor till one threaded in. I don’t know the pitch because it wasn’t listed. The hardware store didn’t have a metric tap that size so I decided to tap it 4-40. I planned on using new screws that size but since the thread was so close to the metric size I was able to use the original screws. The difference in pitch acts like a locking nut. I used a cordless drill to hold the tap since it was too small for the tap handles I have. Just tap deep enough that the threads are cut through so you don’t damage the windings in the motor. I had a forming tap from work so I used it instead of the hardware store tap I purchased. The difference is there are not flutes and sharp teeth for cutting the threads. Instead it rolls the material out of the way. This worked well since the material is soft and there were no metal chips to get into the motor. I suggest grinding the lead cutting edges off your tap so you don’t make any metal chips or a try to keep them out of the motor by magnetizing the tap and using a little grease to catch them.
For disassembly of the actuator you want to rotate the latch all the way to the closed position. This will position the lever inside so it isn’t touching the microswitch for the door monitor. Now you can take apart the actuator without damaging your door position microswitch.
Remove the 5 screws shown and separate the assembly into two halves.
Remove the four torx screws and cover. Be careful not to dislodge any of the gears inside. You want to be able to study their orientation for future reassembly.
There is a stop under the tan gear. Note the positions of the top white gear when the bottom stop is at it’s limit as shown in these two pictures.
Note the positions of the top white gear with the bottom stop rotated to its’ other limit position. This is the correct orientation for reassembly.
There is a tab that fits into a space between the spring ends. Reassemble with the tab in this space.
Remove the 3 screws shown to remove the motor assembly. The seal inside the electrical connector keeps it from coming apart. Pushing in the middle of the electrical terminal with a screwdriver makes removal much easier.
I was unable to find a replacement drive gear online so I had to modify the original gear by adding a set screw. The hardware store didn’t have set screws this small so I used screws from old sunglasses. You could also use screws from eyeglass repair kits or order something online. Drill a hole approximately .010 smaller than the diameter of your screw. My screw was about .050 in diameter. With drill bits this small (.040) you are not going to be able to use your drill since the chuck won’t hold something that small. You can use a micro chuck like the one on a dremel tool or you could modify a 1/16 drill bit by spinning it in your drill against a grinding wheel till you deduce the diameter to the right size. This works pretty well although your hole isn’t going to be cut as cleanly due to the fact that the tip of the drill is all web now. Drill deep enough to just chamfer the hole with the larger part of the drill so you can start your screw. I had to grind a little of the teeth back because the head of the screw was hitting them before it was against the shaft. The drive gear is fatter than the gear is drives and so it doesn’t affect anything if you need to do this too. I also used 5 minute JB weld on the inside of the drive gear splines to help lock it on the flat of the shaft and a little on the set screw to keep it from unscrewing.
If you are getting door ajar messages from a closed door this is a good time to try to address that part of the assembly. The little metal lever can be pulled out and bent with a little more arc for better function.
After reassembly and installation test the actuator for function. Most likely the lock will work backwards since the polarity of the motor is opposite of the original.
This is easy to fix. Just repin the large female connector in the door. Start by prying gently with a small screwdriver while pulling to remove the red piece. Inside you will see a plastic locking clip. With a micro screwdriver you can pry it back and gently pull the wire out of the back.
This is the passenger front door connector. The correct wires were the two on the end shown in this picture. Just switch them and plug them back in. They lock in place when fully inserted. The back doors had different colored wires in positions 4 and 12. You can check to make sure you have the right wires by testing for 12 volts when locking and unlocking with switching polarity meaning that your multimeter will show 12 volts positive and then 12 volts negative. Remember that you have to push the unlock button on the fob twice to unlock passenger doors. You can also continuity test for the right wires by using the outer two pins in the door lock actuator connector and the male large connector.
Last edited:
. I just figured it was being stubborn so I pulled a little harder. The door still works except it doesn't know when it is open. It always thinks it is closed.