Dodgy Door Solenoid
Discussion
I have a problem with the door opening mechanism on my 1999T Chimaera 400 which I am guessing is not unique so maybe someone can diagnose it for me?
I am getting a very loud, very fast 'Brr-Brr-Brr-Brr-' noise which sounds like the solenoid is firing repeatedly very quickly. If you have heard it you will know exactly what I mean!
It happens only on the near side door and usually when I am opening the off-side door via the door mirror button or the knob inside.
Any diagnosis? I am hoping it will be cheap to fix as I have just had my main service and a few other bits and pieces done and am now £600 poorer!
Thanks in advance.
roadie
I am getting a very loud, very fast 'Brr-Brr-Brr-Brr-' noise which sounds like the solenoid is firing repeatedly very quickly. If you have heard it you will know exactly what I mean!
It happens only on the near side door and usually when I am opening the off-side door via the door mirror button or the knob inside.
Any diagnosis? I am hoping it will be cheap to fix as I have just had my main service and a few other bits and pieces done and am now £600 poorer!
Thanks in advance.
roadie
shnozz said:
new solenoid is only about £15 so i would just suggest swapping it over.
Cheers shnozz
Do you think it is the solenoid then or could it be the control electronics (although thinking about it, it's probably simple enough not to need any!)
Where do I order the solenoid from and what type should I ask for?
Also, I presume access is via the side of the car just behind the seat, so I'll have to pull the carpet off (it seems to be glued down there). What is the best adhesive to glue it back?
Cheers.
I seem to have inherited this problem now - and it is very annoying. 
Can anybody give me more detailed instructions about what I need to replace and how I go about it?
Also, how do I know whether I need the 2 wire or the 5 wire? Are the motor and the solenoid the same thing in this case?
Can anybody give me more detailed instructions about what I need to replace and how I go about it?
Also, how do I know whether I need the 2 wire or the 5 wire? Are the motor and the solenoid the same thing in this case?
Did not read the start of this, has anyone checked the doors switches? You could try taking them both out clean them and put them back. Make sure the spacer on the door is there and that it is thick enough.
The interior door open knob does not work electrically it is mechanical with cables.
A door motor is the same as a solenoid and if you are not sure what you want then buy the 5 wire it will replace either a 2 or 5 wire as a straight swop.
Hope this helps
The interior door open knob does not work electrically it is mechanical with cables.
A door motor is the same as a solenoid and if you are not sure what you want then buy the 5 wire it will replace either a 2 or 5 wire as a straight swop.
Hope this helps
If you could spare the time then step by step instructions would be really helpful - as you quite rightly point out, I've never had a 'hands on job' before. 
Also, roadsweeper isn't around for three weeks so I can't pester him like I would normally - something tells me that is no coincidence. 
Can we be reasonable certain that is the part I'll need? If so, I'll go ahead and order it so I can have a go at the weekend, or is there some other checks I can do to make sure?
Also, roadsweeper isn't around for three weeks so I can't pester him like I would normally - something tells me that is no coincidence. Can we be reasonable certain that is the part I'll need? If so, I'll go ahead and order it so I can have a go at the weekend, or is there some other checks I can do to make sure?
right, first thing to do, buy Steve Heath's bible
secondly, check the plungers at the bottom of the door are freed up and working ok. You can check them using the interior light switched on to ensure they are working fine and are switching off when closing the door. They are used to allow the doors to lock too....
if its not that....
carpets pull up behind the seats. Seats fully forward and pull up from bottom. Behind is the door lock and solenoid. For me to remove the solenoid I needed to take out the metal bracket its held upon. This meant taking apart the inner bracker where the door clips into first. Once that was out I unclipped the base of the door punger - the coathanger in there, and then removed the plate having disconnected the wires. Wired in the new solenoid and tested in whilst it was outside of the car to ensure it worked ok, and the reverse process.
Sounds easy. Took me about 3 hours all in....
best of luck mate, if you want any photos I can post them but only in fotango at the mo as my website is not working. In all seriousness, Ribol could probably provide better ones.
secondly, check the plungers at the bottom of the door are freed up and working ok. You can check them using the interior light switched on to ensure they are working fine and are switching off when closing the door. They are used to allow the doors to lock too....
if its not that....
carpets pull up behind the seats. Seats fully forward and pull up from bottom. Behind is the door lock and solenoid. For me to remove the solenoid I needed to take out the metal bracket its held upon. This meant taking apart the inner bracker where the door clips into first. Once that was out I unclipped the base of the door punger - the coathanger in there
, and then removed the plate having disconnected the wires. Wired in the new solenoid and tested in whilst it was outside of the car to ensure it worked ok, and the reverse process. Sounds easy. Took me about 3 hours all in....
best of luck mate, if you want any photos I can post them but only in fotango at the mo as my website is not working. In all seriousness, Ribol could probably provide better ones.
shnozz said:
In all seriousness, Ribol could probably provide better ones.
Blimey shnozz you have really taken this picture thing well
I don't have any photos of lock stuff but know a bit about how it works so can always chip in with some guesses.
I cannot see the solenoid causing the original problem, I think plunger adjustment is more likely to be the cause.
Let us know how you get on, happy to answer anything I may happen to know the answer to.
The locks are accesed by a velcro panel you do not need to pull carpets up! put the seat forward and on the pillar you should see a flap just pull the door rubber off near this panel and hey presto all the lock mech is there to see . Access should take you about 30 sec. Also once you can see it most problems are obvious loose cable motor come loose have a go you neve know might cost you nothing!
only me said:
The locks are accesed by a velcro panel you do not need to pull carpets up! put the seat forward and on the pillar you should see a flap just pull the door rubber off near this panel and hey presto all the lock mech is there to see . Access should take you about 30 sec. Also once you can see it most problems are obvious loose cable motor come loose have a go you neve know might cost you nothing!
in some cars...
mine had no velcro panel. I had to pull the carpets up. The lock mech was not there to see in my car. It was below the fibreglass and each part identified using a torch in the middle of the day and lots of feeling around with fingers.
Anyway, enough about my experiences, I guess thats on an early car....
new caveats apply - apologies if any of the advise given relates to a different model and is thereby irrelevant and contradicatory to other advice given.
Ribol said:
In all seriousness, Ribol could probably provide better ones.
Blimey shnozz you have really taken this picture thing well
I don't have any photos of lock stuff but know a bit about how it works so can always chip in with some guesses.
I cannot see the solenoid causing the original problem, I think plunger adjustment is more likely to be the cause.
Let us know how you get on, happy to answer anything I may happen to know the answer to.
I will try and get a few photos up later but as has been mentionned, the first thing to check is the plungers in the base of the door as they do sometimes stick in place. Just make sure its working ok. If not then access the locking mech inside the door and see if any cables are loose etc. If not, then take out the solenoid and have a look.
In my case I got the brrr ing sound basically where the solenoid had gone lazy and didnt have the inertia to push up the lock. I took it out the car and it worked ok, because no force was being applied to it. After a few attempts taking it out and putting it back in I just bought a new one and it worked perfectly thereafter.
OK, I got the new solenoid and its fitted. Its not been reconnected yet but the noise has stopped with this one solenoid out of the equation, so I'm pretty confident this has solved the problem.
However, now there is the slight hitch that I can't get the plug connector off the old solenoid to use on the new one! It looks like you should squeeze the ends and then pull the wire through, but this is near-on impossible - is there a tool that will help with this?
Any help much appreciated.
Edited to remove pictures
>> Edited by crazylegs on Saturday 11th December 16:15
However, now there is the slight hitch that I can't get the plug connector off the old solenoid to use on the new one! It looks like you should squeeze the ends and then pull the wire through, but this is near-on impossible - is there a tool that will help with this?
Any help much appreciated.
Edited to remove pictures
>> Edited by crazylegs on Saturday 11th December 16:15
I put together some info about these connectors...
www.dspen.com/TVR/Connectors/connectors.html
Dave
www.dspen.com/TVR/Connectors/connectors.html
Dave
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