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DIY: Front Lock Actuator Replacement (2007 Honda Odyssey LX)

78K views 46 replies 27 participants last post by  Plant_Dad 
#1 ·
DIY: Front Lock Actuator Replacement (2007 Honda Odyssey LX)

My 2007 Ody LX Front Passenger failed in the “closed” position, so we could not open the door from inside or outside!
In order to replace the Lock Actuator, the door needs to be opened so the trim panel can be removed.

I have learned from BMW forum that in this case, sometimes the dealer have to damage the interior trim panel to get to the lock! I also learned from other BMW owners that sometimes the electric motor (inside the Actuator) has a few more cycles before it dies completely. So be patient before you destroy your Trim Panel.
The Ody door was shut and I was depressed b/c I could not open the door to fix it. After praying like crazy, I used my fist and banged on the front passenger door a few times. Then I pressed the “lock/unlock” button on the key remote a few times, all of a sudden the knob popped back up for the last time! Consider myself lucky!


PART/TOOL:
- Front Passenger Lock Actuator PN 72115-S6A-J11…$37
- Front Driver Lock Actuator PN 72155-S5P-A11…$42 (from what I understand the driver side actuator rarely goes bad)
- Phillips screwdriver
- Flat screwdriver
- 10-mm socket
- Molding removal tool (or use flat screwdriver wrapped in cloth)
- Hook Tool
- Optional: Loctite


PROCEDURE:
- Wash your hand before you touch the trim panel.
- Get a small box to keep all the nuts/bolts etc. It is easy to lose track of these small parts.
- Extra clips for trim panel; PN is 91560-S84-A01. They are white color clips, much cheaper on ebay, don’t buy from dealer!

Fishing sinker Metalworking hand tool Tool


1. Remove Upper Corner Trim (just pull it straight out), then remove screws #1, #2, #3 as shown.

Vehicle door Vehicle Car Door handle Mirror



2. Screw #4 is hidden underneath the window switch trim piece. So use a flat screwdriver wrapped in cloth and gently pry the window switch trim piece. D/C the electrical connector to the window switch. Now remove screw #4.

Vehicle door Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Car seat



3. Now, wash your hands and lift the Trim Panel straight up. The book says to remove the cable to the interior handle, I did it the “ghetto” way: I left the cable alone but used the bungee cord to hold the Trim Panel in place.

Vehicle Car Vehicle door Automotive exterior Auto part



4. Now, slowly peel the Vapor Barrier back, it is held in place by “Butyl Rope”.
Remove the 10-mm bolt holding the Window Guide.
Pull the Window Guide downward and remove it.

Vehicle door Bumper Automotive exterior Vehicle Car



5. Now remove the 4 screws as shown: three(3) screws holding the lock assembly and one (1) screw holding the plastic rail for the knob.

Tire Automotive tire Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Auto part



6. Squeeze on the clip to undo the electrical wire holder, then squeeze the connector to disconnect it from the Actuator.

Product Tire Rim Automotive wheel system Wheel



7. Next step is IMPORTANT: the book says remove the whole assembly from the car, but this involves undoing the lock rods etc. I was not in the mood to do that, thus the “ghetto” way again:
- Gently lift the white plastic cover a bit
- Remove the small screw holding the metal plate
- The Lock Actuator is held by two (2) white plastic tabs: just study the anatomy of the new part and you will see what I mean. Use a hook tool to gently lift up the white tabs to release the Lock Actuator.

Vehicle door Product Bumper Auto part Automotive exterior



Arm Joint Leg Shoulder Elbow




8. Replace the Lock Actuator: this is straightforward but during insertion make sure the white oval wheel (see the very 1st photo) fits in the slot. You can pull up and down the door knob to make it fit.
- Don’t forget to re-attach the small screw and snap the white cover back in place.


RE-INSTALLATION NOTE:

- Window Guide: use a flash light to look upward inside the door. The Window Guide has to fit in the proper channel so the glass can go down properly. Re-install the 10-mm bolt.
- Reseal the Vapor Barrier: go slow and make sure it is sealed properly.
- The Trim Panel: there are a total of 9 plastic clips. Install the Trim Panel from the top first, make sure it is engaged properly before pushing the clips in.
- For the Lock Latch 3 screws: I used a bit of Loctite.
- Re-install the 4 screws (2 for Trim Panel, and 2 on the interior handle area).
- Re-connect the window switch and snap it in place.
- Test the lock with remote.


Vehicle Trunk Car Auto part Bumper



Congrats, you just saved 2h of labor charge at the Honda dealer.

That is it boys and girls!
 
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10
#2 ·
Mabuchi Electric Motor

PS: For those who are tight on budget and want a bit more adventure, use a flat screwdriver and hammer and gently tap at the 2 halves of the Actuator. Inside is the usual “Mabuchi electric motor”. Look carefully at the shaft, it has a flat part.

Search ebay for Mabuchi FC-280PT-22125, it is about $5 but the shaft is round, all you have to do is file one side flat and you just rebuilt the Actuator for $5! Actually it is not a bad idea to buy a few of these and keep them in your garage, I think the sliding door uses this motor too.


Tool Metalworking hand tool
 
#44 ·
Search ebay for Mabuchi FC-280PT-22125, it is about $5
2006 Touring - Front Driver’s door lock went out and I was gonna try going this motor replacement route but am confused. Does anyone know for sure if we’re supposed to get the motors with the 10mm or 20mm shafts?
Amazon reviews aren’t helpful and YT videos aren’t clear.
Could it be 10mm for the front doors and 20mm for the rear sliders or are all four doors the same?
 
#3 ·
For spare parts, I just bought and received two (2) ebay Mabuchi Motor FC-280PC-22125 for $10, so $5/each.
The shaft is round, all you need is to file 1 side flat with a hand file, which should take about 2-3 minutes.
I leave them in my garage as spare parts.
See TOP photo.

For those who want to buy direct replacement, then go to amazon and buy:
Central Door Lock Actuator Motor FC-280PC-22125 FLAT SHAFT ---> $13/each.
See BOTTOM photo.


Product Technology Parallel Tool accessory
 
#4 ·
Thanks CNN, I had to take my 2005 Touring to my local body shop to have my PS actuator replaced. I might have attempted it if I had these instructions handy. I was lucky and was able to open the door if I pulled hard upward on the knob. One crazy side effect of the actuator not working on my Touring was the rear door wouldn't open. From the switch on the dash or from the handle on door. Had to use the manual override after crawling over all the seats. Once the new actuator was installed the rear door returned to normal operation.

I also used this as an opportunity to replace the worn out door checker. As you need to have the door trim off to remove them.
 
#6 ·
CAUTION NOTE:

Today, someone posted that he installed the new actuator but now can't open the door using the interior and exterior handles.
So a note of caution for those who perform this repair job:

- Once you replace the actuator, do NOT close the door yet. Instead, operate the interior and exterior handles first to be sure it works (just look at the door latch device: flip it close, then open it using the int/ext handles.).
- Only after you are happy with the results, then close the door and do more testing...


http://www.odyclub.com/forums/52-20...-acutator-but-now-my-handles-do-not-work.html
 
#22 ·
cnn, sapiro
Thanks for the great write up. I did this fix on my 05 Odyssey drivers door and wanted to provide some comments on my experience(s).
-getting the window switch panel pried up was difficult. I thought I was going to break it, but it finally came up.
-the three door latch screws are in there very tight. A P3 screwdriver is a must. Go slow and apply a lot of downward pressure so you don't strip the screws.
-I actually found it much easier to disconnect all the wires and bars from the latch and remove the actuator from the door entirely. Working from the door access area was too difficult for me. Once it was out, things were easy.
-I replaced the motor in the actuator with the flat shaft eBay motor listed above. Everything worked except that I noticed that the motor seemed to be applying more forced than before. Things worked for about two weeks before the plastic gear inside the actuator broke and would make a weird noise when the door unlocked.

In the top of the picture, you can see the tooth broken off the center gear.
Auto part


-I replaced the whole actuator with the amazon part and it only took me 40 minutes start to finish the second time.
 
#8 ·
Step #3 says lift the door panel straight up. Not happening for me. I have removed the 4 screws but something significant is still holding the panel in place.

Are there plastic clips or do you have to pry your way all around the perimeter? Need help please. Lifting up on the panel isn't getting it.
 
#10 ·
I am stuck. Can anyone help?

I got all the way to step 5, but couldn't get the lock assembly screws to turn. I tried banging on them with a hammer (with a piece of wood in the middle) and spraying WD40 - nothing helped.

Now the screws are a little stripped and I am not sure what to do next.

From videos that I've seen people used a ratchet with a Phillips bit to get a good leverage, so I am considering this as my next step, if the screws are completely stripped after this the only alternative would be stripped screw extractor set (which I never tried/used before) and I am a little concerned using these with screws that are screwed on that tight.

I need to turn counter clockwise, right?

Any tips are welcome.

TIA
 
#14 ·
I took the van to an indy mechanic I sometimes work with. He banged on the screws real well with a screwdriver and a hammer, managed to get one loose, but the other two won't budge. He said he needed to remove the door panel and support it from the other side (I assume he will keep trying to bang on it after he supports it from the other side), for which he needs to have the van for two hours (just to make sure he has enough time). He said worst case he will have to drill the screws out.

Not sure what to do. I am leaning towards leaving it with him as he has more experience and I think experience will be important here.If I drill the screws out I'm probably going to need a new latch assembly as I believe the screws housing is plastic and they are torqued so high it would be impossible to get them out after drilling them.

Any thoughts?
 
#11 ·
I had a similar problem. The screws are torqued very tight. I had to switch to a larger phillips point. #3 point I think. Most off the shelf phillips screwdrivers are #2 point.

The #3 point will have more surface contact. You might need a ratchet as well if they are beginning to strip. Having a lever and the proper size bit will hopefully generate enough torque.

Good Luck.

By the way, removing the old actuator is also difficult. It's not enough to lift the white plastic tabs with a hook tool. The metal plate helps retain the actuator in place. I had to remove the small screw (step #7), unsnap where the metal plate engages a snap on the white plastic, and still had to bend the metal plate with needle-nose pliers before I had enough space to slide the old actuator out.

I wasn't too worried about bending the metal plate. Once you get the new actuator in place the plastic snaps and the small screw will hold everything in place.

This job takes patience and perseverance for sure. In the end I got it fixed and we now have all power door locks working again.
 
#12 ·
Dude you are the best !! I just changed the wife's 2009 EX-l driver side door actuator it took me about an hour with your directions !! only problem was I couldn't find a place to attach the bungee cord so I disconnected the cable.got the part off of E-Bay for $10.90 w/ free shipping. also I took the actuator out (disco the 2 rods). your rite p was a huge help. THANK YOU AGAIN
 
#13 ·
Success

So We have a friend with a 2007 Odyssey that she could not get into the back liftgate because it has power locks only and wouldn't unlock. Dealership wanted $350 to fix. I ended up finding this site and fixing it for her for $6.65. Found the long flat shaft on ebay. For those who need to know, the part was FC-280 Motor w/ Long D Shaft - Car Door Lock and Mirror Motor - Automotive Motor FC-280PC-22125 and from a seller named mopselectric. Anyway, just wanted to add a few notes that might help someone else.
- until the part comes in, you can access the back of the lock inside the van under a panel in the center bottom. Remove it and you can insert a key or screwdriver into the plastic housing and rotate clockwise to unlock. The hole looks like a "t" or an "x". Now you can open the door.
- to separate the plastic housing, use a sharp blade in a utility knife to CAREFULLY separate the 2 halves. Once apart, no need to re-glue. The 2 screws hold it together.
The job was cake thanks to the previous posters. Thanks all!
 
#15 · (Edited)
Say HAND IMPACT TOOL. This is a $20 miracle tool. It generally comes with two phiilips bits, two straight blade bits, and the bit holder can be removed, giving you a 1/2" socket drive. You put it into the offending screw, sometimes even a stripped one if not too bad, twist the tool in the desired direction, and hit the opposite end with a hammer. You keep a leftward torque on the tool while striking it, so that the entire force of the blow is imparted as a downward twisting motion. The inward force of the hammer generally keeps the bit from jumping, which is how stripping occurs. The tool is reversible but I have only rarely used it to torque something back together.

This tool can be used in place of an air or electric impact gun, although you wouldn't want to do high production with it. I've loosened lawnmower flywheel nuts and dozens of pesky phillips screws. Bought it originally for a Japanese motorcycle, which was one of the first times I ever saw phillips screws replacing flat head screws in mechanical assembly (1960's). With this tool, you will probably never destroy another phillips screw head.
 
#17 ·
so I went to the dealer today to see what can be done about the stubborn door latch screws. They tried to loosen them using a special tool they have, but were only able to get one more, so I am still left with one that is stripped and won't budge (the bottom one). They recommended I drill through it with a small drill bit, but I think I will try a screw extractor first. My only fear is that once I drill through it a part of the screw will stay stuck in there and I will be left without a working door latch until I get it out or get a new door latch assembly.
 
#19 · (Edited)
actuator assembly

hi guys
i'm new here, but i hope someone can help...

i have an (australian) R2 ody, (2001) which is similar to the US model. The drivers door (RH in my case!) actuator failed. dealer wants 350 to replace, but i got an aftermarket unit for $17. the problem is, it is a US RH actuator, so doesnt have the necessary microswitch to activate the other doors.

So, the plan is to swap the motor to the old unit. Problem is, i decided to also swap the gears. I 'thought' i had the spring and gears assembled correctly, but it will only unlock, not lock...
can anyone assist on how the gears and spring are supposed to be re-assembled?

thanks for reading..

-russell
 
#20 ·
I put my actuator back together tonight and van door wouldn't open from the inside, after locking and then unlocking it. Took things back apart and found that I bent one of the linkage rods. Its the rod from the exterior handle, it has a slide at the bottom end, since it was bent it wasn't sliding like it should, straightened and now works like it should.
 
#27 ·
Just did mine on my Wife's 08 EXL. Everything went great except I had an issue sort of like the one I quoted. Opened & closed fine on the outside. Opened on the inside, but wouldn't close if I used the inside latch to open. If I played with the outside latch, then it would close. Opened everything up, and I just bent the rod from the exterior handle just slightly, and everything works good. Guess it just got a little bent when moving everything around.

Thanks for this thread, made my life easier knowing what to look for when taking everything apart. I bought the actuator on Amazon for under $13 here : DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR.
 
#21 ·
So, I followed this post for repairing the passenger's power lock on my 2005 Touring... worked like a champ, and thank you!

I did notice on the '05 Touring the cover that was talked about for prying off was actually metal instead of plastic... I had a bit of a challenge with getting the interior lock cable connected back up properly... I was rather surprised at how easy the window guide went back in... this was pretty easy honestly.
 
#23 ·
Thanks so much for this write up cnn. You made it a rather easy job with the part #, pics and details. My only problem was getting the window rail back in the slot. I literally spent an hour trying over and over and could never quite get the right angle and then all the sudden I nailed it and it slid right in.

I bought an aftermarket actuator "APDTY" on amazon for $24. Worked just fine.
 
#24 ·
I just did the driver side actuator on our '06, took about an hr.
I had planned on doing a DIY myself, but just stumbled on this thread.
I took about 40 pics of the process if any one needs additional info.
As for the three latch screws, I used my cordless impact and they zipped right out.

 
#25 ·
Thanks for the great tutorial! This is my first post so bear with me. After putting in the new actuator, locks and unlocks fine but one strange thing is happening. When in the car and opening the door with the inside latch- the door will not shut- the locking mechanism stays down even though I can open the door. The only way to "reset" it is once open, pull open the handle on the outside- which works the latch fine like normal. Something- maybe the cable or rod got bent or stretched out that connects the interior handle to the door latch? Very strange and a bit frustrating to get the key fob to finally work and now have another issue
 
#26 · (Edited)
the inner handle lock cable actually can be replaced by removing the latch/actuator assembly out of the door shell. you need to open the white latch protector by removing 3 small phillips screw and then disconnect the cable from the clip. the cable can be bought separately from honda cheap $4!

on mine ody it was broken one month ago, then I cannot open the door from inside. I replaced the cable and now the actuator making a buzz noise when unlock.

that problem is exactly the plastic gear broken just like the pic MrPDJ reported, it will unlock with funny noise but eventually it will broken and may not unlock.

To avoid future hassle, I decided to replace the actuator and now problem solved.


a couple notes,

I also replace the door lock rod clip (for outer handle) according to the manual. one of mine was broken when I disconnecting the rod from the clip. if this clip broken your outer handle will not work! so test it before you put the panel back!

you want to test the rod lock and fob when the door is OPEN.

test the window, make sure no cable get in the way when window rolling down!

the driver side is a little tedious than passenger side, you need to remove the bolt hold the lock cylinder

you can also use this write up to replace the lock latch, inner handle lock cable, door checker, side mirror assembly.. they all share same door panel removal procedure.


you definitely want a helper if you do it for first time, carefully follow the instruction, and it do need a lot of patience. you might need extra time to figure how window rail go back in but I have done this for a couple of times, I can now do it in 1hr. practice make perfect!!
 
#28 ·
I am resurrecting this thread just to say thanks to all who posted on it. My driver side lock actuator was making a loud buzzing sound whenever the doors would unlock. Took the door panel off, felt and listened around for the rattle when I was hitting the unlock button and sure enough, it was the lock actuator. Took the actuator off per cnn's instructions (including all the "ghetto-ness"), ran to the auto parts store. Plopped down a whopping $47.62. Drove back home to install and DONE!

I must say, I ran into pretty much all the problems that posters mentioned here. Those three screws to get the lock assembly off were stubborn but my impact driver made easy work of it. Also, could not get the interior or exterior handles to work but in taking everything apart again, I noticed I left too much slack in the wire so it wouldn't allow the door to release when I pulled on the handles. Easy re-do.

Anyways, Thanks again all, especially to cnn!
 
#29 ·
New to the forum. I'm in process of replacing the front passenger door lock actuator on a 2007 EX Odyssey. It works fine, but when I re-installed the door lock, it won't latch. It seems like it is out of alignment just enough that the latch won't catch. I can't seem to get the door latch mechanism mounted in the door correctly which is causing this issue. HELP would be appreciated. I've followed all other steps and thought I had the job done, but now the door won't latch closed. I've taken apart the door latch mechanism and inspected it several times.
 
#31 ·
Update and word of caution: Do not get too aggressive if you choose to loosen the screws of the door latch with an impact screw driver (type that you hammer on). If you do, you can actually bend the door mount metalwork where the door latch mounts to, causing it not to line up when you go to reinstall things! I had to go inside the door with a wood block and fix the dented metalwork to flush as it was before all this work started.
 
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