Adding power door locks - DIY

[rodo]

Heres a link to the kit:
4 DOOR REMOTE POWER DOOR LOCK SOLENOIDS PROCESSOR KIT | eBay
I would have to pull the plastic back off as well as the door panel to get pics. I had to use duct tape to get the plastic sheeting back in place after cutting it. So probably won't take any pics at this point.

Probably same or similar to this $30 ebay gun-style actuator kit I installed last week, so here are some pics:


No complaints other than the relatively short rods didn't allow positioning the rod connecting blocks at openings in the front door sheet metal; made it a bit harder to install and adjust. The seller said the control unit would support a 5th actuator and the Aveo hatch has a great layout for mounting one, but didn't have time to solve the wire routing problem. The harness is configured for placing the control unit somewhere under the dash on the driver's side. The 5-wire actuator for the driver's door enables the other actuators to be manipulated by the driver's door key or lock knob in addition to the remotes. Only comments are 1) the harness fits well, but there is not much slack - so pays to check the routing before tying the wires down, 2) the cheap insulators on the bullet connectors were loose enough that it was necessary to secure them with electrical tape, and 3) loosely wrapping the long wire runs with electrical tape is not necessary, but made it easier to handle and mount the wires.


The bullet connectors are pre-installed, so the front door wires must be cut to run them through the door "molex" connector. There's a great resource about dealing with these here: How to wire through a door molex. One lesson learned is to reattach the boot to the connector BEFORE reseating it into the A-pillar - it is almost impossible to fit once the connector is back in place.


There are not many places to install the gun-type actuators that don't block panel attachment holes, avoid the window mechanisms, and permit the needed orientation. The main requirement is that the actuator movement be kept parallel to the movement of the lock rod; they supposedly wear out prematurely if forced to operate at a significant angle. Here are the two locations I used showing how the actuator rods were bent to maintain parallel movement:


The rear door actuators were technically mounted "upside down", so was necessary to reverse the wires for the correct lock/unlock action. After dealing with the "molex" connecters, the rest of the wiring was pretty typical. The weather barrier sheet does not have to be removed, but peeled back on two or three sides. Here's the route I used on the front doors to keep the wires away from moving parts and sharp edges:


Wires to the rear doors were routed through the B-pillar using the MOPAR looms as shown here:


The control unit was tie-wrapped to a bracket between the steering wheel and fuse box. A small patch of foam sheeting was attached to the case with weatherstrip adhesive to prevent any noise from movement against the bracket. Attached the ground lead to a body bolt and power to the orange door lock line off the back of the fuse box. I used a "U"-type connector sized for 18-14 gauge wire as I didn't know wire size being tapped. Had to use the Dorman "weatherproof" connector because the new "interior" type is only good for 16-14 gauge. Some don't like or trust these connectors, but I've never had any trouble with ones installed in autos for over a decade.

Did this in conjunction with a seat-out detail of the car, so don't have a pure time estimate. However, it was enough hours that I'd jump at the $30 per door professional install quoted here by someone else... and even consider the $70 per door also mentioned before doing it again on an Aveo.

Here's a summary of the additional supplies used in the install:

• Electrical tape
• Thread locking fluid - used to secure the screws in the rod connecting block.
• Solder/heatshrink tubing, crimp connectors, or other means of reconnecting wires cut for the door "Molex" feed.
• Wire looms/conduit for rear doors if not already equipped.
• Tube of yellow weatherstrip adhesive for reattaching the weather/moisture barrier to the doors. Only needed if they have been removed in the past, should be able to peel back and reattach with the original adhesive at least a couple times.
• Tie wraps - small ones for tying down wires and larger ones for mounting the control unit.
• "U" connector or other means of tapping into a constant 12V circuit for power.
• Round toothpicks - used to release the fender side of the "Molex" connector where other tools wouldn't fit. Benefit is that they can be broken to whatever length works best for your size hands.
• Foam or other sound deadening/anti-rattle material as needed.

[Daox]

I copied this post out of the middle of another thread. Great write up!