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A Marine purchased a new 2004 WRX. Then he was stationed to Japan and the car went into storage. When he returned he had three kids and needed more vehicle. That is how a 2004 WRX with only 17,000 miles ended up on the lot at the local Dodge dealer. Next, my wife sees the car and instantly wants it.
Fast forward a few years and I have finally had it with the passenger door that refuses to unlock by way of the dongle only when I have my arms full. There’s no Subaru dealer in my city so I have to order a door actuator from a dealer 100 mile away. By the time the dealership adds on shipping the price has risen to $162. The part shows up at my door during a snow storm.
The cold snap persists until today when the temperature finally struggles into the low forties and I kick on the heat in the shop. The Subaru service manual is sparse on information on how to disassemble the door other than warnings about not bending the rods. The door’s interior appears virgin, the plastic water sheet is without damage.
Finally the door latch actuator assembly is out and the electrical connection pulled. This is where things become curious. The plug and socket are coated and filled with a silvery looking substance – actually, it looks like antiseize. So, here is the problem, the two prong electrical plug, one prong for lock and one for unlock, was receiving some power at both prongs and apparently the current was sometimes enough balanced to stall the actuator. This car appears to have been sabotaged at the factory. Is there some other explanation for this?
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That silver stuff is a sealant to keep moisture out, it is okay.
Did a new actuator fix the problem? If not Ill post the testing needed for that system. You have a integrated module and you really cant test that system the way we used to test the old set ups.
Could it be like a moon roof, where as power flowing from A-B opens(unlocks) and power flowing form B-A closes(locks) the door?
Also is that silvery substance just dielectric grease that is old?
But if the new actuator does not work, I can try to help you figure out a test procedure as well.
[quote=”Raistian77″ post=80342]That silver stuff is a sealant to keep moisture out, it is okay.
[/quote]So that is sealant – that makes sense. The actuator attaches to the underside of the door latch and the plug is under that so the plug is pretty low in the door and facing up.
I tested the new actuator before replacing the trim and it worked, nice solid clunk. However, the old actuator was intermittent and failed most often during hot weather. When it would act up it would buzz like a solenoid on a starter with a weak battery. I think it is fixed but ask me again next summer.
The following day: I had brought the removed actuator into the house last night so today I was fooling with it. I dug around in the electrical socket with a toothpick until I had about a quarter of an inch of toothpick coated with the gray goop. Still not wanting to give up on my theory that is stuff is a conductor, I probed it. Well, it is a perfect insulator.
Anyway, thanks for the offers of help but, at least for now, it is working and so I am going to call it fixed until I learn otherwise. So, until then……
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