ford truck and SUV lock problems

 Within the last 2 months we've had numerous ford trucks and SUV's come in for security or r/s (including keyless) that have had problems with the locks. If you use the power locks once in a while they seem to work fine, but after hitting lock and unlock a few times to test for lock wires, the locks don't want to work anymore. It almost seems like the lock motors are burning out. If you leave it sit for a while, start it, then let it run for a couple of minutes they seem to work just fine again. At first I thought it was just the voltage being too low and the locks weren't getting enough power. Not true. I tested the voltage when they worked, 11.3v, and when they didn't 11.3v. This just confused the heck out of me, because it wasn't on just one vehicle, it was on many. any ideas????

I'd be willing to bet it is being caused by the power lock solenoids heating up and jamming, or there is an alignment issue.  If this is the case, it is a Ford problem (using too cheap components) and is nothing you are doing.Support the12volt.com

defective wrote: are you using a data module or are you hooking up manually?

yeah we're hooking them up with a 451m lock relay from DEI.

The problem may be due to Ford's SLAM LOCK system. The door lock system goes to sleep after 20 minutes. There should be a yellow/black wire for the driver's doorpin. It grounds when the door is closed and is open with the door open. Use a relay to open this wire and use the locl and unlock wires to activate the relay. Diode isolate the lock/unlock wires.sparky

already taken care of that. If by SLAM LOCK you mean the GEM anyway. if not, please elaborate

There is a yellow/black wire that acts as a doorpin wire. It tells the GEM module that the door is open or closed. After the doors are closed for 2o minutes the GEM module goes to sleep if the vehicle has the SLAM lock system. The wire acts oppposite to normal vehicles. When the doors are closed it rests at ground. When you open the doors the wire rests at open or loses ground. You need to use the door unlock wire to terminal #86 of a relay. Terminal #85 to fused 12 volts battery. Cut the yellow/black wire and attach the two cut ends to terminals 87a and 30. Install a diode in the unlock wire to the relay with the band facing the alarm. Also place a diode in the unlock wire going from the alarm to the vehicle's unlock wire with the stripe/band facing the alarm. This set-up will 1. Cause the relay to open the yellow/black wire making the GEM module think a door has opened and wakes up the GEM module. 2. Pulse the unlock wire.sparky