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I've had a weakened door lock actuator for a while in my R34 sedan, meaning that one of the doors had to be locked manually each time, not ideal. 
I managed to chase down the replacement part from the wreckers and finally got around to replacing it.

This is not a full DIY but here's the general outline, mostly as a note to self for next time:

  1. For instructions on how to remove the inside door panel go here: http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/285604-tutorial-r34-gtt-door-panel-removal-guide/ . That guide is for a coupe but sedan front door is very similar. Note to disconnect the window switch plug, push in the clip on the underside of it
  2. Remove plastic lining inside the door. Take care with the gooey black glue, it spreads easily and sticks everywhere.
  3. Remove rectangular metal brace from the door (4 screws) to give better access to the inside of the door end.
  4. Remove the bottom screw of the window slide/guide and jiggle it out of the door.
  5. There are a lot of mechanical arms (thick wire looking things) going everywhere, they are the fun part of this puzzle. Most of them disconnect the same way: At each end, rotate the plastic clip thing to the side first to release it, then pull the end of the arm out of the hole. Remember there are two ends to each arm – only disconnect the easier end, not both.
  6. The door lock/actuator assembly is held in place by the three large screws at the edge of the door where the latch is.
  7. To get the assembly out you'll need to rotate is slightly to get it out of the O-loop in the door lock arm coming down from the top.
  8. I'm pretty sure there's a wiring connector for actuator but I got over excited with wire cutters so oh well.
  9. Once you've got the assembly out you can replace the actuator only, or the whole assembly, depending on what you have. 
  10. To re-assemble, follow the steps in reverse. Make sure you put every single arm back the same way.
  11. Test everything before you put the door panel back on: door handle and locking mechanism inside and out, central locking on/off, window up/down. Note that for the window to work you'll have to reconnect the window switch plug.

It took me a while to work out that the window slide/guide needed to come out of the way first. Generally it's an easy job, just fiddly.

  • Like 2
  • 4 months later...
  • 1 month later...

So the passenger door lock is playing up again, annoying. I just pulled it apart but can't see anything wrong; it's a convoluted mechanism but all the arms seem to be connected correctly.

I'm not sure if my replacement actuator is a dud (or just old), or whether there's something else wrong with the mechanism. It seems like the actuator doesn't 'trigger' consistently when the central locking is engaged or disengaged. I wonder if it could be a power/wiring fault...?

Anyone else had this issue in their R34, any suggestions? 

  • 3 months later...

Hey man, yeah I accidentally found my front passenger door in my 4 door r4 was not locking or unlocking it I pushed the locking tab inside the car. I stripped the door car off the stumbled across your walkthrough which I must say is very good and easy to follow! My actuator doesn't seem to move much and sometimes only one way, is this what you had? My mechanism seems tough too though but I've blasted it with silicone spray.

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