I am a mechanic and had the same problem with a 2005 Acord that I purchased couple of months ago. Contact through the trade provided little help. The problem arose during a week that we in Adelaide, South Australia had a record o 40+ degrees centigrade heat. I noticed the drop knob slightly moving when the immobiliser was activated, but the drivers door failed to lock. Key locking would lock all doors however.
The cost of a door actuator from a Honda dealer was $185.00 (Aus), about $250 (US). The spare parts guy told me they had them in stock and sold a number of them. As a result I decided to find out whether the actuator was in fact faulty. I susequently removed the door lock and actuator assembly from the door. (A fiddly type job). The actuator assembly is in a plastic sealed assembly. By using a lot of patience and a box cutter I was able to cut around the assembly and then carefully lever the plastic housing apart. This revealled the small electric motor (similar to a slot car motor) that drove a worm and wheel assembly and a system of cams that actuated the door lock system. I found on dismantling the electric motor that the armature was coated with grease from the wormwheel /cam assembly that is mounted above the motor when installed in the vehicle. I cleaned the armature and brushes using superfine wet and dry carborundum paper, undercut and cleaned out the two armature segments of all remaining grease with a solvent. The motor was then tested with 12 volts and found to be ok. I then reinstalled the motor and glued the housing back together. It now works fine. I believe the housing was either initially overfilled with lubricant or that the high ambient temperature caused the grease to melt and flow into the elecric motor contaminating the motor. (There is no seal between the gearbox and the electric motor). The job took a few hours from start to finish but I saved the cost of purchasing the part and didn't let it beat me.
Cheers and beers
Alistair Buckley
I can confirm buckap's solution above. I just used his guide above and found the exact same thing. The brushes/contacts inside the motor were all gunked up with black goo ( probably a combination of the white grease and dust from the wear of the magnets inside the motor). After I pulled the motor out of the actuator housing I tested it with a quick and dirty wiring harness which i powered off the cars battery. The motor wouldn't even do a quarter turn before stopping. After i cleaned it I tested it again and it spun as freely as a new one. The gunk was clearly the issue. Pulling the door lock assembly out of the car and then removing the actuator takes a bit of effort but if you've got the basic tools and a bit of mechanical aptitude it's no problem, just a bit time consuming. Be careful when splitting the actuator apart so you don't damage the casing or the bits inside. Also take care when bending the metal tabs back on the motor to release the plastic end cover. I used a spray solvent ( got it from **** smith) to thoroughly wash out all the grease inside the motor and end cover focussing on the armature contacts and brushes. I also used 1200 grit sand paper and rubbed back the armature. I wrapped some sandpaper around a toothpick and twisted it in between the brushes to get right into the semi-circular shape. Worked a treat. I then cleaned both parts again with the spray solvent. I dried them out with a hair dryer before reassembling. Take care when putting the end cover back on to ensure that the brushes spread over the armature and reseat properly. I used some of the excess grease inside the housing to lubricate the worm gear. I also thoroughly cleaned the joint surfaces of the two actuator housing pieces with the solvent before using supaglue to stick them back together. Thanks buckap, your solution saved me $300.
×
Hi Guys... if its just one door not working, it is certainly the actuator. Will cost $300 minimum at the dealer... thats per door! Usually if 1 goes, the others soon follow as they have been used to lock or unlock exactly the same amount of times.
I have bought the replacement actuator from the dealer and done the job myself... takes about 45min-1hour... but it is pretty easy and no special tools required.. I videoed it last time I did it, email me at [email protected] if you would like a copy of the vid.
If you can get hold of a door lock wiring diagram (maybe photocopied from the dealer?) and unplug the wiring connector to the door lock motor, put a testlight across the positive and negative terminals for the lock motor. If the light flashes on for a second or so when you press the remote button then the motor is getting power but not operating, so it is faulty. If there is no flash, either you've hooked it up wrong or there is a wiring or central lock module fault. The time and effort that you put into doing this is probably better spent on taking the car to the dealer, as their trained technicians will diagnose the fault quickly. And they'll probably go through the diagnosis procedure regardless of whether you've already done it, rather than replacing parts on the say so of the customer who may or may not have diagnosed the fault correctly (no offense intended).
Hope this helps,
Mark.
5,022 views
Usually answered in minutes!
Thanks Mas66. Most dealers will not give you a copy of the wiring diagram. But when the remote is pressed on the key the button will move, but not lock or unlock. Has to be done manually. (appears power to unit, but lock unit faulty)
Will probably put it into dealer to fix irrespective of $$$
Thanks for your help.
Hi there, I have a 2003 honda accord euro sport with a K20A engine spec and 16 inch honda wheels (cannot fit 15inch wheels). I need the specs for the wheel bearing(front and rear). Could you please indicate to me the specs.
It would appear that this IS a common problem.. Honda won't tell you that, But I purchased a new actuator as you said $185.00 put it in and now works fine.
By the way this electrical problem is Not covered by Honda extended warranty. Bit rich..
Thanks anyway
Dennis
hi, i got the same problem with the front passenger door. and call honda and they said it's very uncommon and need to bring it for them to have a look, and disregard of any repairs, it would cost $100 just for the labor diagnosis fee!
other mechanical repairs i asked would say that it could be the motor and/or actuator of the door, where each door is independent of the other doors. it could cost around $300-400 including labor. that;s still a lot!
any other option, guys?thx
i have the same problem as buckap my dealer quoted me $300 dollars to fix it thats after the $600 odd dollars i just paid to service the car i think ill keep locking it with the key
Will a battery in a key mess up the door lock mechanisms?
×