code58

RX, where do you live in CA.? I am in Orange county and have helped quite a few with this situation and would be glad to help if you were local. It's not really that bad a job, just a little mysterious if you haven't been down that road.
PS there's nothing wrong with a piggyback fix, just a WHOLE lot wrong with THAT piggyback fix.

RXandEX

code58 - much thanks. I am in Santa Monica. Probably not worth the drive for you but I do appreciate it. If I have trouble with this or have questions I'll definitely give you a PM. Thanks again!

RXandEX

IN the meantime, does anyone have a recommendation for a material to replace the plastic sheeting that was cut away by the previous owner? I'd like to adhere some plastic sheeting so moisture doesn't corrupt the electronics, but not sure what I should use.

Cable should be here tomorrow and I can get this done. Thanks!

salimshah

Bit counter intuitive, but the membrane keeps the inside of the cabin closed from out-side elements.

You can tape the cuts or just patch the gaps with thin plastic and tape. Get a good quality tape as it would last longer.

As discussed in the actuator DIY, drive around for a day or two without the panel.

Salim

RXandEX

Do you think Gorilla Tape (black duct tape though it says it's stronger) would work? Or perhaps I should spring for this

salimshah

You need a thin tape that does not loose adherence to 150F, There will be almost no UV exposure.

Spray adhesive on the back side of the plastic would work too. There is some gummy paste that is used on the edge. 3M produces a good range of products. Visit a auto-part shop and look at the text on actual products. You can ask the sales clerk, but I always double check by reading product info on the can/box.



Salim

code58

RX, the butyl tape you referenced is precisely what is originally used to hold the plastic liner on. You can buy it at any auto paint store as it is used in that field. I couldn't get by without the stuff but you should be able to buy it in a much smaller roll than that. I would use HEAVY plastic for the inner liner. I actually have all that stuff but unfortunately don't live close enough to you. I actually have plastic that is about the same thickness as the original liner. It's a piece of cake to replace it with the right materials.
As Salim stated, the plastic is to keep the water that gets past the window from coming inside the car past the inner panel.

RXandEX

I did it! I replaced the severed locking cable with a brand new OEM one ($17 ebay), and replaced the Mabushi motor ($6 ebay) inside the actuator. It took an embarrassingly long time to complete due to

1) my novice skills,

2) the cutting / splitting of the old actuator housing taking a good while longer than I thought -- at first I thought I would have to abandon the job at this stage, b/c it seemed near impossible to split the housing without destroying it. But you can work the razor up under the area where the two sides overlap first, to get it started, then slowly work all the way around, favoring conscientious patience over severed fingers

and 3) the fact I didn't buy a gear puller. Man, that pinion thing was on tight. I tried everything. Heated it up with the gas stove, tried pulling it out with two hammers, tried hammering the shaft with a drill bit while holding the motor with a claw, etc. I don't have a vise but I would've tried it if I did. I took it to a hobby shop here in town hoping to buy the puller -- they didn't have it, but the guy just put the motor in his vise and hammered the motor until the gear broke free.

I didn't make AFTER pictures, but it pretty much looks like a brand new door panel. It feels good to have everything OEM in there and working, especially since that's where my 1 year old rides. The only thing I didn't do is replace the plastic sheeting; I may take the panel off again in the future to do this though, if you all think it's really important.

It's a good thing I got this practice in, cause it appears at least 1 of the other 3 doors needs the same job. The front passenger side lock cable appears to be broken as of two days ago! Awesome! I suspect it is an equally botched piggyback job inside there too, but I'll have to open her up first. The good thing is the actuator is still working so it can be unlocked/locked with the remote or button. For now.

Oh, and the rear driver side door works manually but the motor is shot in that actuator too. It's been like that for months, but I wanted to fix the passenger rear first, since that wouldn't even unlock manually either and the door was completely unusable.

One thing's for sure; doing a job like this makes me amazed and SO impressed by the precise engineering and mechanics inside a car -- the number of things they had to design just exactly right, meticulous details and angles and part fabrication -- and this is just for the door handles! The engineers who've developed all of these modern mechanical marvels have my eternal respect.

I have you all to thank for helping me get this done. It always feels good to save $400 (or $600?) bucks. Thanks again.

code58

RX, you said you didn't buy the gear puller (specifically for small gear like this). That is one thing I would suggest you buy. It makes the job so much easier and for the small price (I believe it is readily available at Amazon, not positive if that's where) it would be well worth it. Remember, if you keep the car for any amount of time, you'll have more (probably all) to do.

RXandEX

Yeah I may buy the gear puller . . . it's $18 shipped on ebay . . . or I may just go back to the hobby shop and pay them $5 to pull the other two gears off. They wouldn't accept my money last time but I'd like to pay them something. Can't think of when I'd ever need a gear puller again in my life, as I'm not a hobbyist.

One last thing I forgot to mention is that one of the insertion tabs on the window control panel broke off when I put it back on. Turns out it had been broken before by whatever dunderhead repair person botched the piggyback job. I tried to fix it with my JB Weld PlastiWeld - - - but after curing overnight it was not sturdy enough and broke on insertion again. I think I wasn't precise enough in my application though, so I'll file it down and try again. What a pain.