Active Aero FAQ

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The Active Aero on my VR-4 doesn't function properly at certain times. How do you take the Active Aero motor out and clean it?

• Remove plastic trim panel on rear hatch. There are a few screws and snap clips. After the screws are removed, pull gently wherever a clip is.

• Remove bolts on rear wing. There should be 3 in the middle, and 2 on each side. Then disconnect the wiring harness and remove the wing.

• Turn the wing upside down and disassemble. The motor is in the middle inside the "third brake light". Also remove the actuator tubes since the motor is acutally attached to this. Note that there is a small removable retangular plastic piece with a metal pin. Don't lose it and remember it's orientation.

• Disassemble the motor. There are 4 bolts holding on the cylindrical armeture cover. Clean the brushes and armeture. I used a little "TV Tuner" cleaner from Radio Shack. I put a little lithium grease on the gear and shaft, but too much might gunk up the brushes.

• Reassembling the motor is the most difficult part. Reinsert the armeture so the gear engages properly. You'll have to pull and hold the brushes open so it drops completely into place. Next, drop the ball bearing into the cylindrical cover. Use a straw (the fat milk shake type from McDonalds) since the cover has strong magnets that will snatch the ball bearing before it gets to it's home. You can drop the ball bearing through the straw to the bottom of the cover. Now, keeping the cover with the opening on top, drop the armeture assembly into the cover. You have to apply a little rotational pressure on the armeture so it doesn't slip out. Hopefully, the ball bearing will remain in place, the armeture won't fall out, and the brushes will stay in place.

• Plug in the motor and test. I used a batter jumper cable to ground the motor housing to the car hatch. Insert the key, and activate the aero switch, the left most toggle position. If the motor works, your in good shape. Make sure the motor is in the "down position" when your done testing and you unplug it.

• I also greased all moving parts on the wing. I removed the actuator cables from their tube and greased those as well. (I noticed that the cable is thick and spiral wrapped with a plastic cord. The plastic appeared to be worn, but it hasn't failed yet.)

• The next tricky part is getting the cable at the correct position before you attach the motor (the motor has a gear which contacts the cables). I think I installed the tubes without the motor attached. Make sure the wing is in the down position to match the motor. The ends of the cable have a small hole that a metal pin fits into. Slide the cable in or out until it fits over the pin, now the cables are in the right place.

• Remove the tubes without moving the cables. Install the motor on the tube assembly.

• Install the tube assembly on the wing.

• Install the wing on the hatch. Plug it in and test.

• Install the hatch trim cover.