Remote Power Door Lock Hookup Help

[Guest EOppegaard]

Anyone know how the power door locks work in a 1993 Legacy Wagon? I have a remote starter in the car, and just never really tackled hooking the output for the door lock up to the unit. I imagine I may need some kind of relay hookup, however does anyone know how they are controlled or how I can patch into them to control remotely?

 

Thanks

[Guest Legacy777]

To do any auto door locks and such with an alarm on the first gen legacies, you will need a separate actuator motor. You can't tap directly into the wires. All you need to do is attach the actuator to the door, then the actuator to the lock/unlock rod and then tie those wires from the actuator into the alarm/remote starter.

[Guest EOppegaard]

stupid question...whats an actuator? Is it hard to install? Would I need one for every door? Or can I use the current power locks?

[Guest Legacy777]

<img src="http://www.commandoalarms.com/doorlock.jpg" style="border:0;"/>

 

http://www.commandoalarms.com/itm30005.htm

[Guest canajun2eh]

To clarify:

On the older Subarus, all doors except the driver's door have electric motors in them, to work the door locks.

 

The driver's door just has a switch that operates the motors in the other doors. The expectation is that the driver has to unlock the car anyway (using a key), so why should there be a motor in there?

 

That actuator simply is the motor for the driver's door lock. The remote entry unit applies power to that motor, which then works the driver's door lock mechanism. When the driver's door lock is operated, its switch then makes the other door locks work too.

[Guest EOppegaard]

so what we are saying here is if I figure out which wire applies 12v + to the motor, I can hook that into the remote starter, since it is using a momentary 12v + output, and voila, I have remote door locks?

[Guest Legacy777]

Are you talking about the actuator or the door motors in the other doors?

[Guest EOppegaard]

sorry, if I were to hook up the acuator motor to the drivers side door, and link that wire together with the other wire that goes to activate all the other motorized door locks, then all the doors would unlock correct?

 

If I connected the wire from the remote starter to the door lock wire inside the drivers door that is connected to the lock, without adding the actuator, then all the doors would unlock except the drivers side, correct?

[Guest Legacy777]

You don't need to touch any of the other doors or wires going to the other door.

 

All you need to do is setup the actuator and wiring your switches/remotes/alarm to the actuator.

 

You just need to set the range of motion, if not auto adjusting, for the actuator so that it pushes the driver's door lock mechanism far enough so that it unlucks all the other doors.

 

When the actuator locks the driver's door, it will lock all the other doors as well.

[Guest Cougar4]

In answer to your last post Eric I think you are correct but you do not want to connect to wire for the other doors. The other doors will be opened by the already existing lock switch. All you are trying to do is open the drivers door lock which will then open the other doors.

 

The drivers door lock on the older style Legacy's is a mechanical latch that has an electrical switch on it so when the drivers door is unlocked, the switch closes and this activates the other door lock solenoids or actuators. The switch closure would provide 12 volts to the other door actuators I believe. It could instead be wired to provide a ground to to do the same thing, depending on how it is wired, but I really think it will be sending 12 volts to the other door lock actuators.

 

You just need to install your actuator on the drivers lock mechanism so when the actuator is turned on it will either lock or unlock the drivers door, which will then unlock the other doors. The wires from the new actuator then need to be tied to the remote controls connections for the actuator. And there you have it.

 

Glen