How To Diagnose Door Lock Actuator

Door lock actuator problems use to be simple to diagnose and repair.

How to diagnose door lock actuator.

Unplug the door lock actuator electrical connector. Helpful guide on diagnosing power door lock problems with the passenger multiplex control unit and the door lock actuators. In the old days they remained a separate component mounted to the door shell. In some cars the door lock actuator is positioned below the latch.

On manual locks the locking function operates by pushing or pulling on the door lock. Car door lock actuators are designed to lock and unlock a door without the effort of pulling on a cable and rod. 2004 honda odyssey ex passenger m. A rod connects the actuator to the latch and another rod connects the latch to the knob that sticks up out of the top of the door.

The concept of a door lock actuator works great until it doesn t. A door lock actuator is basically a reversible motor or a solenoid on some vehicles with gears that operate the door lock. If the actuators have any sort of internal or wiring issue it may cause them to rapidly lock and unlock unexpectedly or cause them to function intermittently. Pictured on the right is a typical door lock actuator they installed on automobiles 20 years ago.

When the actuator fails or starts to fail you ll likely notice one or more symptoms that make your daily commute less pleasant. Unusual noises coming from inside the door. If the unlock button fails to unlock the door you can rule out the remote and take a long look at the actuator. Door lock systems operate the actuator by toggling positive negative voltage to the actuator.

Another symptom of a potential problem with the power door lock actuators are door locks that behave erratically. Power door locks do not function. A metal rod then made its way to the door latch to operate the lock mechanism. A quick test can be performed from the driver s seat by using the electric lock button.

You should see the voltage polarity toggle with each switch activation. Usually a bad or failing power door lock actuator will produce a few symptoms that can notify the driver of an issue that should be serviced. Power door locks behave erratically.