Well I got an hour from the Mrs to play with my hatch door on my 2000 Ex that didn't lock.

I had tried using both the key and the remote with no success.

I purchased a Left Door Actuator and got at it.

You'll have to remove the Plastic part from your Hatch Window which is nothing more than popping it out of the little holds and removing 2 plastic 'screws' which holds the upper pieces to it.

Here is a shot of what you'll be looking at after you have removed the plastic molding.

FirstView.jpg?t=1295121157

I found leaving my two bottom doors open and closing the hatch while sitting inside of the back the easiest to work on the area in need.

Here is a shot of what you'll be taking out and where your new actuator will be going

MotorPosition.jpg?t=1295121162

Disconnect the power cord from the old actuator (screwdriver is what I used to 'pop' the clip, but make sure you don't do it to hard and break the clip).

You will 'slide' the actuator out by pulling/pushing it towards you with your fingers. It should slide out with some ease but may be a little stuck due to 'dirt' and other junk that builds up back there... worst case you'll break the part that holds it onto the car if you don't push it right (I know because I did this when removing the old one... )

Here is the 'empty' spot with arrows to remind you where the new one will go Notice the top arrow is where you 'slide' the new one on. The bottom arrow is where the little 'peg' on the actuator will be inserted. You'll need the door in the unlocked position to get the actuator to slide back on and into that hole at the same time.


MotorHookspot.jpg?t=1295121165

Now I quickly had it in, gave the lock a few tried and still couldn't get the lock to work... I took off the actuator and played with it some and noticed that the 'lock' part was sticking and having issues moving. I sprayed WD40 (no silicon on me) and played some more. I finally found the problem 'child' for the lock.


Front View of troublesome pin...
TroublePin2.jpg?t=1295121268

Back view of troublesome pin....
TroublePinBack.jpg?t=1295121291

I spent some time spraying it with WD40 and working it back and forth by hand (wear a head light or have a clip light to shine back there... 10x's easier). After about 5 minutes of working it back and forth and spraying it over and over (WD40 will drip out of little hole beneath where you are working, I put paper towel in it to absorb WD40 or you can let it drip on your pants and trunk) I finally got it to work with ease.

I used the key first and bingo it locked like a champ. Hooked the Actuator back up and it also worked like a charm....

NOW that said, had I not broken off my Actuators clip by pulling it off wrong i would have tested to see if all this pin needed was some good cleaning. The good news is I have a 2001 Ex with the same problem and when I get another hour (maybe next week) I'll try just lubing that one and cleaning and seeing if the Actuator which 'doesn't' work now (nor does the key), will work after a little lube love....

Hope the pics help and perhaps someone can save $30-$60 if all your Ex needs is a little cleaning!

(in case photo's dont show.. dang photo bucket... here are links in order of photos..)
FirstView.jpg picture by Servinghim1 - Photobucket

MotorPosition.jpg picture by Servinghim1 - Photobucket

MotorPosition.jpg picture by Servinghim1 - Photobucket

TroublePin2.jpg picture by Servinghim1 - Photobucket

TroublePinBack.jpg picture by Servinghim1 - Photobucket

 

Great job, nice pics, thanks for the info, reps sent. Post's like these makes this forum what it is

 

Thanks for info ,that's next on my list but in spring.
It just started to act up.

 

Agree Serving, sittin' in the back end with the barn doors open and a headlight on is about the most satisfying fix you'll do. Hope it was warm for you today, 80° today in SoCal.

 

Heh was 44 and raining. Just backed the end into the garage and stayed dry that way.

Wish I could get to my 01 today but booked till next Sat I think.

Have a new radio, roof dvd and brakes all coming in mail. Hope to get all of those done within a few weeks

 

So I've worked through ServingHim's procedure several times with WD40, silicone, and PB Blaster. The door will lock consistently a few times (3-4), then start failing to lock. If I let it sit for a few minutes, it'll work a few more times in a row, then fail again.

Weak actuator? Something else?

Mark

 

Yes, i think so.

 

I performed the "tin foil fix", or whatever it's called, on the rear hatch actuator last night, and now it works great. Whoever came up with that idea deserves a medal.

Mark

 

Great write up and pictorial Servinghim, finally had to do the hatch actuator after replacing all the other doors at random times over the last 3 years, I guess it was just a matter of time before they all needed replacement.

My hatch just started acting up last week and had the time today to get it done! All the mechanisms were working smoothly with the key and I checked how it was working before removing it by using the remote while sitting in the back with the hatch down and the barn doors open before I took it out and after, the actuator lost its "oomph" to move any more.

And wearing a headlight would have been a tremendous help, I did have a small LED flashlight the size of my thumb which helped, but illuminating the area where your looking without having to move the light around in the hatch would have been better.

I did buy new actuators instead of the "foil fix' on all five doors with the AutoZone lifetime actuators, just have to save the receipts and see what happens.

 

First thanks for the great pics, really helped me understand what was going on. I busted up the old one getting it out so ordered a new OEM one. The new one was smaller than the older one and the throw on the actuating lever doesn't seem to be long enough to move the lock mechanism. Tried everything but no luck. Double checked part number and it should be the right one. Ended up taking the actuator out and just using the key to lock/unlock. Don't know if the new actuator is the problem or the lock assembly is just so worn out that it is binding up when the actuator tries to move it. PB blasted the heck out of everything and nothing seems to be binding when operating with the key. Anybody else have a problem with the new actuators?

 

After using pb blaster, what's a good lube for this?

I

 

Yea, I was going to do more but they took the wind out out my sails.

 

Nice job on the pics, Reps sent...

 

I slathered it white lithium grease.

 

I had to keep spraying ours for a couple weeks before it worked reliably. I need to remember to spray it with white grease now.