burnt actuator

[wickednasty]

peeps, ask lang po ako kung may idea kayo pano ma-solve yung problem ng power door locks ko... just recently, nagpalit kasi ako ng actuator (generic gun type) ng power door locks ko sa may driver side due to wear and tear. it was working fine for about 2 weeks, then this past weekend, di na nag naglock using the remote. pero pag manually (using the key) ok pa naman pero mahirap or matigas i-lock. my central locking system is still functional kasi nag lock pa rin lahat ng pinto, so i then removed the sidings to check the newly installed actuator, at ayun, i found out na somehow nasunog yung motor sa loob nung actuator kasi na-deform yung plastic housing nya. kaya nag stuck up yung actuator. pero yung previous actuator naman bago ko to pinalitan, di nman sunog...

my question is, ano kaya yung reason para masunog yun? could it be the wiring, or may problem na tlga yung alrm system ko.. hindi kasi sya common brand eh.. dunno kung san nabili to nung previous owner, ARGUS yung brand nya.. it comes with all the basic features ng security system na available locally PLUS remote start, kaya nanghihinayang rin ako palitan.

Thanks in advance...

[oj88]

I think it's an inherent problem with retrofitted power locks.
Most driver-side actuators have extra wires in them, besides the two wires that controls the actual actuator motor. The extra wires are connected to a sensor switch (or two) inside the actuator assembly which detects the position of the actuator arm (extended or not). If the switch is triggered, the idea is to cut off power to the actuator.

Now, if the actuator wasn't installed properly, the actuator travel may be mechanically restricted (ie. "tukod") in a way that the motor is still pushing/pulling on the door lock because the sensor switch is not being triggered. That will cause the door lock to appear stuck while the actuator motor heats up and cause it to self destruct.

To prevent this from happening, newer cars incroporate a time delay wherein power to the actuators are limited to 1-2 secs. So even if an actuator is stuck, it won't burn up. That will explain why you hear 2 clicks when you lock or unlock a newer car (the 1st click is when the actuator actually moves the lock position, the 2nd click you hear is the motor releasing and resetting).