Electrical Keyless entry/door locks??

titanium1990

Member
Jan 9, 2020
29
9
13
illinois
Half the time my sons keyless entry works great, the other half it dont lock or unlock but still makes a thunk sound when u hit the button on the fob(like its trying). The car has a aftermarket alarm/keyless entry. Sometimes pushing the door lock switches inside the car wont lock or unlock the doors either(it makes a thunking sound also)Any ideas?
 
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Have you tried pulling the door cards and watching the actuators when you hit the lock/unlock button with the fob? Does it only malfunction when you use the keyless system or do the locks stick sometimes using the bottoms on the doors? The keyless system is just a set of relays wired into the factory system connected to a wireless controller. I recently had to redo my keyless entry setup as the relays had burned up.

If the actuators are trying to function when you hit the button then it would seem to me that there is a mechanical issue. Possible worn out bushing or something. I know that the door lock actuators in these cars are notorious for malfunctioning in though. If they appear to be trying to work, but still not unlock/locking the doors you could pull one out, keeping it wired up, and hit the lock button. The little rod on the end of the actuator should jump. You can also push/pull on that little rod to make sure it is moving freely.

I was kinda rambling there, but its a start!
 
Sometimes it malfunctions with the door switch too not just the keyless entry. I replaced the passenger actuator a month ago. The switches all work. Would a bad drivers side actuator keep it from locking and unlocking both sides? When it doesn’t work its always both sides not just one
 
There are so many little things that could be causing the issue that its hard to say what to do. If it was me I'd get a wiring diagram and a multi meter and start testing the system trying to find the problem. Not a fast method, but will eventually lead to the problem.

This website has some useful information and the guys are really helpful. They helped me sort out my issues when I fixed mine.


There are also wiring diagrams floating around on Stangnet that will help.