Nice write up and photos. Thanks especially for clarifying about the need (or not) to remove the glass.

Do I understand this correctly? Once the interior trim and seal are off, it's just a matter of taking out the three screws that hold the latch assembly to the door, and then the latch can be taken out through the opening, as in your photo.

Also, was it the motor shaft that was stuck, or the plastic gear mechanism?

I had a similar situation with the rear hatch actuator on a Ford Escape, but in that case the D.C. motor itself had failed. The Ford one just moves a single plunger, and I was able to install a "universal" actuator in its place.

I was also fascinated by the way these work. D.C. is applied to the motor for a fixed time, and the motor runs until the mechanism is moved to its mechanical limit, at which point the motor stops turning. Typically, it reaches the stop before the fixed time has ended, so power continues a bit longer. When the power is removed, there's a noticeable click as the tension in the motor and mechanism is released. I think in the Ford, this continued current with the motor stopped degraded the brushes and commutator. I couldn't recover it.

 

Hi there!

Do I understand this correctly? Once the interior trim and seal are off, it's just a matter of taking out the three screws that hold the latch assembly to the door, and then the latch can be taken out through the opening, as in your photo.

Yup, that's it. I removed the door panel (three screws, the trim piece behind the door handle, and the trim piece on the door pull, then pry it off with a nylon door tool), disconnected the door handle and door lock cables, and unplugged the power window switch. That gets the door panel removed. I partially removed the clear plastic water shield, which gave me access to the electrical connector for the door lock motor. I then removed the three screws on the door's jamb. which freed the door latch mechanism and let me pull it out of the door. Note that the exterior door handle cable is still attached. I don't know if you can remove that without moving or removing the glass, but I didn't need to do that.

At that point, there is a white plastic shield over the latch mechanism that needs to be pulled away (it snaps in place). Remove one screw, and remove the door lock motor.

The picture shows the door latch mechanism, the plastic shield that has been pulled away and slid down the cables, and the door lock wiring. The wiring is hanging such that it looks "connected" to the shield, but they're not.

Also, was it the motor shaft that was stuck, or the plastic gear mechanism?

The motor shaft itself was stuck. I pulled the motor up and out with a flat-tip screwdriver. The electrical connection on the door lock housing just plugs into the back of the motor (a pretty neat setup), so the motor comes right out without any real problem. The motor shaft itself was stuck, I think due to some rust/contaminants making their way down there. Once I cleaned it up with some mass airflow cleaner spray (the closest thing to electrical contact cleaner I had handy), it turned freely.

The gear mechanism itself was packed with white grease. i cleaned the mechanism with acetone, then re-packed the gear teeth and every other shaft end/touch point with lithium grease and reassembled.

I was also fascinated by the way these work. D.C. is applied to the motor for a fixed time, and the motor runs until the mechanism is moved to its mechanical limit, at which point the motor stops turning. Typically, it reaches the stop before the fixed time has ended, so power continues a bit longer. When the power is removed, there's a noticeable click as the tension in the motor and mechanism is released. I think in the Ford, this continued current with the motor stopped degraded the brushes and commutator. I couldn't recover it.

There are no limit switches or other feedback mechanisms in the door lock module, and when I tested it, it was apparent that Subaru is also just applying power to the motor for a fixed amount of time.

 

Hope that lithium grease dosen't eat the plastic.
Many plastic gears are lubed with silicone based lube.

 

Jay

Thanks for the more detailed explanation. Enough info now for anyone having the same problem.

http://opposedforces.com/parts/lega...b13/type_22/body_equipment_exterior/door_parts_latch_and_handle/illustration_2/ has a good diagram of the mechanism showing the cover and separate actuator. The door lock actuators (or " Actuator assembly-door") are #21 and #23. According to subaruonlineparts.com, MSRP is around $87 and currently sells for around $64.

For those with earlier models, based on the opposedforces.com site, the system appears to use solid links rather than cables, and the diagram shows a different actuator with different part number.

 

Hi there

fiddeling around with the same problem. Got everything apart and cleaned the mabuchi actuator motor - but damaged the brushes by doing so (used a soft brush to get rid of the grease...)
I probably should have done it in this way:
club.liberty.asn.au • View topic - DIY: Repair central locking actuator
I would probably not use water, though, only WD 40 or something similar.

Now I want to buy a new motor, but it is difficult to get the exact same one as Subaru has specificly made mabuchi motors (as I found out after calling mabuchi -> The motor shows not a model number but a production number, mine starts with VN...). The closest I found so far is the FC 280 PT motor sold on ebay, it has same dimensions of case (24.2×18.3×30.5 mm) and shaft (20.5mm). But the original shaft has a flat side whereas the FC 280 PT appears to have a complete round shaft which will not fit into the plastic coil driving the lock...

Other people with the same problem combined some parts of the old motor with the plastic holding of the new motor. Here a good walk through:
http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/door-lock-actuator-problems-136038p2.html


Alternative: On this website you can get the complete actuator for a reasonable price (Australia retail around $ 270!!! per actuator) https://www.subarupartsdepot.com

And here another good diagram on how to disamble door panel http://iagresearch.com.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=44http://iagresearch.com.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=44

 

Mabuchi Motor Type

I cannot believe it - I received an answer from Mabuchi: The original door lock actuator motor is the Mabuchi FC280PT-20150. Now it seems to get difficult one with a long AND flattened shaft :gasp:.

 

This should be a direct replacement for the motor without dismantling and swapping shafts. I haven't seen any feedback with people using this motor but I was going to order 4 just so I have them on hand as they fail. At $1.95 a piece, it is cheap insurance. I only wish that it wasn't $15.00 for shipping!

FC-280PC-22125-19D

 

Just did the same procedure today on 2005 left rear door.

In my case, the motor still worked, but it would take 2 or 3 tries to lock or unlock the door. I confirmed this was not a grease problem on the worm gear. So I opened up the motor itself which was rather awkward given I didn't have a tiny pry tool to separate the metal case from the plastic end piece. With an angled end-cutter I managed to bend the tabs and get the motor apart. What I saw inside was black gunk from worn brushes. Also the area where the brushes touch the commutator were black and shiny which I think means it overheated and baked all the black dust on there. I polished that black stuff off the commutator and flushed everything out with electrical contact cleaner and compressed air and reinstalled. Its works great!

Not sure how long it will last so next time might have to get some one from Kysan:
FC-280PC-22125-19D $2.50 each and $18 shipping for up to ten units.


Or get the generic one off ebay for way cheaper and just grind the shaft with a dremmel or something so it has the "D" profile to fit the worm gear:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/20mm-Long-S...Motor-Repair-For-Lexus-Toyota-Mabuchi-/281171934864?hash=item4177273e90&vxp=mtr

 

Seized Door Lock on 2011 Subaru Outback

I have a 2011 Subaru Outback that has a rear right door that refuses to readily lock/unlock. If I push the fob enough times, it will eventually go from one mode to the other. I noticed that the manual lock button is siezed. I cannot get it to move even a little bit. It almost appears that a piece of the manual lock mechanism has become disconnected and is limiting the movement. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on whether this would be possible, or if there are any other ideas on what may be causing this. It does not appear to be a motor problem, as the movement limitation seems like it is occuring right at the manual lock. Thanks

 

Just installed two of these motors. The long flat shaft versions are $7.50 each and are plug and play with our Subarus:

Mabuchi Nichibo Door Lock Motor Short Long Flat D Round Collar FC280PC22125 | eBay


Installing in the drivers front door is a big pain in the butt because of the manual lock and window mechanism.

 

I have the same issue on my outback 2005 driver door. I took down the door panel and when I look through the openings I can see two rods going from the outter door handle and lock down to the latch. How do I detcah these two rods? The one that goes to the lock looks doable but the one that goes to door handle is hidden way behind the openings and the window rails

It looks like I will have to disassemble the window meachnism to get to these rods..

 

I will add my name to this. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...s/109-gen-3-2005-2009/460529-drivers-door-locked-will-not-open.html#post5237449

 

Same problem here in Italy.
Tried to clean the motor without any success.
I've noticed that the gear that control the mechanism have a spring inside.
Anyone noticed how the gear move and work?
I've found these that can be shipped in Italy, but need to know if is effectively the motor or there's something stuck in the mechanism.https://www.ebay.com/itm/272879829841