Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Okay, Thanks to this forum, saved my a$$

I looked through our DIY and found the article to replace your lock actuator
But for some reason i cant post to that thread (Maybe a mod can move this thread into it later)

So I thought i'd add a bit of my pix and instructions as well
BTW, taking pictures is a GREAT way to see inside the door panel where you cant stick your head in

1. I tested my actuator with a testlight plugged into the clips that lead to the actuator (Didn't have a actual test light, so I used some 12v LEDs that I had laying around)
Clips gave a light, so I figured the actuator motor was blown (Since no sound was coming from the driver side lock when pressed)

2. I bought the Actuator motor from partsgeek.com for 36.98 + 7.50 shipping
Said it would come in 10 days, came in 7 from Fedex

3. Followed the DIY on 7th Gen DIY forums, Link : https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...-actuator.html

4. Took off Door panel, and plastic guard, rolled up window to expose the actuator and clips


5. I unplugged the clips, removed that white clip that held the cables to the door, and removed the 10mm bolt


6. I then removed the rod that lead from the inside door handle to the actuator (by taking a picture, i could see from the inside)


7. Then I removed a second rod that lead from the outside handle to the actuator (this rod was a B**** to pull out, because it had a stub at the end, i pryed it out eventually with 2 screwdrivers)


8. And then i removed the last rod that lead from the door lock to the actuator (its the one all the way in the back)


9. Next, I removed the 3 screws on the side of the door that held up the actuator (These were VERY tightly screwed in, and i stripped some of the first screw, so i went and found the BIGGEST phillips head bit i could find in my toolbox, got my drill, and unscrewed it. They were so tightly torqued in that I couldnt remove them by hand)


10. Moved window railing out of the way, and pulled out the whole assembly


11. Removed the cable that lead to the lock button, removed the black screw and the metal plate to get to the black motor


12. Replacement actuator motor


13. Reassembly with new motor in


14. Reassemble everything the opposite way you took it out

The only thing different is that i replaced my motor while original DYI replaced whole assembly

Overall, this took me about 30 mins to take out the actuator
2 hours total because the rod from outside handle to actuator gave me a tough time, i took a break and came back to it

In the end, I forgot to put the black screw back onto the metal plate of the assembly, and had to take everything back out just to put the screw back in
Funny enough, the second time took me about 5 minutes to get everything out again

After this DYI, I think i've become an expert on taking apart my doors

And as a response to mcl in the original DYI thread
I saw your video, and my response:
Driver side doors can't be locked when the actuator is not locked in with the door hinge, meaning your door has to be closed in order to lock your door

The only way you can lock your door with it being open, is if you pull the outside handle and lock the door manually

terryms30

I have a 2004 Civic 2 door. Do you have a link about taking the door panel off this vehicle? Thanks

lazlong

Wrong. You can do it with the inside handle too.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...-speakers.html
This should be sufficient to open door panel

Very Simple, take out 2 screws in door handle, remove the handle rod behind handle, pry off door pocket, remove harness, take out 2 phillips screws, remove window sail, pop out panel from bottom, lift up, and remove panel

Well, pulling any handle. If you watch his video, he had the assembly out, and pressing the lock button on remote, saying it wont work lol

jackoncruzpr

Thanks for posting. Fixed mine for $36 bucks this weekend.

CanadianBob

Thank you for this, just finished this repair myself a minute ago. Wasn't the easiest thing i have ever done, but i sure couldn't of done it with out this. Saved about $200 and took around 2 hours. Well worth it.

Cheers,

Bob

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Glad it was of help. That's what it's all about.

fenixmagic

I made an account just to say thank you for these two paragraphs. My dad and I couldn't figure out why the inside door handle rod seemed to be out of place, and the lock wouldn't move up and down after we replaced the actuator. We thought it was binding somewhere. You saved us from pulling the door off for a third time!

THANK YOU!

SammySC

Both my door locks stopped working two days ago. First the drivers side then the passenger side. 2002 EX Coupe. I will order the parts and attempt this DIY! Thanks for a very useful thread!

sara015

Hi, I have the same problem of driver door lock and would appreciate if anyone could help me out. I already replace the Actuator of my car Honda Civic2003 but it works in a week only. Now I could not lock the door by remote and key either. I am so sad.
What can I do now ? As I know that going to dealer for fixing this problem is very expensive. Any recommendation is appreciated. Thanks

gts

I've been researching this as the actuator on the drivers door on my 2003 Civic EX has failed.
I pulled out the whole lock mechanism out of a "parts car" to get to the actuator but the actuator it doesn't look like the one in this thread.

I have separated the actuator from the mechanism because in this video
the guy pulls it off and installs a replacement without pulling the whole mechanism out.
It's not clear how he gets it back in as all he says is he shoved it back in.

Fwiw separating it with the whole lock mechanism out of the door was a b*itch not to mention it didn't look like it was made to be able to be separated. (are they?
So if he shoved it back in it must have been a pretty good push.
Also wondering if he got lucky getting the green "hinged" part of the actuator to connect with the "pin" (or whatever it's called) on the mechanism that makes the actuator open and lock the door.
That said does anybody have any insight with installing this particular actuator?
(please see the video at about the 5:15 mark to see the actuator)

Fwiw the one in the video is in the drivers door of a 2002 Civic SI but it matches the one in my 2003 EX.

I'd like to swap the one I pulled into my EX without having to pull the whole mechanism if at all possible
(it's kind of pain in the a** to get the whole lock mechanism out)
Thanks

Colin42

What I did was unthread the rod going to the outer handle because it felt like the clip was going to break. It's been a while but I believe I removed the screws holding the actuator to latch while it was sitting in the door cavity.
i did this on a sedan, and had plenty of room

gts

Yeah the guy in the video above removes the actuator while it was still sitting in the door cavity.
When I took the one out of the parts car I initially just took out the two screws holding the actuator to the latch as well as disconnecting the rods to the door handle and key lock etc.
But while trying to pry out the actuator things felt like something was going to break so I removed the whole mechanism.
Even after removing it the actuator was tough to separate due to the green arm on the actuator an how it was connetcted to/ attached to the lock mechanism.
(both the parts car and my EX are 2003 sedans.)

I'll look into unthreading the rod going to the handle and see if that helps in removing the actuator from the door without removing the whole lock/ latch assemble

Fwiw last night I pulled the door panel etc off, disconnected the power/ plugs to the actuator in the door and connected them to the replacement.
The replacement didn't work when I used the remote to test it. I tried to test for continuity at the plug but couldn't find my multi meter
In any case I may an issue with power getting to the actuator in the drivers door.
Not sure what the fix is for that/ why power wouldn't be getting to the actuator (broken wire? fuse? or ___???).

Colin42

Broken wires in the door harness is a common problem with the 7th gens, if you're like me and you want it fixed cheap and immediately you can remove the door harness and repair it, I spliced in an extra couple inches of wire so all the bending would happen on the new wire and not on my joints or the old wire. You can also get a new harness from the dealer, it will cost like $20-$30 and you'll probably have to wait a couple days

Colin42

Here's pictures of my repair:

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...se-wiring.html

gts

Yeah I had a mind block (or something) about it potentially being a break in the wire harness on the drivers door.
Not sure why as I've fixed window and lock issues on rear doors due to breaks in the wiring harness.
Once it stops snowing I'll check it out.