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Can some body provide a step by step method to remove and reinstall actuator on rear left door?
Some body posted the same information for front driver door which was very clear.
I wrote the one for the front door. I'm sure the back is pretty much the same.
I used your write-up (thanks) to assist with the driver door actuator removal. Worked great. I have a spare W220 and went to remove the passenger rear left door actuator, and could not get it out. Not the same at all as a front door. I moved on to other challenges without the rear door actuator being removed. Must be some crazy trick to get it out.
2002 S430 rear door actuator (door lock). Just to share anyone's frustration, I can't seem to get the actuator out either. I think a shop/dealer may have to cut the inside of the door as there just does't seem to be a way to get it out ... let alone get one back in. It appears the window guide is in the way a bit but there isn't a way to remove or loose the guide. This one has me stuck.
dcalbard,
Have you tried riveting out the window guide. This is required to remove the front actuator. It may allow you to move the guide out of your way. Also, one thing I did was made sure my window was rolled all the way up. I believe WIS tells you to either remove the window regulator or have the window down.
Hey John - Thanks for your reply. The left rear is different from the front. After a few hours of forceful nudging, I finally removed the LR actuator. It's very very tight.
My lessons are many. The ebay replacement is missing the lock lever clip and the old one can't be removed without breaking it. The ebay seller (junk yard) should have known better. Cost/loss $199. I had also bought the $65n(another loss) repair kit and won't do that again and as a hobbiest, I don't recommend it. It's just too difficult to remove without breaking some little clip or whatever on the old actuator. I see why a shop told me approx. $800 per door. Next time, I buy new. I'll still conquer these jobs and I like my car, but this is definitely one of the more frustrating MB R/R I've done … starting with the diagnosis of the PSE to the disassembly and now an unfinished job because I need the car for work. Have a pleasant Memorial Day weekend.
Hey John - Thanks for your reply. The left rear is different from the front. After a few hours of forceful nudging, I finally removed the LR actuator. It's very very tight.
My lessons are many. The ebay replacement is missing the lock lever clip and the old one can't be removed without breaking it. The ebay seller (junk yard) should have known better. Cost/loss $199. I had also bought the $65n(another loss) repair kit and won't do that again and as a hobbiest, I don't recommend it. It's just too difficult to remove without breaking some little clip or whatever on the old actuator. I see why a shop told me approx. $800 per door. Next time, I buy new. I'll still conquer these jobs and I like my car, but this is definitely one of the more frustrating MB R/R I've done … starting with the diagnosis of the PSE to the disassembly and now an unfinished job because I need the car for work. Have a pleasant Memorial Day weekend.
Need to do this on myself car as well, tracked down the leak with a MityVac and it is measurable and audible at the LR door actuator. No visible cracks on the typical cap that leaks though.
How did you remove this thing? Did you have to drill out the rivets like the front door?
Thanks to the guidance I found here and a few other places I have now successfully replaced both rear actuators on my 2004 S430. It's about a three hour job when done carefully, but not super difficult. In a nutshell, after you remove the door panel and the unlocking rod, you will need to remove the door handle to make space. There are two "rods" extending from the door handle to the actuator. While the door handle is still in place, you will need to separate the two "rods" which extend from the handle to the actuator. The larger one is super easy (and is visible). Just move it to the larger part of the slot and slide it aside. The smaller one, which has been cause for more bad words than one can conjure, is really easy once you understand how it is held in place. I have made two photos to show it. For me, the "screw" end of the rod really threw me off for a long time. How can it be "screwed" in and out? Well, it can't, and it isn't designed that way. All one has to do is pull the tab aside, and you can easily lift the rod aside by touch. Once these two rods are disconnected, remove the door handle completely. At that point, you can take out the three screws holding the actuator and remove it. It takes some manuveuring, particularly around the rubber piece extending from the window, but it's really that simple! When reinstalling, make sure you mount the new actuator first, then as you put the inside piece of the door handle in place, be sure the small rod is in the down position so that you can insert it into the open plastic piece then close the tab using touch. Now, if someone can tell me how to easily pull those smaller yellow and blue wiring plugs from the plastic piece which sits just in front of the door handle next to the small speaker!
Last edited by Centexrider; 01-11-2020 at 08:43 PM.
I'm buttoning everything up after replacing the actuator. I'm stuck at getting the connecting rod in place for the outer door handle to work. The larger one is easy. The smaller one is giving me trouble. With some work, I can fit the ball of the white plastic piece into the hole but when I use the outside handle, it comes off.
Should it snap into place? I can feel the tip of it though the hole so maybe I just need to use a little more force and get it to snap in and stay.
I've searched but can't find any pictures of it installed.
Thank you! That is really helpful. I still need some direction though. I can't get the "lug for retainer" to stay in the hole on the actuator. Just to clarify, the connecting rod with the lug for retainer should all be connected and swing down to connect to the actuator.
I still can't get it to stay in place.I can put it together and lift the handle but the rod pops off.
Brian, don't feel bad, that thing has stumped more than one of us. However, I believe I know the answer to your problem. The replacement actuator probably did not have the plastic piece which holds the small rod on, so you moved the one from the old actuator. Unfortunately, you cannot force it out without damaging it. The trick is to understand that the "ball" is not actually one round ball. It is split in the middle and held in place by a little plastic wedge. You can force the plastic wedge out with a sharp instrument like an ice pick and then easily remove the entire plastic piece. You'll then need to replace the wedge in the plastic ball after you have placed the plastic piece on the replacement actuator. If you are like so many of us, it's probably already too late and you have damaged the ball too much to stay in place. Not to worry! I found a way to hold it in place. Unfortunately, you'll have to take the actuator back out to do the simple operation. You will need to drill a small hole in the ball and place a cotter pin to hold it. Be sure when you drill, you do not drill in the gap where the wedge is in place. Do it 90 degrees away from the gap.
BTW. I don't have my S430 any longer. However, I do have some parts left over, including two left rear and one right rear door actuator. They're used, but I believe they are ok. I took them out of junkers when I could easily do so at the wrecking yard. All of them have that little plastic piece (one of them repaired as stated above). Let me know if of interest and I'll sell 'em cheap, like $25 apiece plus shipping or all three $60 plus shipping.
Hope this helps!
Brian, maybe I misunderstood. I was thinking that the entire plastic piece was coming out of the little hole on the metal part of the actuator. If you are saying that the little plastic door is not holding the small rod in place, that is a different matter. The little door which holds the small rod in place, when it is "closed" is held in place by a small ridge. You can see it in my photo on the opposite side of the rod from the little door when it is in the open position if you look real close. The retaining little door has a slot in it which must slide over the small ridge on the opposite part of the plastic piece. Does that make any sense?
That helps a ton guys, thank you. I'll have to wait for a day to pull it out. If I did damage it, there are always a few w220s in the salvage yards around here. If not, I'll definitely take that offer. Hopefully, I haven't damaged it. I didn't fully understand it before taking it out. I should have been more careful.
Just to clarify, the new actuator did not have a white flap.
The white flap was still attached to the door handle when I finally got the old actuator out. I understand now that I should have released the connecting rod before trying to take the actuator out.
So now, the best course would be to pull out the actuator again, and repair or replace the white flap?
I would say so, yes, you should take it back out. Don't feel like the lone ranger on doing it either. Can't tell you how many times I had to before I got proficient. I found getting those wires unplugged from that module was the biggest PIA. Once you understand how to pull the door handle then actuator out, it's not too bad. Once you have them out, I suggest you look at the relationship of the door handle rods and the actuator while you have it out in the open. Let me know if you need further assistance. I still have an old door handle and an actuator, so I can definitely take photos if you need more assistance.
Brian, don't feel bad, that thing has stumped more than one of us. However, I believe I know the answer to your problem. The replacement actuator probably did not have the plastic piece which holds the small rod on, so you moved the one from the old actuator. Unfortunately, you cannot force it out without damaging it. The trick is to understand that the "ball" is not actually one round ball. It is split in the middle and held in place by a little plastic wedge. You can force the plastic wedge out with a sharp instrument like an ice pick and then easily remove the entire plastic piece. You'll then need to replace the wedge in the plastic ball after you have placed the plastic piece on the replacement actuator. If you are like so many of us, it's probably already too late and you have damaged the ball too much to stay in place. Not to worry! I found a way to hold it in place. Unfortunately, you'll have to take the actuator back out to do the simple operation. You will need to drill a small hole in the ball and place a cotter pin to hold it. Be sure when you drill, you do not drill in the gap where the wedge is in place. Do it 90 degrees away from the gap.
BTW. I don't have my S430 any longer. However, I do have some parts left over, including two left rear and one right rear door actuator. They're used, but I believe they are ok. I took them out of junkers when I could easily do so at the wrecking yard. All of them have that little plastic piece (one of them repaired as stated above). Let me know if of interest and I'll sell 'em cheap, like $25 apiece plus shipping or all three $60 plus shipping.
Hope this helps!
Hi there, if you still have the actuators by chance, I am interested, I can use it as back ups.
Hey guys. I had a fix for the actuator cap. Mine was broken so I thought I had nothing to lose. I cut the plastic pieces in front of the tip of the cap to give me better access. I then used crystal fx glue syringes to precisely apply jb weld into the area where the tip was cracked. Let this set for 1.5 hrs and then put back together. Works great!
09-13-2017, 12:19 PM
