Door lock help
Discussion
My passenger door, mechanical outside push button on the rear wing, solenoid to lock/unlock, will not open when I push the outside button.
When I press either the key fob or the green lit button, I can feel a slight clunk in it, but it is not pushing up to release the door. The cable from the centre knob opens it, but the button outside does not. The 'coat hanger' from the button moves the mechanism down but it does not connect to the mechanism that releases the door pin.
Is this a case of 'new solenoid required', or can the mechanism be jammed somehow that is not allowing it to come up and hence allow the outside push button to engage with the opening mechanism. I have tried poking around to see if there is a lever to push to release it but cannot find anything.
If it is the solenoid, how difficult are they to change? I understand the solenoid is a cheap Maplin part but is there a write up on the procedure to pull it all out and replace it somewhere?
When I press either the key fob or the green lit button, I can feel a slight clunk in it, but it is not pushing up to release the door. The cable from the centre knob opens it, but the button outside does not. The 'coat hanger' from the button moves the mechanism down but it does not connect to the mechanism that releases the door pin.
Is this a case of 'new solenoid required', or can the mechanism be jammed somehow that is not allowing it to come up and hence allow the outside push button to engage with the opening mechanism. I have tried poking around to see if there is a lever to push to release it but cannot find anything.
If it is the solenoid, how difficult are they to change? I understand the solenoid is a cheap Maplin part but is there a write up on the procedure to pull it all out and replace it somewhere?
Steve_D said:
I suspect it is just a bent rod.
You should be able to see the solenoid working and confirm it is clearing the lock and also see which lever the button is connected too you can then operate it by hand.
Thing is the solenoid is not working, it's making a noise but not moving.
It's as if the lock mechanism is stuck.
Steve
You should be able to see the solenoid working and confirm it is clearing the lock and also see which lever the button is connected too you can then operate it by hand.
Thing is the solenoid is not working, it's making a noise but not moving.
It's as if the lock mechanism is stuck.
Steve
Try lifting the panel behind the seat and manually operate both solenoids a few times.
The problem could be the central locking solenoid not operating or releasing fully.
Always has happened every now and again to my drivers door.
I just give the mechanism a spray with WD40 and all is ok for quite a while.
I did buy some spare solenoids a few years ago but haven’t needed to change them yet.
The problem could be the central locking solenoid not operating or releasing fully.
Always has happened every now and again to my drivers door.
I just give the mechanism a spray with WD40 and all is ok for quite a while.
I did buy some spare solenoids a few years ago but haven’t needed to change them yet.
WOO5IE said:
Try lifting the panel behind the seat and manually operate both solenoids a few times.
The problem could be the central locking solenoid not operating or releasing fully.
Always has happened every now and again to my drivers door.
I just give the mechanism a spray with WD40 and all is ok for quite a while.
I did buy some spare solenoids a few years ago but haven’t needed to change them yet.
I did that, the solenoid mechanism is down and solid, and I can't see how to get it to extend upwards.
There must be something I need to move in the mechanism that looks jammed.
The problem could be the central locking solenoid not operating or releasing fully.
Always has happened every now and again to my drivers door.
I just give the mechanism a spray with WD40 and all is ok for quite a while.
I did buy some spare solenoids a few years ago but haven’t needed to change them yet.
I did that, the solenoid mechanism is down and solid, and I can't see how to get it to extend upwards.
There must be something I need to move in the mechanism that looks jammed.
Steve_D said:
OK so you can see which lever the solenoid works. Get hold of it and work it by hand along with a dose of release oil until it moves freely.
Steve
As I said I can see the solenoid and the long metal bit above it that is connected to the threaded bar going into the solenoid. Do I spray it all with penetrating oil and then try to force it all upwards? Steve
Is there anything I have to push out they way, or a lever to move backwards or something before trying this as I am concerned that I might break something.
Hi Jazz
Don’t force anything. What I do is roof off window down and seat forward. Stick your head through open window and operate the button to open a few times.. Then operate the remote to
Operate and the central locking mechanism. From there you will easily identify which solenoid is which. Also disconnect both the connectors to solenoids a few times to help with a high resistant connection.
As you are getting a click then the door opening solenoid must be trying to operate .
So it could be the central locking solenoid that is not releasing fully . This would stop the door opening solenoid ffor opening the door.
If all else fails it’s not a difficult to remove assembly for car.
You will need some sealer when reinstalling mechanism to car.
May be worth also marking with a felt tip pen where the mechanism sits so it goes back exactly the same place. I can’t remember if there is any adjustment on this
Don’t force anything. What I do is roof off window down and seat forward. Stick your head through open window and operate the button to open a few times.. Then operate the remote to
Operate and the central locking mechanism. From there you will easily identify which solenoid is which. Also disconnect both the connectors to solenoids a few times to help with a high resistant connection.
As you are getting a click then the door opening solenoid must be trying to operate .
So it could be the central locking solenoid that is not releasing fully . This would stop the door opening solenoid ffor opening the door.
If all else fails it’s not a difficult to remove assembly for car.
You will need some sealer when reinstalling mechanism to car.
May be worth also marking with a felt tip pen where the mechanism sits so it goes back exactly the same place. I can’t remember if there is any adjustment on this
As the door opening part is done mechanically without a solenoid, there is only one there which is to lock the door.
I will squirt some penetrating oil over the mechanism above it and will see if I can release it somehow. Otherwise, I suppose taking it out is just those three Allen socketed bolts in the door, and the whole lot comes out?
By marking the existing position, I assume you mean put marks on the door bolts centres so they can be aligned again in the same place?
I will squirt some penetrating oil over the mechanism above it and will see if I can release it somehow. Otherwise, I suppose taking it out is just those three Allen socketed bolts in the door, and the whole lot comes out?
By marking the existing position, I assume you mean put marks on the door bolts centres so they can be aligned again in the same place?
Check the little white plastic clip that holds the long vertical rod (the coat hanger) hasn't come off where it connects to the lock mechanism.
However, it does sound from your description that your solenoid has failed in the lock position, if it does this the door opening plunger on the rear wing/B-post will do nothing.... even if the coat hanger is connected correctly.
Here are a couple of videos I took recently that may help?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D26z8KWz6w
The duck noise coming from the solenoid are it's internal gears slipping, in my case it still worked but clearly needed replacing before it left me stuck away from home with a car that either wouldn't lock or unlock the passenger door.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3pX6cW23Mw
Study the videos that clearly show the locked and unlocked positions, now remove your lock plate as I have and observe what happens when you lock and unlock your car, my guess is you will find a dead solenoid... and the lock mechanism in the lock position when it died.
Take over the solenoid function working the mechanism by hand, this will help you establish if it moves freely or not, and will conclusively confirm if it genuinely is a dead solenoid or if you have a mechanical issue with the lock itself, I would completely remove the solenoid before doing this as it's gears my have bound up which will lock it solid.
If you do find you need a new five wire solenoid be careful to ensure it has the full 20mm of stroke demanded by the lock, the first solenoid I purchased from eBay fell very slightly short in the stroke department which meant it was incapable of either fully locking, or unlocking the car.
The solution for me came in the form of a quality Spal five wire solenoid, but these are hard to find as Spal ceased production of door solenoids some years ago and I had the last two off Powers Performance a few weeks ago. If you look at the photos of the solenoid offered by TVR parts it shows the Spal solenoid which I'm now able to identify by the two white plugs. You'll need to cut these plugs off and fit male bullets which will neatly plug into the original multi-plug in the loom.
https://tvr-parts.com/tvr-parts/part-details/tvr-m...
I would call TVR Parts to make sure what they're proposing to send you is indeed a genuine Spal solenoid, if it is a genuine Spal unit it's well worth paying a little more for, not only because you'll know for sure it's stroke will be sufficient, but because Spal make very high quality components in my experience.
My original solenoid certainly became very noisy in the last few months, but after replacing it with the new Spal solenoid from Powers Performance it became immediately clear the thing had been sick for years. With the Spal solenoid fitted the locking and unlocking of my doors instantly became a much quieter and more positive operation... in fact it's now noticeably better than it's ever been since I bought the car almost 8 years ago.
I've also noticed I can now lock and unlock the car with the IR fob from a far greater distance, and I suspect the dying passenger door solenoid was the true source of a parasitic drain I could only resolve by disconnecting the door buttons... which I will now reconnect. I would link you to that post, but sadly the moderators chose to lock it as it was felt (wrongly), the information I provided constituted some sort of security risk
Hope this helps?
Dave.
However, it does sound from your description that your solenoid has failed in the lock position, if it does this the door opening plunger on the rear wing/B-post will do nothing.... even if the coat hanger is connected correctly.
Here are a couple of videos I took recently that may help?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D26z8KWz6w
The duck noise coming from the solenoid are it's internal gears slipping, in my case it still worked but clearly needed replacing before it left me stuck away from home with a car that either wouldn't lock or unlock the passenger door.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3pX6cW23Mw
Study the videos that clearly show the locked and unlocked positions, now remove your lock plate as I have and observe what happens when you lock and unlock your car, my guess is you will find a dead solenoid... and the lock mechanism in the lock position when it died.
Take over the solenoid function working the mechanism by hand, this will help you establish if it moves freely or not, and will conclusively confirm if it genuinely is a dead solenoid or if you have a mechanical issue with the lock itself, I would completely remove the solenoid before doing this as it's gears my have bound up which will lock it solid.
If you do find you need a new five wire solenoid be careful to ensure it has the full 20mm of stroke demanded by the lock, the first solenoid I purchased from eBay fell very slightly short in the stroke department which meant it was incapable of either fully locking, or unlocking the car.
The solution for me came in the form of a quality Spal five wire solenoid, but these are hard to find as Spal ceased production of door solenoids some years ago and I had the last two off Powers Performance a few weeks ago. If you look at the photos of the solenoid offered by TVR parts it shows the Spal solenoid which I'm now able to identify by the two white plugs. You'll need to cut these plugs off and fit male bullets which will neatly plug into the original multi-plug in the loom.
https://tvr-parts.com/tvr-parts/part-details/tvr-m...
I would call TVR Parts to make sure what they're proposing to send you is indeed a genuine Spal solenoid, if it is a genuine Spal unit it's well worth paying a little more for, not only because you'll know for sure it's stroke will be sufficient, but because Spal make very high quality components in my experience.
My original solenoid certainly became very noisy in the last few months, but after replacing it with the new Spal solenoid from Powers Performance it became immediately clear the thing had been sick for years. With the Spal solenoid fitted the locking and unlocking of my doors instantly became a much quieter and more positive operation... in fact it's now noticeably better than it's ever been since I bought the car almost 8 years ago.
I've also noticed I can now lock and unlock the car with the IR fob from a far greater distance, and I suspect the dying passenger door solenoid was the true source of a parasitic drain I could only resolve by disconnecting the door buttons... which I will now reconnect. I would link you to that post, but sadly the moderators chose to lock it as it was felt (wrongly), the information I provided constituted some sort of security risk
Hope this helps?
Dave.
As always, great post, Dave.
My locking mechanism is identical to yours, ie one solenoid and a mechanical part.
On pushing the outside button, the vertical mechanism above the solenoid goes down, as it should but as it is 'locked' it does not engage with the door opening mechanism and thus it does not open. The cable from the inside knob though as it is connected to the opening mechanism, opens the door.
My solenoid does not make a sound like yours, but if I touch it while operating the central locking, I can feel a vibration and click in it although it does not move the mechanism up. I haven't tried disconnecting the power to the solenoid to see if that allows me to move the locking mechanism upwards or not, but whatever it is, it is as if the solenoid just will not allow the door to unlock as it is frozen in the locked position.
My locking mechanism is identical to yours, ie one solenoid and a mechanical part.
On pushing the outside button, the vertical mechanism above the solenoid goes down, as it should but as it is 'locked' it does not engage with the door opening mechanism and thus it does not open. The cable from the inside knob though as it is connected to the opening mechanism, opens the door.
My solenoid does not make a sound like yours, but if I touch it while operating the central locking, I can feel a vibration and click in it although it does not move the mechanism up. I haven't tried disconnecting the power to the solenoid to see if that allows me to move the locking mechanism upwards or not, but whatever it is, it is as if the solenoid just will not allow the door to unlock as it is frozen in the locked position.
jazzdude said:
As always, great post, Dave.
My locking mechanism is identical to yours, ie one solenoid and a mechanical part.
On pushing the outside button, the vertical mechanism above the solenoid goes down, as it should but as it is 'locked' it does not engage with the door opening mechanism and thus it does not open. The cable from the inside knob though as it is connected to the opening mechanism, opens the door.
My solenoid does not make a sound like yours, but if I touch it while operating the central locking, I can feel a vibration and click in it although it does not move the mechanism up. I haven't tried disconnecting the power to the solenoid to see if that allows me to move the locking mechanism upwards or not, but whatever it is, it is as if the solenoid just will not allow the door to unlock as it is frozen in the locked position.
My locking mechanism is identical to yours, ie one solenoid and a mechanical part.
On pushing the outside button, the vertical mechanism above the solenoid goes down, as it should but as it is 'locked' it does not engage with the door opening mechanism and thus it does not open. The cable from the inside knob though as it is connected to the opening mechanism, opens the door.
My solenoid does not make a sound like yours, but if I touch it while operating the central locking, I can feel a vibration and click in it although it does not move the mechanism up. I haven't tried disconnecting the power to the solenoid to see if that allows me to move the locking mechanism upwards or not, but whatever it is, it is as if the solenoid just will not allow the door to unlock as it is frozen in the locked position.
ChimpOnGas said:
Take over the solenoid function working the mechanism by hand, this will help you establish if it moves freely or not, and will conclusively confirm if it genuinely is a dead solenoid or if you have a mechanical issue with the lock itself, I would completely remove the solenoid before doing this as it's gears may have bound up which will lock it solid.
My gears were worn which is what was making the noise, but I can easily see if I'd left them any longer the wear could result in the gears becoming bound up seizing the solenoid completely.If you've ever played with radio controlled cars that use the same plastic gears you'll be familiar with this scenario, the teeth on plastic gear sets can get so worn the two gears eventually ride up on each other jamming the drive mechanism solid.
Completely remove the solenoid before operating the lock mechanism by hand, only doing so will conclusively confirm if the issue is solenoid or lock related.
If it is solenoid related and it's gears are jammed as we suspect, I strongly recommend sourcing the Spal solenoids that are far stronger in operation than the average Chinese junk and are guaranteed to have the full 20mm of stroke required for correct TVR lock and unlock function.
Interestingly, since replacing my solenoid three additional benefits have come to light.
1. When I press the ally plunger on the wing/B-post, the passenger door springs open in a much snappier way and with a far more positive feeling at the plunger itself
2. The central locking system is now way quieter than it's been in all the years I've owned the car
3. The range of the remote fob has become significantly extended
It's also clear to me while the door switches play their part in the security system, the Meta M99 (paired with the M36 immobiliser) is looking for a signal from the solenoid, if the solenoid isn't able to travel through it's full stroke it seems it has the potential to cause all sots of issues with the security system, in my case both doors locked and unlocked as they should, but for years my weak passenger solenoid was generating a parasitic drain.
On point one above, I found the adjustment of the vertical 'coat hanger' rod to be critical too, in typical TVR fashion you lengthen or shorten the rod by simply bending it. You're trying to achieve a snappy crisp feeling as you press the ally plunger, but you also need to ensure it's not too taught as this means the solenoid has to work against it which I suspect may have ultimately been what overloaded my solenoid gears over the years.
The solenoid itself needs to be fit and strong, and 'coat hanger' demands careful adjustment not to overstress it while still allowing for correct door plunger operation with that pleasing crisp feel. It would also seem the system needs a strong solenoid delivering the full 20mm of travel or it may cause a parasitic drain within the M99 as mine did.
The TVR setup on these ally plunger door popper cars is a bit Heath Robinson to say the least, and may have been part of TVRs motivation to move to the two solenoids setup and under mirror door switches that were introduced in January 1997. The earlier system works well if adjusted perfectly but is clearly sensitive to small deviations in solenoid stroke & strength as well as perfect 'coat hanger' rod length. The car may well lock and unlock as mine did, but that doesn't mean it's functioning 100% correctly and causing confusion and or a drain at the the Meta M99.
Tolerances are tight so it's worth spending some time on vertical rod 'coat hanger' bending to get it spot on, it's also well worth investing in the super strong well made Spal solenoids that are guaranteed to give you the full high torque stroke length the Heath Robinson TVR lock setup clearly demands.
This is what those real deal Spal solenoids look like....
Note the body shape which is unique to the Spal 37000006 five wire solenoid, also note the two white plastic plugs which is another identifying feature of the Spal 37000006. The ones in the photo on the TVR Parts website are clearly showing genuine Spal, but I'd call them first to make sure they haven't changed to a different supplier since posting that photo as sadly Spal stopped all door solenoid production some years ago.
Given how fussy the TVR door locking system is for needing a high torque quality solenoid that delivers the full stroke with a nice strong pull, I'd definitely recommend paying a little more and taking the time to track down a genuine Spal 37000006 five wire solenoid, and if you find someone selling the real deal you may want to do what I did and buy two so you have a spare to cover future failures.
Dave.
That sound like what has happened, the plastic gear wheels must have locked so although they are trying to move with the electrical signal, they cant.
I will take it out and get another solenoid on it.
In removing these things, is it a case of undoing the three bolts in the door jamb, and then pulling the whole assembly out? I assume the coat hanger hook from above just unhooks but is there usually enough play in the cable below from the internal door knob to pull the assembly out from the void in the rear wing? And once out, does this cable also just unhook.
I am keen to keep the cable positions as it was so it will hopefully not need recalibrating when I put it all back.
Also. looking at the driver's side, any idea why there are two cables going to the opening mechanism?
I will take it out and get another solenoid on it.
In removing these things, is it a case of undoing the three bolts in the door jamb, and then pulling the whole assembly out? I assume the coat hanger hook from above just unhooks but is there usually enough play in the cable below from the internal door knob to pull the assembly out from the void in the rear wing? And once out, does this cable also just unhook.
I am keen to keep the cable positions as it was so it will hopefully not need recalibrating when I put it all back.
Also. looking at the driver's side, any idea why there are two cables going to the opening mechanism?
jazzdude said:
That sound like what has happened, the plastic gear wheels must have locked so although they are trying to move with the electrical signal, they cant.
Exactly, but dont assume, test it first by removing the solenoid from the TVR lock plate/bracket which requires the removal of said plate/bracket from the door shut/B-pillar itself.jazzdude said:
In removing these things, is it a case of undoing the three bolts in the door jamb, and then pulling the whole assembly out?
Correctjazzdude said:
I assume the coat hanger hook from above just unhooks
Yes, see plastic clip in my first response to this postjazzdude said:
But is there usually enough play in the cable below from the internal door knob to pull the assembly out from the void in the rear wing?
Yes, plenty, see my above image of the removed system and return to my video linksjazzdude said:
And once out, does this cable also just unhook.
There is no need to un-hook the cable or even alter it's adjustment to replace the solenoid, all you need to do is to remove the setup by undoing the countersunk alen cap headsjazzdude said:
I am keen to keep the cable positions as it was so it will hopefully not need recalibrating when I put it all back.
See abovejazzdude said:
Also. looking at the driver's side, any idea why there are two cables going to the opening mechanism?
Yes, the second cable on the drivers door relates to the secret way inThe TVR plate/bracket system is essentially a sandwich affair, everything is held in place and pulled together by those countersunk alen cap head screws you see in your door shut. The multi-component sandwich nature of the setup can make it a fiddle especially when lining up the screws to get them started on their threads (welded captive nuts) on the TVR plate, so make your life easier by removing the 'coat hanger' rod completely while getting the whole arrangement loosely aligned and secured on all the screws.
You can then easily introduce the rod making sure it's properly engaged with the door plunger by pressing the plunger itself with one hand while holding the rod at the other, when it goes up & down it's located. At this point you can attach the hook end of the rod into the eyelet on the lock mechanism itself. Do now make 100% sure you engage that little white plastic clip I circled in my first image as this is actually what holds the damn rod in place, failure to snap that innocent little clip firmly onto the rod and the rod will be sure to fall out of the lock at some time in the future.
When you engauge that little white clip it also puts a bit more tension on the 'coat hanger' rod and holds it nice and vertical, when the clipo is snapped shut (and not before) you can play with gently bending the rod to get the perfect length and so a nice snappy feeling plunger, a mechanism that does not overstress the solenoid gears and one that ensures the solenoid is free to function over it's full stroke which in turn ensures the Meta system knows the door as either locked or un-locked.
Now for my top tip....
Its well worth taking a very close look at the length of inner most countersunk alen cap head screw, the other outer two are fine but the one that's nearest the centre of the car should be examined with suspicion. I discovered when I nipped this screw up tight it actually protruded into the lock mechanism itself, only by a few mm you understand and only when the screw was fully tightened on it's last two or so fine threads, but it protruded into the lock mechanism all the same.
This worried me so I ended up pulling the whole setup out again and building it up off the car so I could see better what was really going on, sure enough the very tip of that one screw was protruding into the lock mechanism by a mm or two which was causing a slight binding issue, which looking at the witness marks must have been there since the car was built. This may well have contributed to the death of my solenoid gears and the poor lock/unlock function of the passenger door since I'd owned the car, it may also have ultimately (but indirectly) been why I had the parasitic drain issue on my Meta system.
I shortened that screw and retested the built up assembly (still off the car), even without the help of the new super strong Spal solenoid the mechanism was way smoother when working it by hand, that one protruding countersunk alen cap head screw had a lot to answer for over all those years, and the boys at TVR had clearly missed it when they built the car. With Spal solenoid fitted, the whole setup back on the car and tightly clamped up I made the final fine bending adjustments to the 'coat hanger' rod.... and using the right length inner screw car has never ever locked and unlocked so quietly and well all it's life.
Finally I'd like to point out that when I was chasing down my parasitic drain I was able to effect a temporary fix by simply disconnecting my door pin switches, these are clearly on the same circuit as the Meta system and the door solenoids, it's all connected, so it stands to reason everything in the chain of locks, solenoids, door pin switches ect ect all must be working correctly or there may well be issues that go well beyond just the locking and unlocking of the car. I say this because when the door switches were disconnected the car immediately idled and drove way better, this sounds odd that door switches/one faulty solenoid to have this effect but the truth is engine management systems are very sensitive to parasitic drains, voltage offsets, and earth loops in the car's wiring harness, because ultimately everything is potentially connected to one central power and earth source... the battery!
On disconnecting my door switches the car definitely idled noticeably smoother and I regained the proper fine function of my idle air control valve, I also had to take quite a bit of fuel out of the petrol & LPG maps as the car was now running rich. Both the sensitive idle air control valve and the injectors were being influenced by the drain, disconnecting the door switches didn't solve the underlying issue itself but it did show the ECU wasn't happy at all with the drain at the passenger door and proved the car had just been mapped with longer injector durations to mask that fault.
Could it be that one tiny 2mm too long screw had killed my door solenoid which in turn was causing the drain that ultimately meant my ECU was struggling to work with the drain? I'll be frank by saying, I'm damn sure that's what was happening because since I fixed the rout cause the car has quite simply never driven better and must now be one of the smoothest driving TVR Chimaeras in existence... I kid you not
ChimpOnGas said:
Could it be that one tiny 2mm too long screw had killed my door solenoid which in turn was causing the drain that ultimately meant my ECU was struggling to work with the drain? I'll be frank by saying, I'm damn sure that's what was happening because since I fixed the rout cause the car has quite simply never driven better and must now be one of the smoothest driving TVR Chimaeras in existence... I kid you not
That's amazing Dave but yes, I wouldn't be surprised if your logic is completeley sound. And all for the sake of a 5p screw.Luckily the door is stuck locked, but opens from the inside, as opposed to staying unlocked all the time.
I will source this Spal solenoid first before pulling the lot out and your TVR parts tip is most appreciated as that part number only pops up on eBay in the states with over $60 shipping on top.
Funny thing though, the last time this happened, I somehow fixed it by locking and unlocking the doors with the central button in the middle, but I don't remember if the doors were open, closed, if the car was running or if I had locked or unlocked it first. I tried these permutations but this time it was not to be. I still slightly suspect that the mechanism has just jammed somehow as not poking or pulling on various appendages suggest any potential movement.
Once the whole thing is out and on my seat, hopefully, it will just spring back into default mode, once the solenoid is taken off.
I will source this Spal solenoid first before pulling the lot out and your TVR parts tip is most appreciated as that part number only pops up on eBay in the states with over $60 shipping on top.
Funny thing though, the last time this happened, I somehow fixed it by locking and unlocking the doors with the central button in the middle, but I don't remember if the doors were open, closed, if the car was running or if I had locked or unlocked it first. I tried these permutations but this time it was not to be. I still slightly suspect that the mechanism has just jammed somehow as not poking or pulling on various appendages suggest any potential movement.
Once the whole thing is out and on my seat, hopefully, it will just spring back into default mode, once the solenoid is taken off.
jazzdude said:
Luckily the door is stuck locked, but opens from the inside, as opposed to staying unlocked all the time.
I will source this Spal solenoid first before pulling the lot out and your TVR parts tip is most appreciated as that part number only pops up on eBay in the states with over $60 shipping on top.
Funny thing though, the last time this happened, I somehow fixed it by locking and unlocking the doors with the central button in the middle, but I don't remember if the doors were open, closed, if the car was running or if I had locked or unlocked it first. I tried these permutations but this time it was not to be. I still slightly suspect that the mechanism has just jammed somehow as not poking or pulling on various appendages suggest any potential movement.
Once the whole thing is out and on my seat, hopefully, it will just spring back into default mode, once the solenoid is taken off.
Don't discount a low amp feed to the solenoid partly contributing to your problem I will source this Spal solenoid first before pulling the lot out and your TVR parts tip is most appreciated as that part number only pops up on eBay in the states with over $60 shipping on top.
Funny thing though, the last time this happened, I somehow fixed it by locking and unlocking the doors with the central button in the middle, but I don't remember if the doors were open, closed, if the car was running or if I had locked or unlocked it first. I tried these permutations but this time it was not to be. I still slightly suspect that the mechanism has just jammed somehow as not poking or pulling on various appendages suggest any potential movement.
Once the whole thing is out and on my seat, hopefully, it will just spring back into default mode, once the solenoid is taken off.
It's a bit like the woefully inadequate current supply to the window motors, in that case because it's all so electrically marginal all you need is some mechanical resistance on top of the low amp supply and the whole system reaches critical mass. TVR cleverly added a last straw to the back of this electric window camel by running a perfectly flat piece of glass in a neatly curved faux quarter light, which serves as the upper runner. Clearly a flat piece of glass isn't going to bend but this seemingly obvious fact was completely missed by the boys at TVR, all that happens is it just binds up on the felt (furflex) as it's forced up the curved channel. They might have got away with this had TVR's wiring been better, but it wasn't.
Resistance in a wire increases when as you make that wire of smaller and smaller gauge,(they did this with the main starter motor feed too), resistance also goes up the longer the wire is. Have the window loom out of the Chimaera door where it sits and it's unnecessarily (read comically long), its also very thin gauge for the amps being drawn by the lift motor, especially one that's trying to force a flat piece of inflexible glass up a rigid curved ally channel
. The loom is of feeble gauge, ridiculous long and also sits in water at the bottom of the door, add it all up and it's no wonder Chimaera windows are slow. You see this sort of pish poor wiring practice all over the car, I bet the door solenoids are only getting 70% of the current they really need to work 100% correctly. Add in a sticky lock or the protruding screw I found to provide the mechanical resistance TVR always did so well to include, and hey presto you've got yourself a recipe made for failure. The more you work on TVRs the more you tend to find a great car spoilt by the failure to pay attention to detail and to use good automotive wiring practice.
But if you ask me that's all part of their charm, because there's nothing better than studying something on my Chimaera that isn't working properly, then solving the problem in a better way than TVR did.... little incremental improvements that all serve to make my 21 year old Plastic Fantastic an infinitely better car today than when it left Bristol Avenue all those years ago
jazzdude said:
So what you are saying is that if I take a nice big fat wire from my battery and stick it on a positive feed under that solenoid, it might start clonking like a pair of shutters in a hurricane.
Not quite, but funny all the same 
No, what I'm saying is,.... remove the solenoid from the lock plate/bracket, then test both it... and the lock itself independently of each other. This is the only way to establish the true source (or multiple sources) of the issue, don't discount a combination of a few factors all adding up to create the issue, this is what I'm referring to above as TVR critical mass (IE The Ultimate Failure Event).
It's been my experience with these cars that the a problem that presents itself as a specific failed component is often actually down to a combination of contributory factors that all conspire to create the failure, one iffy marginal component on it's own may just struggle on but add in another slightly marginal component or system to the equation and that's when you get the failure. Tat slightly too long screw was just such a case in point, replacing my door solenoid on its own would have in the short term solved my problem. But it was that overly long screw that fractionally protruded into the lock mechanism that was the real criminal in all this, and without that element corrected the new solenoid may well have had a very hard and so rather shortened life.
This is not a car that was built to the standards of design and detail we have come to expect from larger mainstream car makers, and the truth is when building something complex like a car where many things must interact perfectly.... 'the devil is most definitely in the detail'.
This is common ground for anyone who's been involved in classic and vintage restoration, because its the sort of thing you see every day, automotive archeology I used to call it.... where evidence of a craftsman's hand could often be traced to the fine hand fettling needed to make something work properly. The one hand sawn and filed shortened screw or bolt being a very common find, if you've ever built a kit car you'll know this 'devil in the detail' thing very well, indeed it's the fundamental core essence of any build process. With a kit car you are forced to beaver away finding one little solution after another in a bid to make the damn thing work the way the kit maker conned you into thinking is should straight out of the box.
To be fair TVRs were always actually 95% of the way there from new, it's just as we all know it can take successive owners 20 years or more to polish off that last 5% that didn't quite get finished properly at Bristol Avenue, and that's if each successive owner stuck at it before they got sick of all the niggles and sold the damn thing on to some other poor sod. In the vehicle restoration game the old boys I worked with used to say... it takes 20% of the restoration time to get the car looking 95% finished, you then spend the remaining 80% of your time sorting all the detail stuff, stuff your impatient customer doesn't notice or simply doesn't understand why it takes so long to complete.
To be fair, but to a lesser degree, its exactly the same in the building game.... partly for these reasons, building and cars are two trades I choose to leave to others.
Finished spring cleaning the chassis, so got round to taking the lock off and it is as we thought, the solenoid.
Once I unhooked it, the lock could be opened from outside as before so although I could feel a click in the solenoid when pushing the central locking, it was not moving at all.
This is the one I have and it looks different to the one you posted, Dave. Is there perhaps a different type in this car?
Once I unhooked it, the lock could be opened from outside as before so although I could feel a click in the solenoid when pushing the central locking, it was not moving at all.
This is the one I have and it looks different to the one you posted, Dave. Is there perhaps a different type in this car?
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