srimad

Hi, my cousin has an acura 2001 EL. I am posting here because they are basically civics.

It has an alarm system that works, and remote controls to lock/unlock the doors remotely. However, neither the power lock switch on the inside of the driver-side door nor the lock/unlock buttons on the remote controller work.

He has to press the unlock button on the remote control to disarm the alarm (expected behavior I think), and unlock the door manually using his key. Moreover, the power lock switch on the driver side door that is supposed to lock/unlock the doors do not work. It does not work for none of the 4 doors. Toggling it up or down do absolutely nothing. The windows and mirror buttons all work fine though. The only problem is with the power lock switch.

Also, just in case it could be related: often it is hard to turn the key in the ignition and he has to jiggle the steering wheel. He is experiencing the same problem with the lock on the driver side door when he wants to lock it. He often has to pull back the key a little bit so that he can turn it to the left. Im thinking this could be because the key is bent, but not sure.

I do not know much about cars but I want to learn more using his car.
What could be the cause(s) of these problems?

Thank you.

EDIT: The car as an aftermarket radio. Somebody mentionned in another thread that changing the radio could interfere with keyless remote control. However I doubt that this will also interfere with the power lock switch inside the car.

Colin42

The aftermarket alarm system is probably the problem. can test for power at the switch in the door. Might even be unplugged. Check for hacked wiring under the dash

The key is bent? That probably doesn't help, the lock cylinders are probably also really worn out. If it doesn't have the factory immobiliser (green key light in dash) then new keys are really cheap.

ezone

Lube the locks first....
If key is bent, maybe it can be tapped flat again with a hammer?

if that doesn't help, more drastic measures may be needed
Don't grab the steering wheel to help yourself out of or into the car, that can engage the steering wheel lock and make it extremely hard to turn the key

Lock switch is up by the handle instead of on the master panel? Could be as simple as someone forgot to plug it in.
Someone needs to investigate, maybe with a voltmeter and wire diagram....and be ready to rip out the aftermarket stuff and put the car back to stock?

srimad

Thank you guys for your help.

Yes, it's up by the handle, not on the master panel.
The car has a viper esp 550 alarm system.

If it was only the viper remote that couldn't lock/unlock the doors, but the power lock switch worked, then I would have concluded that there must be a problem with the alarm or the way it is hooked up. But since both the viper remote unlock/lock buttons and the power lock switch don't work for neither 4 doors, I am not sure what to think. Could it be a bad door lock actuator? On the other hand, if a car has one door lock actuator per door (don't know much about cars), then it is highly unlikely that all 4 have failed.

Does the alarm control unit tap into the power lock switch circuitry to provide door locking/unlocking functionality? Could an alarm system interfere with the power lock switch, or are they independent?

Thank you.

ezone

Did any of this ever work correctly since your cousin has owned the car?



Stock remote keyless entry was operated through the multiplex control system using data.
Aftermarket system might very well have completely separate and independent controls for its lock functions.
Stock system could have been disabled or bypassed.
Like I said, someone needs to investigate. Your cousins car. In person.


4 doors, 4 power lock actuators
Yes they do wear out.

Removing a door panel and pointed testing for the presence of power and ground at the time the power locks are supposed to operate could tell you if the (electrical portion of the) system is in fact working or not, and you can test a power lock motor with jumper wires to verify it does or does not work