Mazda3 Base Model - Adding Power Windows and Locks

cbutters

Member
:
Mazda MP3
I know that this has been posted and posted on this forum. Unlike the other posts though, I actually think I have it solved this time.
I hope this thread can be the definitive guide on adding power locks and windows to your Mazda3 Base sedan.

I just got a steal of a deal on my 2007 Mazda3 ($12,500 with only 2000 miles on it.) Unfortunately it did not come with power locks/windows. I have planned on adding these features from the beginning. Little did I know it looks like it might be a lot harder than previously imagined.
I have spent the past few weeks pouring over shop manuals, parts catalogs and everything I can get my hands on. My goal is to keep everything OEM. I don't want to hack up my car and kill its resale value.

Here are the main obstacles that to Power Windows and Locks for Base Model 3 i's:

Wiring Harness:
The wiring harness in the biggest problem, the 3 i base model has an alternative door wiring harness to those with actual power windows and locks. obviously, if the wires arent there, you can't use them.

Interior Paneling:
I compared some pictures of the interior of the doors on a normal 3 and then my power crippled 3. Turns out that the black paneling on the inside of the door that is used to mount things such as the power window motor is different on the manual window 3 vs the power window 3.

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Reasons to hope
There are reasons to believe that we can in fact get power windows and locks. For example, If you trace the power crippled wiring harness in the door and check the wiring harness actually inside the car, it has the exact same wires in the dash harness as 3's with power windows and locks.

My Plan:
I have compiled a list of parts that are missing or are power window/locks specific and have at this point ordered them. I only ordered all the parts for the driver's side door, in case it doesn't work and I am out thousands of dollars!

Here is what I believe are all the parts needed to convert the driver's side door to power locks and windows:

WIRING AND DOOR PARTS---------
Driver's Front Door Wiring Harness
I assume PN:BN8K-67-190G Harness,D as long as it is the wiring harness that includes the power windows and locks.
Qty 1


Trim Fasteners, No. 1 (for when you break the old ones)
PN:GJ6A-68-AB1
QTY 3

POWER LOCK PARTS-------
Power Left Front Door Latch
PN:BN8C-59-310B
Qty1

Inside Cover Handle
PN:GK2A-59-303C-02
Qty 1

Power Lock Switch Drivers Side Front Door PN:BN8F-66-660 Qty 1


POWER WINDOW PARTS---------
Power Window Regulator Front Left Door
PN:BP4K-59-590
Qty 1

Power Window Motor Front Left
PN:GJ6A-59-58XB
Qty 1

Power window Motor Bolt
PN:9YA7-50-601 BOLT
Qty 3

Power window Driver Side Front plastic Trim for switches
PN:BP4K-68-4L6B-02
Qty 1

Power windows 4 switches
PN:BN8F-66-350
Qty 1

Power Mirror Switch
PN:BJ0E-66-600
Qty 1

MISCELLANEOUS PARTS------
Trim Attatching Screws
PN:9987-40-412 SCREW,TAP
Qty 6


And the pricing:
1 BN8K-67-190G HARNESS,D $219.61
1 G350-68-AB1FASTENER $0.48
1 BN8C-59-310D LOCK LT, $88.98
1 GK2A-59-303C-02 CVR LT, H $9.06
1 BP4K-59-590 ARM/BASE( $39.16
1 GJ6A-59-58XC MOTOR ASS $70.91
3 9YA7-50-601 BOLT $1.14
1 BP4K-68-4L6B-02 PANEL(L), $7.44
1 BN8F-66-350 SWITCH,PO $74.35
1 BJ0E-66-600 SWITCH, R $35.10
6 9987-40-412 SCREW,TAP $0.60
1 BN7N-66-490 SWITCH,ST $11.64
1 BN8F-66-660 SWITCH,DO $19.44

With shipping, this already cost over 550 dollars for the one door, and that doesnt even include the key power lock unit or receiver in the car ($300 from mazda dealership), non-driver doors should cost substantially less than the driver's door because there are a lot less parts. I estimate it will cost about 1,500 total to do this conversion. I am prepared to pay it because I got such a steal on my car, and if I would have bought an I touring model it would have cost me 4,000 more than what I paid.

As you can see, not cheap, but if you want an oem look and feel, this is your only option. I should be receiving these parts today, and plan on installing them this weekend. I will let you all know if it works, and will take pictures of my progress. Let me know if you think this will work!
 
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OK guys, very good news to report. with the new door wiring harness installed, The power window motor works! and the new lock latch part works as well! I now have Power locks on my driver side door! Power windows will work as well, just had a hiccup, since the place I got the parts from sent me the motor and power window regulator arm for the passenger side door rather than the driver's side door. So I couldnt install it, but it absolutely works!

Here is a partial walkthrough (remember this is just for the drivers side door so far, once i get all the parts i need i will cover the other doors):
(Part Numbers for what you will need are in first post above)
You will want to disconnect your negative battery terminal first.

First of all you need to remove your garnish (tweeter panel), remove the screw inside your interior door latch, remove the larger screw in the handle of the door, then pop your entire door panel off,

Now to the good part:
Now you must remove the old harness, to do this you must peel back the rubber hose that carries your wires into the car from the door, then there is a white harness connector that you must pull out, press on the four little clips in order to release it. Then pull the harness conector out and unclip the dash harness from the door harness, there is a little white clip to push in order to release the blue lever.
Here is a picture of the harness coming out from the dash, you can see that even though my car has no power windows installed from the factory, the dash harness has all the wires that cars that come with power windows and locks standard have. Just the Door harness on the base model is the problem.
pwla.jpg

Now that your door harness is unclipped from the dashboard harness, you need to remove it from under the trim of the car door in order to make room for the new harness. Be careful because it is easy to rip the trim. Slide the old harness out, you will have to pull the old one out of the place it clips into on the side of the door by force because it is not meant to ever be removed. ;).
Here is a shot of the Old harness being undone and the new harness being put in place.
pwl1.jpg

And here is a shot of the new harness installed under the trim:
pwl2.jpg

Now remove your speaker.
Now You will have to remove your window by rolling it down to about 4 inches high, then popping off the plastic bolt covers and unbolting the glass from the window regulator arm.
Here are the bolts you undo:
pwl3.jpg

Now you can remove your glass panel (be careful)
Now you can unscrew the 2 regulator arm bolts and the 3 manual window gear bolts, then you can pull the regulator arm and gear out through the speaker hole. Sorry, I didnt take enough pictures of this process, I will take more pictures when I actually have the driver side motors and power regulator.
Now you can remove your entire black panel covering the inside of the door, remove pretty much all bolts you see!
Also remove the door handle and locking mechanism. Dont try to remove the metal wires until you have the handle off the door!
To remove the handle off the black trim, you need to pull up on the grey tab while using a screwdriver to release the clip holding the tab down, once the grey tab pops up you can remove the handles from the door and remove the wires carefully.
Here is the bare door pretty much now:
pwl5.jpg


Now you need to remove the stock door latch in order to put the new door latch/actuator in. to do this you need to remove the three bolts from the outside of the door as so:
pwl4.jpg

Those buggers were VERY TIGHT and had threadlock. Be sure you are carefull not to strip the screws!
There is also a bolt holding a rod protector that you have to unscrew.
You also need to remove the rods from the outside door handle by releasing the plastic clips then the rods should slip out.
Then you need to disconnect the old wiring harness completely, and remove it from the old actuator as well. It is funny how it is wired up to the door harness even though it seems to be completely non-functional, I imagine it just lets the car know if the door is open or not and that is all. the old latch has some pins missing where the door harness clips on, where the new latch/actuator
Then install the new latch/ actuator exactly how the old latch was installed.

Be sure to connect your wiring harness as well going through the black panel into door latch. then you can bolt the black panel back onto the door.


---------Pause Power lock/window installation guide--------

Now here is where I am stuck right now, I dont have the power window regulator arm and motor for the drivers side yet, so I reinstalled my manual windows for now. If you had the right parts you would want to install the power window motor by drilling some careful holes in the black plastic (there is a template on the plastic to tell you where to drill. (looking at the manual window holes, it looks like they were drilled by human hands, not a machine, so this black panel should work just fine I believe (not 100% yet)

Once I had all the power window switches, door lock switch installed, my car now will lock and unlock by pushing the button. It will even detect when the door is open and wont lock the door if it is open! The parts place only sent me 1 trim screw (i have no idea why? i ordered 6 ) so i dont have all my switches installed tightly yet. and I still need to put the power window regulator and motor in once I have them. But it appears that everything is completely functional!!!!
pwl6.jpg

Here is what I have so far... as soon as i get the power windows going, that manual handle will be gone!
I will post more once I get all the parts I need.

Things I learned:
1-be gentle with everything, there is no need to force anything at all, there is always a trick to disconnecting things, pushing the right plastic tab makes everything come apart easily, never use brute force to unhook things! (except the door latch screws! Those things were screwed on TIGHT!)
2- OEM Power windows / Locks can be installed if you use the right parts. (now i still need to get a keyless entry receiver and transmitters for my keys, but I imagine it wont be too hard.)
3- While it is possible, it is not cheap to do this! I estimate after all the parts for a full conversion (locks, windows, power mirrors, receiver transmitter) it will end up costing me over $1500 in new parts. If you could find these parts used, out of a junkyard it could be significantly cheaper.
 
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wow, for the money and effort, it does make getting a car with power windows, mirrors, and locks worth the money!
 
wow, for the money and effort, it does make getting a car with power windows, mirrors, and locks worth the money!

He Heh, I hear ya, But I actually enjoy the challenge, and it is still cheaper than buying the i touring model vs i sport actually.
 
I just ordered all the additional parts i need, lock actuators and power window regulators, and trim and wiring all around for all doors! I also ordered a keyring button thingy (FOB right?) and the receiver that goes inside the car... hopefully i can program this myself. I willl have some more pictures and walkthrough on how you can do all this (if you are as unfortunate as I was to not get factory locks and windows from the getgo. :p)
 
That is great that you could add the power locks yourself, but does anyone know of companies that can do that for you located in Colorado? I am automotive-challenged.
 
Thank you for a very well explained conversion for power windows and door locks. My daughter has 2007 mazda 3 with manual windows, locks, mirrors. After pulling out in front someone and thus being hit on both passanger doors, I started looking for doors for her car. After finding this thread, I started searching for doors with all electronics. The front door was $500 and the rear door was $450. Both doors were in excellant shape and correct black mica paint. Both doors had power windows and power locks and front door had power mirror and extra speaker where manual mirror control was on old manual door. Insurance covered these door replacements as part of the repair. I found a damaged driver side rear door for $100 with the power windows and locks. I found all the driver door parts for $200. I have a completed all the doors except the driver door. I am awaiting those parts to arrive and anticipate completion in a few days. Add an extra $50 or so because of sales tax, shippiing, and some screws new clips etc. and my power conversion cost about $350.
 
The Final element will be to add keyless entry . I hope it is just a matter of installing a receiver and acquiring key fobs and programming them. One thread indicated the keyless entry receiver may be located in the headliner.
Any information regarding keyless entry would be greatly appreciated.

My daughter is off at college and has no idea that I am doing this for her.
 
Im also trying this, I wonder what happened to cbutters? did he pass away?

anyhow I took bought an inner(with the window regulator and motor attached) and outer door panel for the front passengers side for 40 dollars shipped. My friend and I took apart the door, but before we swapped my old one for the new one we decided to plug the new harness into the dash harness to just make sure it would work,

after pressing the power window switch, both up and down, nothing worked, no motor noise nothing, the door latch however did work with the lock/ button. I checked the fuse box, and the pwr window fuses were already installed. Tried resetting the ecu also, didn't work.

the only thing I thought is that since the master switch or harness on the drivers side was not there, maybe that would be the reason for this dilemma, but thats just an idea

im not sure if its supposed only work when it senses there is glass attached or if the stuff i bought was just bad, I really just don't know, will be able to update when I get the drivers side stuffs next week
 
alrighty lol sorry I said that just I had figured your activity dropped since 2007 so :/, What is the proper way for getting the rubber hose with the harness that connects to the side of the dash? The rubber seems extra extra extra tight... and lastly were you able to stick the rubber back in?
 
Picture: Electric Life 5010-10-095 door blanking plug for Door Card Trim Panel

Window Crank Hole covered by Electric Life 5010-10-095 door blanking plug. Used a metal fender washer from Menards on the backside recess.

IMG00030-20100905-1637.jpg
 
alrighty lol sorry I said that just I had figured your activity dropped since 2007 so :/, What is the proper way for getting the rubber hose with the harness that connects to the side of the dash? The rubber seems extra extra extra tight... and lastly were you able to stick the rubber back in?

The rubber is attached around the connector. Get under the base of the rubber and push away from the center and away from the connection.

The other end has 5 connectors attaching the plastic to the door. Disconnect the 4 you can reach with a long flatblade screwdriver. Then push the backside away from you and away from the door.
 
I have read so many entries about not being able to install after market power door locks, I have gone about crazy. The bottom line is this. If you have all that cash sitting around that you can afford to purchase OEM power door locks then go for it. If you are not a person that can look at something and figure it out then stay away from it. I have looked into after market door locks and found that with minor modification you can put after market door locks on a Mazda 3.

Several notes here:
1. Front doors do not come with wiring for power door locks. My kit had 5 wires that had to be run since there were no switches or power door actuators in the doors. Try and run the wiring through the original harness and you're in for some real fun. Easier way there is another plug that can be opened below the original harness that I used for my front doors. A little silicon after the wire it through and its sealed. No problem...

2. The plastic liner that is in the door can be modified so that the actuator can be connected to the locks. Again if you cannot think outside the box, go get some corn flakes, this is not for you. I watched a video of an person installing power windows in a car that did not come with them. He cut through some metal and welded a trough to allow the regulator to get to the manual crank. Looking at mine I figured that I could easily modify the plastic with a similar cut to allow the actuator to line up with the cable. Easier to cut liner than metal and easy to seal back up as a moisture barrier.

3. I took some 16 gauge sheet metal and cut a 2.5 X 10 inch strip to mount everything on to keep it in alignment. Mounted that to the plastic liner and connected the wires and actuator to the cable. Again very easy.

4. I removed the glove box to get access to the wiring. It made it easy for me and it is only held with 2 philip screws. The actual glove box is just snapped in as well as the door to the glove box.

5. Wiring was straight forward and didn't require a rocket scientist to figure it out.


Now it ready for a remote starter/security/keyless entry.
 
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