So, yesterday I was showing off my pride and Joy to my406cid, who is graciously helping to get one of my beemers to pass emmissions (THANKS MATT!!), he asked if my fuel door locked. Well it did last time I checked, a few weeks ago.

To demonstrate I locked the car and pulled the fuel door, Arghh, darn thing was not locked, worse, my pax rear door is double locked, DANG!!!

Went home and took the actuator out, measured resistance and measured an open connection. Hmmmm. pilfered one from a beemer which had the good unfortune to be parked next to mine in my driveway. installed and all worked as advertized, except of course that dang rear pax door which still is playing Fort Knox on me and refuting any incantations at it's address to open.


Being a curious fellah, I opened up the actuator and found, on first view, that a wire had broken off. took the gears out and tried to spin the motor shaft, no dice., took the motor out and found that a: the white plastic gear had a melt spot, b: the commutator of the electric motor had Fried, with a capital F as it had 'blossomed'.

Now, to me this is strange because i did not think the motor was energized long enough to build up that much heat to melt the wire off of the motor, yes the solder had melted, and melt the plastic gear. To me, the only way this could happen is if the GM or the relay module (A5?) stuck. but as all the actuators are in parallel, that would probably mean I will also find a melted motor in my rear pax door :-(


Below are some opictures of my findings

time to send an email to Beach911.....













750IL 1990 (9/89) Black, 75K,


750IL 1989 (9/88) Black, 155K


I told my wife, it is not a Boy Toy, is a Man's Machine!!

• FD test (pic) - rv8flyboy 2008-05-09 09:40:49 (20 views)