Remote doesnt open doors.
 

Hello guys!

Ive just recently bought an RX8. My problem is the doors wont unlock/lock either with the remote. The driver side opens with the key. I hear clicking in the doors when i press the button, but they wont open and the index wont signal that its locked. The trunk opener works just fine.
Ive tried to reconfigure my keys, but didnt help either. Any idea? Did i miss something?

Edit: Just asked the previous owner, he said at the Mazda service they said it needs a "software update". What does it means exactly (since they didnt know)?

Edit 2: I locked the doors manually (first the passenger side from inside, then the driver side with the key), the indexes were blinking that its locked/unlocked, but the doors remained locked, and the clicking noise were still there.

Do they lock with the interior lock button? The electronic one on driver's side, not the mechanical ones.

The motors wear/get weak with time, could be that. I had that one door and the symptoms were like you describe.

It's not a software issue, that's nonsense.

no, thats the same if i push the interior driver seat button also. sometimes it tries to move, but chooses not to. So basically its mechanhical issue then, and have to buy new motors?
The problem is that sometimes it works, even if i push the one inside, strange.

I have the same issue in my 8. Weak motors seems to be common. Sometimes it'll have just enough power to squeek the locks open but mostly you see them budge a little and not fully move. I'm not looking forward to doing that job lol

It's really not that bad. The "worst"part is the price of the actuator assembly. It's about $150 per door. Installation is maybe an hour the first time you do it.

There may be multiple modes of failure, but on mine the root cause was the sliding contacts that limit the motor movement range wore out at one end (probably from years of vibration) and wouldn't travel all the way forward. It's a matter of millimeters.

I replaced the door lock actuator on the driver side as a result of symptoms similar to yours. It was more annoying than difficult. Just pay careful attention to how every piece comes apart so you put it back together correctly. Here's a pretty good guide for getting the interior door panel off (ignore the parts about the wing mirror cover, you don't need to do anything with that for this): http://www.puddlelights.com/manual/puddlelights.pdf

Here's the part number for the LHD driver side actuator (actually called the "latch assembly"):
FE01-59-310E

It's $120-$150 unless you have a Mazda Motorsports Development account, in which case it's $92.

A little update: It works if you start the car. It locks, unlocks and then doesnt wanna lock again. Does it change anything or still have to fix the actuator?

What do you mean?

Are you saying that it works completely normally if the car is running? Or is it that the car will unlock when you start the car but won't lock again?

Realistically, the engine running or not means nothing because the lock actuators aren't even aware that the engine exists. Their entire universe is limited to changing the position of a level when they get zapped with 12V. More than likely, the problem is slightly intermittent and it's coincidence that it behaved differently after you started the engine.

If mechanically locking/unlocking it (with the key or the lock lever) works but electronically doing it (with the key or the button on the interior door panel) doesn't then that's an actuator problem. If you can hear the motor moving but nothing happens with the lock actuator itself then that's more evidence that you need a new actuator.

Even if i lock it with a key, the passenger door doesnt work, manually clicking it from inside does. Only if i started the engine, went a few km's with it, then stopped it, then the lock works again for 2 locking with the key, this happened the second time (strange coincidence?). I hear some clicking in the doors (first the right then the left or maybe vica versa).

So, inserting the key in the passenger side lock and turning it won't lock/unlock the door?

The door locks working briefly after driving could be as simple as shaking/vibration loosening up the mechanism.

A bit of update: It works even if you let the car sit there for a while. It looks like it looses power (voltage) after a use or two. Once its opened, and (if still works) opened, it doesnt even move anything anymore (just giving a clicking sound). We got the door open to see if its some kind of physical collision somewhere, but it doesnt even try to move the lock anymore. Let it sleep a bit and works again for 1-2 tries.

So the question is, is it possible to loose power somewhere? If yes, then where should i look? We found the controller behing the glovebox, cleaned the connectors, didnt work.

edit: both doors does the same.

Honestly sounds to me like both latch assemblies need to be replaced. Remove the door panel, and apply 12V to the latch assembly's female connector. Applying 12V to one pin should lock the door and 12V to the other should unlock it. You'll also need to apply ground and you will need to know the pin out. I don't know off the top of my head. If applying 12V to either side does not lock or unlock the door then you know you have a bad actuator. On the male end you can test for voltage when the lock button is depressed. You will want to know if you are getting the proper voltage needed to operate each actuator.