2003 Honda CR-V driver's door actuator replacement

[rloeser67]

Honda dealer just quoted me just under $900 to replace 3 actuators. Think I'll try it myself...

[BboyGrimm]

Can you do a video about the passenger window not opening?

[ajchien]

@poo. It might depends on where our car was made. Honda uses 2 types of actuators ont eh CRV . One is like mine. The other type can be seen at YouTube user fishycomics page. We both have CRVs, but mine is England made and his is Japan made. I haven't changed an actuator on the element yet. 

[poohwet17]

Is it going to be the same on honda element 2003?

[vidhuj]

Good video. I just ordered a driver side actuator for my 03 CRV. Looking forward to changing the part following your video.

[ajchien]

@mikeZ91: I don't know for sure. I've seen a few differen Honda actuators, and I've seen 2 types. The other type you can see if you search for youtube user fishycomics and his actuator replacement.

[MichaelZ1991]

will this concept work on a honda accord 2000 lx?

[PRSCheVelle]

good video man,, but wouldnt it have been smart to test before replacing weather plastic and door panel,,,,would have sucked to take all that back apart if it didnt !!

[sentient001]

Please helpi, I know the Actuator is the Same on a 97-01 cr-v as it is on a 97+ prelude. Would the door latch assembly be the same as well? I am in the middle of a repair and cant find a prelude door latch so I was wondering if a crv would work. Thanks anyone!!!

[Dctow2003]

Thanks for the Video! My 2 right side actuators died a couple of years ago. I had an extra white plastic piece covering the actuator. Once removed it made the install much easier. To the guy who rec. RockAuto, thanks! The actuator was cheap there. The piece wasn't Exactly the same as Factory but It fit well enough under the above mentioned plastic piece. 3-4 hours to replace 2 actuators. Garage quote to replace just one actuator $250; My cost: about $60 for 2 actuators. Thanks Again!

[clkx4]

Thanks for sharing. I was able to replace my CR-V's bad actuator, save cash, and spend some time with my son. Thanks especially for pointing out the trickiness of the window track. I paid close attention when taking it out and was able to reattach it easily.

[sabb32]

Thanks for posting this. Seen it some time back but was unable to source the part for the drivers door, Finally got it today and thanks to your video the change over went smoothly.

[abanyai123]

I'm shopping for parts for my GF's CRV, both actuators on the right side. There seem to be two available... the white one like you have, and a black one that's a totally different shape.  Is that the Japan / England issue? Do I need to pull the doors apart and look first?

[ajchien]

@abanyai123 Totally. The England one is mine and white. The japan one is black. Make sure you double check the part with your VIN number to make sure you have the right part. Even the dealerships don't know there are 2 different parts.

[jdam33]

@ajchien Finished installed on my 05 CRV, took less than 1 hour. Seem like white one is England and black is Japan. I check the vin # then looked it up on 2 sites to confirm. Here is the link, (1) is Japan, (2) is England, cost $46 shipped to Florida.

[abanyai123]

@ajchien I ordered two white ones. The VIN begins with "S" which is England. Thanks for the video, doesn't look too hard. BTW.... cheapest place to get parts is rockauto dot com. $23 each.

[ajchien]

@abanyai123 Thats a nice price!

[abanyai123]

@ajchien Got them installed, working perfectly, girlfriend happy. Catalytic Converter is next on the list.

[jdam33]

@abanyai123

Finished installed on my 05 CRV, took less than 1 hour. Seem like white one is England and black is Japan. I check the vin # then looked it up on 2 sites to confirm. Here is the link, (1) is Japan, (2) is England, cost $46 shipped to Florida

hondaautomotiveparts

[jdam33]

@abanyai123 Finished installed on my 05 CRV, took less than 1 hour. Seem like white one is England and black is Japan. I check the vin # then looked it up on 2 sites to confirm. Here is the link, (1) is Japan, (2) is England, cost $46 shipped to Florida

hondaautomotiveparts

[Nu13th]

Thanks for the great video. How much time did the installation take?

[ajchien]

@Nu13th First time, about an hour and half with filming. My passenger side also went out about 3 months later. That took me about 20 minutes.

[Nu13th]

@ajchien That's fast. I just got an estimate for $375 from my Honda dealer to replace the driver's side door actuator on my 2003 accord. I thought that was way high so I said no even though I had to pay them $85 dollars to get that estimate.

Anyway, thanks again for the vid. I'm going to do it myself. Thank you

[ajchien]

@Nu13th (again) Do yourself a favor and go to hondasuv.com and read up on the actuator replacement there. Lots of good info that may assist you. Remember there are two types of generation 2 CRVs.Japan and England made. Mine is the England made one. The Japan made one is different, and another youtuber 'fishycomics' has made a video on the japan made actuator replacement. If you're doing it for the first time, I would allocate a weekend half day just in case.

[casperontheweb]

At 4:12 of the video, the black plastic part that you removed...is that connected to anything? I just replaced my actuator, and the door lock now works...but I cannot open the door from the inside. I have to open the window and open the door using the outside handle.

[ajchien]

@casperontheweb i dont think that black thing is anything more than a guide/ cover. When i did this, i wasnt paying that much attention to the whole lock system. I think that your inside door handle is connected to the lock/actuator by a metal bar which may have been disconnected in your case. There are a few metal bars - they connect the outside door latch, the inside latch, and the inside door lock to the system.

[VoxLesPaul]

Just watched video again to replace the passenger door actuator. THANKS AGAIN.

Tools/Tips: small mirror for seeing screws out of direct view, worklight in door, needle-nose pliers for picking up fallen screws in crevice of door. Note orientation of white parts by writing on part with Sharpie.

The small machine screws inside the door are VERY tight; apply strong pressure to screwdriver with correct bit when removing or you may ruin screw.

[galokar]

this is a amazing video...hope in the future show better close ups...thanks

[gregsu168]

Have you ever seen where the door switch on driver's side does not work, but the keyless fob works to open ALL doors? The alarm does not honk either, but all doors lock/unlock with keyfob, but not the door switch

[ajchien]

@gregsu168 that does not sound like an actuator problem to me. sounds like you have some troubleshooting to do. a fuse blown? wire disconnected?

[VoxLesPaul]

Thank you for making this video. I was hoping that the issue of misbehaving actuator would be resolved by spraying silicone lubricant into the part, but your video was helpful in showing that the part was sealed.

I have to tell you, however, I was a little concerned that your video shows you re-assembling the door without testing the newly-installed part. Not every part that rolls off the assembly line is tested at the factory, and sometimes a defective part escapes detection.

[ajchien]

@VoxLesPaul I agree. If it didnt work, Id take apart the door again.

[joeyz2k]

hey great videos.. my friend has a 2004 crv just like urs. when u press unlock on the key fob every door opens except for the driver door so i figured it has to be the actuator as well.. is that what happened to ur crv?? thanks you!! keep up the great videos.

[ajchien]

@joeyz2k My symptoms were a little different. Since my driver's side door lock never opened, the rest of the doors wouldnt open either. after manually unlocking the drivers door, then i could use the keyfob to open the rest of them.

[shawngixxer]

Hey Ajchien, just finished the right rear actuator in my 03 crv, it went great. Just wanted to give you a Super Thanks for your video. If it wasnt for your video, I would not have had the confidence that I needed. You save me a ton of money and I got to learn about my car. THANKS MAN

[eugenedc59]

Nice video! With only one-handed access, how do you hold the actuator and start the screws at the same time? Does the rod that attaches to the green tab hold the actuator in place and properly aligns the screw holes?

[ajchien]

@eugenedc59 The green tab, holds the actuator sort of in place, within a few mm. I used a magnetic tip screwdriver which helped a lot.

[joelin66]

That is a well done video door actuator replacement project thank you for you tutorial that was excellent

[fishycomics]

I enjoyed watching thisvideo, andwas very informitive. we are not pro's and to be careful when pulling the triangular parts that are black they will break its a 50% chance. using retainer clip tools will help keep the palastic in the door panal better

5-stars

[galokar]

hello..it was awesome!! i was wondering if you have a video showing door lock removal fron 2002 honda crv? thanks

[fishycomics]

there are no differences of a 2002 or 2003. I will be doing mine in some short time

[galokar]

i guess the actuator from the passenger back door arent the same....because i see trought the door and didnt recognized..thanks anyway.

[fishycomics]

each door differs, each year differs, that is why there may be different parts numbers. if they were the same. then we would see thesame price on all four. but a 2002. anda 2003 are n o differ.

[ajchien]

i got my replacement actuator at a dealership parts counter, they required my VIN# to get the correct actuator.

[fishycomics]

they do that today. its is the system, if you do not have it you can hold your groud and gett hepart but to have a correct one isbetter then n ot right?

[fishycomics]

at 2 min 20 plus gloves are to be worn on the cancer causing agent. otherwise excellent video i do not have to dem o this LOL

[ajchien]

Thanks Roadster. Comments from you are always appreciated.

[ajchien]

Symptoms of a door actuator failure is that the locks won't open or lock with the key fob, or the use of the driver's door switch. However, if you manually pull the lock tab up or use a manual key, it should still open.

From what i understand, all 4 doors are pretty similar in the process of replacement, except that the part number is different and the rear doors are smaller and have less room to work in.

[shawngixxer]

Hey ajchien, Thanks for this video. I have the same crv as you and year. My power lock stop working on the rear passenger side, have you had this problem? Thanks ~Shawn~