QuestionQUESTION: I have a 2006 chevy cobalt 4 door. I took my car in to get the interior shampooed and washed. The next day the power locks started unlocking and locking randomly. I figured some water got into the power locks. Could that cause the power locks to malfuntion? If so will it dry out and go back to normal?
ANSWER: Hello Malahni,
What you described to me, it does not sound like there is water in the actual door locks itself, however it is possible that while they were cleaning and shampooing the interior of your car, that some water may have gotten into the fuse block of the electrical wiring that controls those locks.
If this is the case in water has gotten into the electrical wiring on the fuse block, the water will eventually dry out, however once water gets inside of the fuse block it will wreak havoc on your fuse block and your electrical system. It normally creates corrosion on the fuse block itself and can corrode the terminals of the fuses.
The reason I believe that the water did not get into the power locks themselves, is because of the fact that the power locks are controlled inside of each door, therefore it is very difficult for water to get inside of there as those doors and the panels that cover them have a watertight seal around and are protected by an additional layer of waterproof security from the factory through use of a watertight plastic seal over the electrical when the cover is installed.
I would recommend, that you check your user's manual for the vehicle and find out which fuse controls the door locks for the vehicle. Once you have done this, I would recommend that you remove those fuses and look for any signs of damage from water. This could include, corrosion, water itself on the terminals, or a combination of the two.
In any case, I recommend you go to your local auto parts store, and purchase a tube of dielectric grease, this product costs normally about seven dollars a tube, and is very good at preventing electrical damage from the elements. Put a small amount of dielectric grease on the problems of the fuses themselves, and insert them back into the fuse block. Please note here, that this may not resolve the problem, it may be necessary, for you to remove the fuse block cover and check the internals of the fuse block for further signs of water damage.
I recommend following the steps first as it is the easiest and cheapest solution to your problem. If this does not correct the problem or you do not find any signs of water damage, please let me know, and I'll be happy to assist you with further going into the diagnostic process.
Please keep me advised of your progress, and let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you.
Good luck Thank you.
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QUESTION: hi Antonio,
I asked earlier about the power locks on my 06' chevy cobalt.
Checked the fuse box no evidence of water. Pulled the fuse it was fine. But my husband said that he would roll down the window and roll up the window again and there was water on the window on driver side. What's next? I put a fan in the car to hopefully dry out the car and see what happens.
Thank you
malahni
ANSWER: Hello Malahni,
I highly doubt that water damaged the internal components of the door. This would only result from directly forcing or spraying water behind the door panel itself, and as i stated earlier it has an additional waterproof seal of plastic behind it to help ensure this doesn't happen.
However since there was water on the window, even thought it could be residual from the weather stripping at the top of the door panel, the next step is to remove the door panel and check first to see if the plastic is there, second check all electrical connections and look for signs of corrosion, or pooling water that could be damaging or shorting anything. Dry any water or condensation with a towel and ensure everything is clean, coat all electrical connections with di-electric grease to prevent rusting and corrosion.
Once this is done test your locks and see if they function, if not, we will have to go wire by wire, and test each circuit. That process is a bit more in depth, and takes some time. Please let me know if this is required.
Thank you, please keep me informed of your progress.
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QUESTION: Antonio finally the power locks on my 2006 chevy cobalt has gone back to normal. No more randomly locking and unlocking. When you mentioned to take the door panel off I remembered something that at the time didn't seem important so I blew it off. The little panel on the door that is also called the armrest I noticed that the plastic piece inside that armrest was broken off and I noticed how wet it was. It dawned on me last night when you mentioned the door panel is it possible that some water went through that little panel or armrest because that plastic piece was broken off so it wasn't protecting anything from going through. I looked into the armrest and I could see the possibility of some water going through those spaces. So finally after fixing the water issue the power locks went back to normal. Thank you for helping me. I truly shuddered taking the car into an auto electrician. Because from there it can get pricey and I wanted to see if I could prevent taking the car into the electrician.
I have a interesting story to tell you about my experience with an auto electrician company. Back at the end of July I smelled a strong odor of sulfuric acid in the car especially in the trunk where the battery was located. Well needless to say after smelling the sulfuric acid the car died the next day it wouldn't start. I told my husband Rob to call his uncle to give him a ride to pick up a battery. That should've been the end of the story. Nope his uncle Gunnar wanted to get the battery tested at an auto parts store. Fine. It tested good. I know that the auto parts store tests only the outside of the battery and not the inside of the battery. I am telling you Antonio I smelled to much sulfuric acid I knew that the battery was damaged or no longer good. And I adamantly told Gunnar the battery is not good. I said first of all that is the original battery in the car from the dealership and at the time we lived in Phoenix AZ where there is extreme heat. So the battery already had run its course in July of 2010. Nope Gunnar said it was an electrical problem. So he takes my car to the electrician. I told the electrician exactly what I thought the problem was. I told the electrician that I smelled sulfuric acid coming from the battery and that was the original battery from the dealership his ears perked up. A long story short it turned out to be the battery. I didn't care because Gunnar told the electrician that he was paying for it and we didn't have to pay him back. Just to look at the car it would cost $95.00 which I understand. When Gunnar got the bill which to this day I haven't seen but he did say the bill was $400.00. Not only did they charge Gunnar for the battery they also gave us a key fob because we had lost ours a couple of years ago. But I knew Gunnar got ripped off for just changing a battery when he should've just listened to me.
Again I appreciate all your help.
Thanks a million
Malahni
AnswerHello Malahni,
To answer your question, yes it is possible that this is how the water got into your armrest, in fact i suspect that is exactly how it happened. I would recommend getting that repaired to prevent this from happening again in the future. The door panel is a self contained and self sealing piece, meant to protect the delicate and often tempermental wiring and electronic parts behind it, which do not take kindly to the elements.
I am glad to hear that your problem was resolved. Please let me know if i can ever be of further assistance to you. Thank you. Good Luck.
