Completed another item on the D150 do list. I had installed automatic door locks back in 2012, they are handy, beats having to reach across the cab to lock or unlock the passenger side door. Problem is that this was the third time that the clamps that were supplied with the door lock kit worked loose. Making the door auto door locks non functional. Every time the door would be closed the clamps would get a jar and I think that is what would knock them loose, the up an down motion of the clamp when the door lock is operated is not severe.
I considered changing the philips head set screws to allen heads to be able to apply more tightening force and also putting a drop of loctite on the threads. Also I believe I needed to put a larger access hole in to able to get to the clamp and really tighten the fastners
Then I had an idea, how about instead of a static friction clamp like a set screw clamp, perhaps an elastic compression clamp would stay in place better. I tested a piece of heat shrink tubing. The same heat shrink tubing normally used to insulate electrical joints. I used it to hold two wire sections in a parallel clamp. It had really strong hold in an up and down motion. The heat shrink tubing that I used is the Marine grade variety, it lets out an epoxy sealant internally when heated.
So that is how I attached the auto door lock actuator rod to the OE door lock push button rod. The two actuator wires over lap by a little over an inch and the heat shrink tubing is another inch on each end.
I believe this is a good fix
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door lock clamps.jpg [ 61.44 KiB | Viewed 4242 times ] |
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door lock rods.jpg [ 55.08 KiB | Viewed 4242 times ] |
