so I think my dirver's door lock actuator is bad. i bought a new one and tried replacing it. I made good progress until i realized it is attached to the latch somehow and I also couldn't get the lock rod disconnected because it's hidden by a piece of white plastic that I can't figure out how to remove.

I saw a decent write up on a different forum, but he must've had a different lock design because he didn't mention how to separate the actuator from the latch, or how to get the white plastic thing off.

any advice?

btw I'm a complete newb when it comes to accords (but i'm an expert on maximas). hoping you guys have a good knowledge base here. also wondering about the crank pulley that came loose, the apparent bent crank shaft (new pulley wobbles but turns true on a brake lathe), sticky throttle, etc.

thanks...

 

1999 Honda Accord Lx, 4 door

I also ran into the same problem you are having. When I hit the lock button all the doors would lock except the drivers door. I could here the actuator make noise in the drivers door, but the lock wouldn't move.

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...ONT+DOOR+LOCKS

I went to the dealer and bought only the actuator (Item 6 or 28). My plan was to only replace the actuator and not whole lock assembly (Item 2 or 26). Using the graphic in the link or attached to this post and my Haynes menu it seems pretty straight forward as there is only four linkage rods attached to lock assembly. The manual has you gain access and remove the screws through the end of door and then unhook the clips from the linkage rods connected to the lock assembly. After that I thought I would replace the actuator and then reverse the process.

Wrong!

Three of the four rods came off really easy. Pinch or remove the plastic clips and they pop out. The rod that attaches to the exterior door handle (item 22 or 34) was impossible to unhook at the lock assembly end and access to the door handle end is tough. I could not figure out how to unhook the exterior handle end without removing the entire handle assembly.

I was able to gain access to the actuator on the lock assembly by moving the entire lock assembly by rotating it around the remaining rod into the opening in the door. At that point I was able to access the two screws (46) that hold the actuator to the lock assembly. Use care when taking the actuator out as it's drive arm rides in a slot. You have to align it just right to get it to pop out with out breaking anything. I was then able to install the new actuator to the lock assembly. It takes some care to get it lined up right and to get the drive arm hooked back into the slot.

Bottom line is it can be done, but I couldn't figure out how to remove the last rod or get the exterior door handle out without creating even more problems. Buying just the actuator is cheaper anyways.

I opened up my old actuator and the electric motor was good, but I think the plastic internal gears and cam had worn enough to start slipping. I expecting to see a pile of ground up plastic, but there was none. Go figure.