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DIY: Drivers side door lock actuator replacement, 7th gen sedan

93K views 41 replies 29 participants last post by  red.v6.accord 
#1 ·
You know the story... door lock on my 2005 LX sedan died; would not lock or unlock anymore but it just wiggled. Got the new actuator part from Rockauto for ~$22 shipped and went to work...

Here is how to do this. It is more pain in the a** than it being "hard", namely because all of those parts (and how they move) are pretty unfamiliar. Lots of levers, cables and cramped spaces.

Remember: EASY DOES IT. You do not want to bend/break any hooks, latches or cables, and there will be plenty. If you have no patience, might be worth it to take it to the shop. Just saying... :thumbsup:

1. Take the door panel off; DIY for that here. I did not take the switches out, but disconnected them from the back myself.

2. When the panel is off this is how it all looks like:



Note that the window needs to be UP at this point!

3. I simply pulled off the moisture barrier slowly, shoving the black sealant back with a stick of wood. Watch it, this stuff is super sticky and is PITA to wash off your skin, likely impossible from clothes. Just take your time and do it slow. I did not warm it up beforehand, it was gooey enough anyway (~80 degree weather):



I pulled it off about this much and then taped it down with some masking tape. Watch those sticky edges! Hair hazard! :naughty:



4. Now, the part that we need to replace is out of sight (of course) - I am holding it in this photo; the whole latch assembly needs to come out! Start by unscrewing this:



This holds the window left rail, where the window slides into the door. I left the rail in but loose at the bottom, it gave me enough space to work.

5. Unscrew the following 3 screws:



6. Unscrew this screw and unhook two black plastic latches as shown:



7. Unhook two electrical connectors from the actuator; note where the arrow is; this is a little tab that you need to press in the direction of the arrow and then pull out the connector. Not easy as it is a bit cramped.



8. Unscrew the driver's side door lock thingy (I am sure it has a proper name):



9. Now it gets tricky; there are two rods connected to the part you need to take off; Princess posted a PDF in this thread that holds the key for how this needs to be done, here is a relevant part:



Now, I thought that one of rods was easier to unhook from the latch side and the other from the handle so this is what I'll show. The first rod, from the latch side:

Black clip needs to be rotated like so and then the rod comes right out in the direction of the arrow.



You end up with this:



Now for the second rod, pop out the plastic off the little maintenance window here:



Now, it is tricky to see but there is a green plastic clip that needs to be unhooked by rotating it in the direction of the arrow and then the rod comes right out, toward you:



(see the above illustration that helps here I think)

10. After you did that... freedom! Navigate the latch out:



11. This is what you got out; a few shots for reference; we need to take it apart:





12. To start taking it apart, unscrew the only visible screw on it:



13. Then slide the cable which was in the black bracket out of it, so you can have slack when you open the latch assembly:



14. Now, I pushed the metal piece sticking out of the plastic, which sort of separated the two pieces as we need them to be. You can use small pliers or something to do this:



15. It comes apart; one side (for reference):



And the other (where I need you to notice stuff):

- unscrew the circled small screw
- you will need to undo the hooked cable, and pop the pink cable bracket off once you take the actuator off
- note the position of the actuator "hand", as noted by one of the arrows
- also note that the actuator is "flush" with the metal piece of the latch assembly; important to note, when you put the new actuator on!

Essentially, once the screw is off, it all kind of comes apart and you can replace the actuator, moving the pink clip between the parts:



That is in fact all; at this point, it is all about putting it back together, as they say "in reverse order".

Double-check all of the connections, screws and electrical plugs. Don't forget to connect the driver inside door handle cable and all. Then test it. Hopefully it all works! :D
 
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#30 ·
What a legacy!

I just bought a 2004 LX with 203,000 miles. One of the things broken was the passenger door lock. These instructions worked perfectly. I stripped one of the three door latch Phillips head screws and had to drill it out, but all is well with the remaining two screws till I can get a third from the dealer.

I really appreciate the detail and pictures provided by Rookie. Here, a decade later, his hard work is still providing benefit . . . and joy, to backyard mechanics like myself.
 
#31 ·
I know this is an old thread, but it really helped me replace my door latch cable.

Mine is 2003, however, and the glue stuff was white and at this point pretty dry/crumbly. I had been putting off this job because I was worried it would be a big mess, but on mine it was really easy to just cut through the glue with a razor and it wasn't gooey at all.
 
#32 ·
Tackling the front passenger actuator today. I'll probably go pick up an impact screwdriver before I start. I need one anyway.

EDIT: Finished, after driving to two hardware stores for an impact screwdriver, then spending 2 hours on the work itself. Buttoned it all up, closed the door, and realized that rattling sound was the door latch rod having come loose. Removing the door liner with the door closed is fun, let me tell you.
 
#34 ·
I completed this project a week ago. It took me maybe 3 hours but I got stuck once or twice when I misplaced this thread. The photos and description on this thread are AWESOME. A couple notes.

The latch was tough to get the bolts out. I was afraid of stripping them. It helped to first tighten them and then reverse them out. It seemed to loosen them up.

Removing the plastic piece from the second wire in the door was touch. It was on really tight and everything had to be done by feel. I got it eventually. It was much easier to put back on.

The next day I remembered I never checked that the window functioned properly so I went back to test it. It worked. Then I tried to get out of the car. The pull didn't do anything. My dumb ass forgot to connect the wire to the door handle. I had to go back in and attached that wire. In the process the little green plastic piece broke. I am not sure the wire is really secure to the door pull. Does anyone know if that piece can be replaced?

Thanks.
 
#35 ·
this job is a huge pita. the 3 screws on the side holding the actuator in place are on there tight. I had to use pb blaster to loosen them and then a manual impact wrench to get them loose- similar to brake rotor screws.

and then the stupid door handle cable's green clip broke off. huge PITA, i can't finish the job today and have to get a replacement part tomrorow. took me 5 hours to do driver door and rear right door, and still not done yet =\
 
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#36 ·
I would add that the 3 retaining screws on the side of the door panel can stick. I think there was a rubber inset which disintegrated. I actually tore a piece of the panel on one. I recommend having a cordless impact screwdriver handy. Get a good phillips head.
 
#37 ·
For those that are just changing the cable and are having trouble reattaching the rear rod, it is best to remove it from the external handle first as this guide shows. Reattach it to the actuator while it is out, then install the actuator. You can reattach the rear rod last, which isn't too hard with a flashlight.

Many people try to reattach the rear rod while it remains attached to the external door handle and while the actuator is in its housing (btw, one portion which snaps off/on without screw removal). This is very difficult and not worth it.

For those 3 sticky screws, I had to use a $20 Sears craftsman hand impact driver and a #3 Philips head. A power impact would fair better if you have one.
 
#38 ·
Such an infuriating job. Replaced the drivers door lock actuator today. Did it on another accord a few years back, it was easier this time around but still a huge PITA. Remebered a couple of things that made me lose a few hours last time.

This time around, I sprayed those 3 JIS Philips screws with PB blaster the night before and let it soak. Used an impact hammer the next day and they came out pretty easily. did my best to make sure the door latch cable didnt break, but it broke anyways. Was able to rig up some zip ties to keep it in place.

I also thought I locked myself out of the car. tip: ALWAYS LEAVE ANOTHER WINDOW DOWN!!!
 
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#39 ·
You know what’s funny?

That today, all those years after I wrote this procedure up, I printed it out for myself as I had to replace the actuator on the passenger side door, on the same car! [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
#41 · (Edited)
Right now, the major bottleneck for me are those 3 screws holding the lock; terribly tough to get off.

I don't have an impact wrench. Any other ways I can knock them out?
Thanks in advance.

EDIT :- Done. Here's how.
I was doing the driver and passenger sides. I got a big Philips screwdriver that had provision to attach a spanner. Set it up on the lock's screw, pushed in with all my might while turning the spanner. This knocked some screws loose, while others remained a PITA.
For the other stubborn screws, a friend heated them up slightly with a propane torch and a regular screwdriver did the honours very easily.

So, I guess the easiest way to get any stubborn door lock screw out is to heat it up slightly with a propane torch (or hot air soldering rework station) and use any regular screwdriver to loosen it; with no effort at all.

Hope this helps someone out there.

To anyone who tries this method, please let us know what your success rate is.
 
#42 ·
Great write up, thank you!
Not a super hard job, just gotta have some patience. The one issue I ran into was one of the three door latch screws stripped out. I ended up getting it out with a big screw extractor. My advice is to make sure you are using the right bit/screwdriver the first time.
 
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