I have a 91 Honda Accord that is proving to be a challenge. The drivers side door jusquite opening on day. I am told it is the door lock actuator. I removed the door panel but am still unable to open the door. I got an estimate of 245.00 to drill it out and 250.00 for a new part. WOW! There’s got to be a better way to get the door open so I can replace it with one from a salvage yard. HELP?
Also, I had the front end aligned but it still pulls to the right. They said it was due to the ball joints not being adjustable and that it could be replaced but was quite expensive. I like the gas mileage, and the car was given to me, so I can better afford to fix problems rather than purchase a new one. Thanks for any feedback.
The door lock acutator only works the power lock option. It has NO effect on the door handle. The door handle is attached to the latch by rods. The rods are held to the handle by plastic gromments that can age and break. This is true for the inside and outside handles. Also, the key lock cylinder also use these rods and gromments. For a car this old, the chances of the gromments breaking and falling are quite high. I’ve seen replacement gromments on sale at Autozone for domestic makes. You may need to go to the dealer for one’s that will fit your car.
For the alignment, the only real adjustment is for toe-in and toe-out for these cars. Caster and camber angles are pretty much locked, but can be mis-adjusted due to accidents. There are kits available that can be installed to adjust these angles. How hard does it pull? This is the question to ask if it is worth the additional expense.
Hey BK,
Thanks for new info. The car pulls enough to notice but not so bad that I can’t drive it. It’s an older car, so I probably can live with the inconvenience and not put any extra parts into the front end. I was mostly thinking about tire wear on that issue.
On to more important issues. I’m really tired of climbing over the seat. I have put some time into trying to pry, jimmie, and even cuss the door open. All the rods seem to be in working order. I will have to try and see if any plastice parts are broken. The outside door handle lifts and the rod inside works, though I’m not sure if it’s doing all it’s supposed to. If I can’t get anywhere with the suggestions you’ve offered, I’ll try again.
Thanks for more info than I had to start with.
I would suggest taking the passenger side door apart so you can see how everything is suppose to work. then compare the movements and rod actions to what you see from the passenger side door. Passenger side door still works don’t it?
Well why didn’t I think of that?! The passenger side works buit a bit sticky, so it make sense to check it before it goes out too. By the way, I found out that on Honda’s, two and four door lock actuator mechanisms are interchangeable. Thanks