How-to fix annoying door lock actuator

[htekken]

Having problems with your door locks buzzing when you unlock them or buzzing/constantly relocking when you lock ur doors? this would be your solution.

disclaimer: \/ this is the part that you are going to need to have to replace the broken one. without it, dont know if my DIY can help unless you get creative to make something soft, rubbery.



if you dont already know how to take of ur interior door panel, this is how:


1^pry off the tab.

2^pull the plastic mirror cover with good force

3^pry off the plastic cover and philips unscrew this

4^pry off plastic cover and philips unscrew this

5^pry off doorlight lense

6^pop off plastic that covers the screw where the door handle is, unscrew

7^now we must take off the interior door handle, as it gets in the way of removing the door panel

8^so unplug this....

9^take off this metal hanger

10^ when it's gone



dunno^use good amount of force to pull interior panel off of the door, its easier to start pulling from the corners and work ur way around

[htekken]

12^now, there are 3 plugs you have to unplug before you can completely put the door panel to the side. there will be one behind the door light, one for the power window controls, and one for the power mirror

^the plug for the power mirror is easiest to unplug/plug when you pop the control from the panel first. then the panel can be put out of the way.

13^unscrew/remove this plastic black piece




14^now these 2 metal hangers get in the way, so remove them. the ends of them are actually connected to the door lock actuator, so you'll have to unclip them just like the door handle. you can see the 2 orange plastic clips is where the ends of the metal hangers go into.



15^now you gotta remove the outside door handle. first unscrew the two 10mm bolts from the inside. theres even a hole to put the socket thru.

[htekken]

16^even after the 2 bolts have been taken out the door handle is still not completely loose yet. there are still 2 metal rods that go from the door lock actuator to the door handle. THIS PART IS HARD TO EXPLAIN BUT IF YOU GET THIS FAR YOU'LL SEE WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO TAKE OFF THE HANDLE. pry off the 1st metal rod(1st pic) out of its hook, flathead works well. now the 2nd rod(2nd,3rd pic) is screwed into the door handle. so first pull the whole handle out of the pocket of the door. then just unscrew the handle off the rod by turning the whole handle counterclockwise until its off the thread. the 2nd and 3rd pic show the door handle already unscrewed from the rod. as you see in the 1st pic there are 2 wires that connect to the door handle, so you'll have to manuever those around as well as you go counterclockwise. i believe one of those wires is connected to a gray plug that you have to disconnect first, shown in 4th pic.

[htekken]

^with handle finally outta the way.

^peeking inside thru the door handle you'll see the window rail where the window slides along. now that gets in the way when taking out the door actuator. so gotta remove it. before doing so make sure you see how far it goes up/how its connected at the top so you'll know how to put it back correctly.


^17
first undo the bolt that holds it. its on the inside of the door at bottom left. then pull down the rail and take it outta the way. go head and unplug the other gray plug shown in the 2nd pic. that plug leads to the actuator which is ready to be taken out.

[htekken]

17^now time for the door lock actuator assembly to come out. just undo the 3 gold screws on the door and pull it out.



^pics of the door lock actuator assembly

^18 remove the 4 screws circled yellow to take off the cover

^THIS PIC SHOWS WHAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED,FIXED. the 2 areas circled yellow is where the black rubber boots are. one of those yellow circles is the cause of noise if you were locking ur car, while the other yellow circle is the cause of noise if you were unlocking ur car. in both of those yellow circles is where the black rubber boots lie, in which one needs to be replaced depending on ur noise problem. the bottom yellow circle you do not see the black rubber boots cuz i had already removed it.

^19you'll know which rubber boot you need to replace because it will look all broken,cracked,torn up whatever. again the 2 yellow circles is where the rubber boots are. now we're gonna have to loosen the gold,copper colored metal plate that holds the black boots down/in. to make it loose you need to remove 2 philips screws which are the 2 red circles. after taking them out the copper plate is more loose. now wedge a flathead in there to lift the copper plate more and pull out the defective black boot. this is shown with the greenish arrows.

^this is a close up of the rubber black boot, but this is a good condition one

^this is a close up of the rubber black boot after you have taken it out. again this is a good one, a defective one would be torn up.


^close up after the boot was removed. whut prob. causes the loud noise is the metal plate rubbing against the plastic outer cover.

[htekken]

^with the black boot back in securely that will fix your problem. now PUT EVERYTHING BACK TOGETHER.
THE QUESTION YOU MAYBE ASKING YOURSELF is......how do i get my hands on a good condition black boot to replace that broken one??

well unfortunately you can NOT buy this small piece at a store, dealership etc. you have to get it from opening up a spare door lock actuator assembly. in which you might be thinking you might as well take the whole thing and install it in your door. you can prob. get a door lock actuator at a junkyard from a 5th gen door. but the junkyard guy might charge you a lot for it, so it might be cheaper(free) to open up the assembly and just taking the black boot. but not if you have to go thru hell to get it out of the door like my diy just showed. also no garauntee either the black boots are all good in there. and i think the dealership charges hella lot for a new one.

[htekken]

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