Doors: Electric Door Lock Wiring Repair

The actuator wires that run from the coach to the door are constantly bent and smashed. This leads to breaks in the wires and the door will not lock or unlock with the remote button or the hardwire rocker switches. 

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I was able to repair the wires last Spring only to have them fail again a couple of weeks ago. I got to thinking that there must be some type of wire that is made for such situations.  So I “Googled” ultra-flexible wire and sure enough, there is a wire-like this made by Daburn:

#2671 Ultra Flexible Sub-Miniature Wire – U/L STYLE 1568, 1692

The only problem is that Daburn only sells 100-foot lengths for over $200.  So I emailed them to see if they knew of a supplier that sold this product by the foot.  Daburn referred me to McMaster-Carr.  See flexible wire:

McMaster-Carr

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Regular vs ultra flex wire

It cost $2.75 per foot for the 20 gauge wire (4.75 amps), but it seemed a reasonable price if it would solve my problem.  The wire has 266 very fine strands (see photo below).

After I got the wire, the repair was fairly easy. 

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I had to remove the inside door face to get the lock back together, but I had to do that anyway because a tear (behind the handle) that needed to be repaired.  Special thanks to another Foreforums member (Karl Brenneman) who helped me get the lock back together! George Hatfield 2003 U295 36′