Side Door Electric Lock Issue

 

Using 3M Scotch-Brite Rough Pad to scour electrical contacts (photo after cleaning)

The side door electric lock stopped working with the Chevy fob.  It became intermittent.

This was an easy thing to fix.  There are two, spring loaded contacts on the door and these align with two copper pads on the inside of the door frame.  When the door is closed, these contacts should align and the spring pressure should be sufficient to pass electric current to the door lock solenoid. 

I concluded that wasn't happening.  I inspected the contacts, which were no longer bright brass and the plates were slightly pitted where physical contact is made. I concluded that minor oxidation was creating sufficient electrical resistance to prevent adequate power from reaching the door lock solenoid.

In the old days, I would have used very fine sandpaper to remove the oxidation. 

Scotch-Brite is Superior

I decided instead to use a dry sponge which had "Scotch-Brite"  green scouring pad on one side (trademark of 3M company). I usually have a few of these as well as the blue sponge/pads for dishes.  However, for this chore a rougher pad than the blue was necessary. So I took an old green one and used it dry to buff the contacts.  About 30 seconds of rubbing was sufficient to brighten them up.

For industrial applications, a silver contact would be preferred, but for an automobile brass is the choice of the manufacturer.

Buffing the door contact plates

Buffing the door mounted, spring-loaded contact surfaces

After wiping the contact surfaces with a clean rag, the electric door lock worked as designed.

Original Material: Roadtrek210.blogspot.com (c) 2021