2006 XK8....

My wife has reported intermittent drivers door handle / door lock issues during the past couple of days. After arriving at her destination, her drivers door sometimes refuses to open when she pulls on the inside door handle. The handle pulls out normally but nothing releases and nothing happens. It has taken her as many as 15 pulls and releases before it finally opens the door. Her passenger door handle / door lock continues to operate normally....

When she arrived home an hour or so ago, her drivers door inside handle refused to work for her so she called me on her cell phone. I walked outside with my XK8 key, inserted it into the drivers door keyhole, turned the key in both directions to lock and then unlock the door, and then her drivers door handle magically worked when pulling on either the outside handle or the inside handle. Very strange....

Is this issue typically a failing door module, failing door and lock mechanical parts inside the door, or something else?

As always, thanks for any recommendations you folks can offer....

 

 

Jon,

The "intermittent" description sounds like a failing Door Latch microswitch. A disconnected link would result in a permanent fail. Rev Sam did a video on the replacement which is in the FAQ's. Note he got the link disconnection procedure wrong.

Graham

 

Yes be careful about taking off the lock link . Rev Sam did not do it correctly. It's a miserable job if you have large arthritic hands. If your hands are normal to small and your grip is sure it won't be too bad. SNG Barratt has the switches

 

No speaka de English.

When?.

/Wayne

 

Thanks to all who replied. So a failing door latch microswitch is the most likely reason? I will do some research to see what is involved, including watching Sam's video as recommended by Graham. As usual, my biggest problem will be my gorilla-sized hands in those tight spaces....

Wayne, I appreciate your kind offer but let me investigate to see if I think I can dig into this repair without bothering you with it. I know you are hard at work on the Spit6 project right now....

 

I just watched Reverend Sam's video (video no. 4 in the XK8/XKR "How To Videos" sticky thread) on how to remove the door latch. Exactly what part of the procedure did he do incorrectly, and what should he have done instead?

 

Jon,

It was the Latch Link. He forced it out of the locating hole in the latch instead of splitting it.








The "secret" is the black collar slides down and the two halves of the link can then be separated by popping the upper metal rod out of the lower plastic section. The lower plastic section stays on the latch as it is removed.

Graham

 

Thanks Graham. Much appreciated....

 

Once the door latch assembly has been removed from inside the door and its black plastic cover has been popped off as Sam's video shows, where is the infamous microswitch and how do you get to it in order to replace it with a new one? Is it soldered onto a small circuit board?

 

I don't have a picture...but the switch is not soldered on and quite easy to remove. If yoh have the new switch it will be fairly obvious one you have the latch removed. You indicate that you have large hands ( as do I ) Getting the latch off will be a pain. Rev Sam references a sheet metal anti theft shield that covers the lock on the inside. I found it VERY hard to remove because my hands are large and my grip is poor form arthritis. It must come off but does not have to be replaced. The mounting nuts do have to be replaced however because they also retain the exterior door handle.

 

Thanks Barry. You are right - my monster hands will definitely cause me problems on this job. I may accept Wayne's kind offer for me to bring the car to his home shop in Spencer. He is able to get into tight spaces that I have not been able to get into since I was a kid....

By the way, can you provide the part number for the new microswitch?

 

Just spoke with Will at SNG Barratt. He told me that he has not been able to source the microswitch I need (Drivers Door Latch Microswitch - Deadlocking Version) for about a year now. He gave me the part number as C2N1908. Can any of you parts wizards locate this microswitch somewhere? A new one would be preferable but if I have to settle for a working used version, so be it....

Thanks....

 

I'm not certain this applies to your car but when I removed the latch assy. from my '97 the window track was in the way. I moved the window track by turning the track adjustment screw to pull the track toward the interior of the door. This allows the latch to slip easily between the outer door skin and the window track. I then pulled the latch assy through the larger opening at the center of the door. Be sure to count the turns so you can return it to its proper adjustment easily.

On my unit the limit switches were all fine but the actuator motor was burned up. I ordered the least expensive (claimed) working latch unit I could find on eBay and I plan to just install the actuator assy. as the unit I got is for a different Jag than my XK8. The '97 has only the link to the ext. door handle and the cable to the int. handle, not the link shown in this thread. If this works I will have a working limit switch in good clean condition available. I'll know as soon as the int. door handle cable I ordered comes in; I learned that the plastic ferrule on the latch assy. end is rather fragile.

 

Ronald,

Thanks for your input. I have no idea how compatible your door latch assembly and its internal parts would be with my door latch assembly and its internal parts. From your description, it sounds as if there are indeed some differences. Is what you are calling the "limit switch" the same component that others (including myself) are calling the "microswitch"?

My issue is not with the window. The window continues to operate normally, including dropping a half-inch or so when the door is opened and then fully closing up again once the door is closed. My issue is the door intermittently refusing to open when either the inner door handle or the outer door handle is pulled, thereby trapping the driver inside. This is a very dangerous situation and my wife is reluctant to drive her car again until this issue is resolved. I do not blame her....

 

What I'm calling a limit switch is indeed the microswitch that is inside the VDO lock actuator assy. which is the black box with four wires coming out of it that is attached to the latch assy. There are also two separate microswitches on the latch assy. that I assume control the window drop function. When I am done I should have those two external switches as well as the one in the actuator module.

 

Thanks Ronald. Please keep me posted on your progress. If one of your spare microswitches is indeed the correct one to resolve my issue, I will be most grateful. I am still hoping that one of our parts-savvy forum members will be able to locate a new one, but that remains to be seen....

 

Gus provided a link to this replacement a few years ago in this thread. Others have successfully used this replacement and found it to be better quality than OEM. Have no personal experience but looks promising.

Omron Electronics D2SW-3L3MS

 

I would not do used, probably as far gone as yours. I did a replacement microswitch on a counter-top ice maker a few weeks back. There are TONS of these limit switches on eBay (new). Best is to start by studying the part you have, once removed from the car. Take high resolution pictures, look for markings and use Google.I was able to locate a long data sheet for my ice maker, and. even if the exact type of switch was not available, found something close enough on eBay.

Separately, the body of the switch is probably just pressed together and comes apart easily, exposing the metal parts inside. Likely, the "blade" is broken, but everything else is fine, so you could swap it out if you get another switch that is close enough.

Other option is to get another, different limit switch and somehow work something out with scraps from the garage to build a suitable mount, etc.

The fortunate part is that these switches are electrically trivial, so the possibilities for repair are many.

 

Rothwell,

Thanks so much for providing this particular thread as well as the part number for the Omron replacement microswitch. This may indeed be the solution for anyone experiencing the problem of their drivers door intermittently refusing to open....

Being able to find these obscure electronic parts is becoming more and more crucial as our XK8s and XKRs continue to age. Several weeks ago it was the VVT pigtail harness electrical connector clip. Now it is the door latch microswitch. As long as you electronics-savvy members can continue to successfully cross-reference and locate these components, you provide all of us with an affordable means of being able to resolve our various issues and help to make our cars roadworthy and safe again....

Your willingness to assist is deeply appreciated. I will order one of these Omron microswitches and report back on whether or not Wayne and I were able to successfully install it, and also on whether or not it actually fixes the problem at hand....