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Greg Smith Power door locks writeup PRE-1991

Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

xtremewlr said:
You can add another notch to your belt there Greg :) Thanks for the good write up, works like a charm.


Glad it worked for you! :cheers: Greg
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Well Greg,

You're fix worked great. Thanks a million. I hoisted a few Buds to you yesterday afternoon.

I bought the parts from PartsExpress last year on your recommendation and they were great. I used the dual relay connector/harness. I think the problem I had last year might have been that one of the white wires was pushing out of the new connector/harness. I pried the tab out a bit and that locked it in better. It was also too hot at the time and had sweat dripping into my eyes.

If anyone else is considering doing this just use the diagram, follow Greg's instructions exactly and you'll have no problem.

A couple of things I will add that might help someone:

1. The original relays stay in the circuit so don't remove them. I was unclear on this when I tried the install last year.

2. Cut the light green and tan wires on both sides of the connector (close to the connector) in the passenger side kick panel. This will give a little more wire to work with.

3. Use butt connectors to make your connections. Don't bother soldering them (as I tried last year). Too much hassle and not really necessary.

4. Make sure if you are using the 12 volts that is supplied by the red wire in the kick panel that you are getting 14+ volts with the engine running and battery voltage of 12+ when not running. Measure across the battery for comparisons.

5. For the ground I used the 1/4" hex head screw that clamps the wire harness to the floor pan area. Remove the screw, scuff the area up good so that you have a clean metal area, place a star washer between the ground wire connector and the body. Then attach the plastic harness clamp over the connector and washer.

6. I would recommend making the assembly prior to install and labeling the tan and light green wires as to which side of the original connector they will be installed on. Then all you will have to be concerned with is the four lock/unlock connections and the 1 power and 1 ground connection. I installed mine with wire nuts first to make sure it worked then connected it permanently with butt connectors.

I wish I got to this earlier. My 17 year old daughter is a bit lax about checking the doors for being locked and she got her CD player ripped off at school....that's another story. She bought a CD player that was very deep with wire/heat sinks/large external components etc that it wouldn't install into that shallow XJ dash.

Greg I wanted to ask you....are you into electronics etc or are you just naturally proficient with this type of thing?

Thanks again Greg,
Jay in MA
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Jay I am happy :yelclap: that you got the fix to work. Those stinking annoying locks can really burn you up :flamemad: . No I am far from an electronic wiz. Just a Govt Atty who needs an outlet from the dailey paper pushing and adversarial battles. So tinkering w. the house and cars is my way to do something to see more immediate value added for my efforts. The locks drove me crazy for yrs. I was determined to figure them out. So after many hours of studying the wiring diragrams and testing the components per the fsm testing procedures I learned alot and came up with a solution that any electronics person probably would have come up with alot sooner. First order of business when I retire this summer and move to the new house w. a 3 car garage (13 ft ceiling) w. lift (!!!) is to take an auto electronics course at the local community college to get more proficient in all the other auto electronics stuff. Enjoy your now working power locks. :cheers: Greg
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

So what do you do with the relays on a 93? My rear passenger door doesn't like to unlock very well and I've already cleaned it. The drivers rear door is almost as bad, but the rear hatch works great. What do you do with a 93?
Thanks,
Mike Harris
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

tireroastin93XJ said:
So what do you do with the relays on a 93? My rear passenger door doesn't like to unlock very well and I've already cleaned it. The drivers rear door is almost as bad, but the rear hatch works great. What do you do with a 93?
Thanks,
Mike Harris


Mike, Sorry but they changed the power lock wiring starting in 1991 and my only experience and thus the relay (additional relays) fix I suggest is for the pre 91s. However, I know a little about the rewire (they changed the wire colors also)they did and I suggest you test the system by checking the input and output output voltage of your stock relays in the kick panel on the lock and unlock circuits. Then check the voltage your are receiving at the actual lock motors in question. You will lose some voltage through the system to the lock motors but the questions is do you lose too muck to work the lock motor. Generally in my experience the lock motors should work well w. at least 8 - 9 volts. If your have less than that and have good volts coming out of the relays then suspect a bad wire splice or wire somewhere between the relay and the lock motor. Since more than one lock motor is involved I would suspect the relay, connectors, splices or input voltage. Good Luck. Greg
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

I did the now infamous 'Greg Smith door lock mod' on my 87 well over a year ago and have been very happy with it but only recently did I come to realize that now my remote rear hatch lock now works again too. .
..and all this time I've been using my key in the rear hatch not knowing that the door lock button was triggering it unlock/locked.

Your a celebrity Greg! :woohoo:
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Does that mean my idea finally "hatched" ? :jester: Greg
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

quick question for greg or any other electrical guru...

in my quest to find the problem with my headlights, taillights, brakelights not coming on (another post) i've been tearing into the area near the fuse block at the drivers side on my 89 xj. seems like the previous owner tried to do the door lock mod on the *drivers side*, not passenger side, however, did it completely wrong (well, it didn't work and it was wired up differently). here's how they did it:

the green and white wires were spliced at the drivers side. there were 2 relays, which i will refer to as relay A and B.

relay A-
30-white wire to switch
85-daisy chained to power, 87, 87 from relay B, AND 86 from relay B
86-ground
87-see 85
87A-white wire to lock

relay B-
30-green wire to switch
85-ground
86-see 85 for relay A
87-see 85 for relay A
87A-green wire to lock

needless to say, it wasn't working, but im wondering if there is any logic in this? would there be a benefit to trying this out, wired "correctly", of course, at the drivers side?

i plan on removing it and reusing the relays at the passneger side this weekend.

thanks!
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

I wonder if anything has been changed on the passenger side wiring :dunno:

Me...I would try to first put the driver's side back to its original configuration. Try the locks at each switch to see that it at least tries to trigger each door lock when asked. Once it has been confirmed that they do indeed try to fire as asked I would install the relays and sockets into the passenger side wiring.

Good luck,
Jay in MA
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

I just finished this fix yesterday, now all the locks work.

Thanks Greg.

The hardest part was getting the screw for the kick panel back in.
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

anyone know how many amps the locks use?

I have a (new, in box) relay and socket from another piece of equipment that's DPDT .. however it's only rated 10A per circuit.

will this work for the locks?
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Not wired correctly and the wrong approach. The white and dark green wires are the lock and unlock wires from master switch to the door lock motors through the passenger switch. The problem w. the pre 91s is the the 2 volt loss at the passenger switch not before the switch. Consequently the relays are used in the circuit after the passenger side
to compensate for the 2 volt loss. Only reuse the relays per my fix article if they meet the specs I provided. Good Luck. Greg



azee said:
quick question for greg or any other electrical guru...

in my quest to find the problem with my headlights, taillights, brakelights not coming on (another post) i've been tearing into the area near the fuse block at the drivers side on my 89 xj. seems like the previous owner tried to do the door lock mod on the *drivers side*, not passenger side, however, did it completely wrong (well, it didn't work and it was wired up differently). here's how they did it:

the green and white wires were spliced at the drivers side. there were 2 relays, which i will refer to as relay A and B.

relay A-
30-white wire to switch
85-daisy chained to power, 87, 87 from relay B, AND 86 from relay B
86-ground
87-see 85
87A-white wire to lock

relay B-
30-green wire to switch
85-ground
86-see 85 for relay A
87-see 85 for relay A
87A-green wire to lock

needless to say, it wasn't working, but im wondering if there is any logic in this? would there be a benefit to trying this out, wired "correctly", of course, at the drivers side?

i plan on removing it and reusing the relays at the passneger side this weekend.

thanks!
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Glad it worked for you! :cheers: Greg


mlanicca said:
I just finished this fix yesterday, now all the locks work.

Thanks Greg.

The hardest part was getting the screw for the kick panel back in.
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

The fsm says to replace any lock motor that pulls more than 8 amps. Trouble is all 5 motors pull amps and the same time. That is why your locks motors are on a 30 amp circuit from the factory. Only use relays rated 30 amps or higher. See the specs on the relays in my article. Good Luck. Greg

Apanthropy said:
anyone know how many amps the locks use?

I have a (new, in box) relay and socket from another piece of equipment that's DPDT .. however it's only rated 10A per circuit.

will this work for the locks?
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Thanks so much for the write up! Since I successfully fixed the headlight problem, I went ahead and decided to “fix” my door locks.

My locks slam open and shut now. For those fellow electrical morons (myself included), it’s a pretty simple install. I do, however, have a few clarifications/additions to your instructions that may help people like me. Others may find the info already in your write up, but I guess I’m a slow learner. ;)

-The tan and green wires are visible without removing the kick panel. Don’t splice there, however. (don’t ask me how I know)…..

-When you do remove the kick panel, the green and tan wires are visible. This is where you need to cut and splice.

-And finally, the cut end of the wires coming from the harness (not out of the door) goes to the #30 connection.

Thanks again Greg!
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Add me to the list. I did Greg's fix for the power locks on my 89 Limited and it worked great! I never thought the locks would work this well.

Thanks Greg!
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

:cheers: Greg
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Greg.... I did my locks after reading this thread a while back.... I just wanted to say thanks. It has worked ever since and saved us a ton of money I thought I would have to spend. It didnt cost me any more then 30 bucks.

thanks :)
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Happy it worked for you! :cheers: Greg
 
Re: Greg Smith Power door locks writeup

Quoting from Greg:

"For an easier install it is also best to buy wiring sockets that fit the relays. Here is a link to partsexpress.com an online supplier that has relays and sockets at reasonable prices. I used 2 bosch relays # 330-070 and 2 sockets # 330-075 (although 1 dual socket 330-078 could be used I believe)."


I used the dual socket but had to switch the red and yellow wires in the socket to get the wiring to work properly. Easy enough to get the connectors out by releasing the spring catch with a paper clip. It would be quicker to use the two separate sockets ... A few crimp connections later and my locks were slamming open and shut!

Thanks for the great fix to an annoying problem!!
 
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