Intermittent Failure of rear door locks to open..help needed

[08HoeCD]

I wish I had the courage/patience to replace the innards of the existing lock actuators, in which case I'd go with the Gruven kit. I ended up purchasing new lock actuators and replacing altogether. First one, for the passenger side rear door, was kind of a PITA, as I didn't know exactly what I was doing; the second one, for the other rear door about 4 months later, was done in half the time of the first---about 20 minutes total.

 

[09Tahoe4Now]

Replacing the innards for me requires carving out a good block of time without interruptions. That “without interruptions” is the hardest part! For instance—as I was heading outside to install a security light (mind you I’ve tried for over a month to do so), the wife stops me and derails the task at hand.

So, either my patience will wear thin and I will purchase new actuators if that’s the problem—or I will patiently wait until I can carve out time to upgrade the current actuators. Either way, I’ll get this resolved because it’s annoying!

 

[Ilikemtb999]

I wish I had the courage/patience to replace the innards of the existing lock actuators, in which case I'd go with the Gruven kit. I ended up purchasing new lock actuators and replacing altogether. First one, for the passenger side rear door, was kind of a PITA, as I didn't know exactly what I was doing; the second one, for the other rear door about 4 months later, was done in half the time of the first---about 20 minutes total.

Gruven sells upgraded ones already done but obviously cost a bit more

 

[08HoeCD]

Gruven sells upgraded ones already done but obviously cost a bit more

I didn't realize this. That's the way to go for anyone who needs to replace them and plans to keep his/her vehicle a long time.

 

[Ilikemtb999]

https://www.gruvenparts.com/2007-2014-gm-door-lock-actuator-repair/

$129 and get $20 core back for old actuators vs $35 for a motor with gear. They do take some time and require some tools to do it so the appeal is there to just install.