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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
Thanks. In this video, we're going to show you how to replace a door lock actuator on this 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo. We show you on the driver's side, but the passenger's side is the same procedure. The items you'll need for this include a new door lock actuator from 1AAuto.com, a flat blade screwdriver, a Phillips screwdriver, T10, T25 and T30 Torx bits or drivers, a putty knife, a 10mm socket, and a ratchet with an extension.
Your door panel is held on with four screws. There's a Phillips screw here and a Phillips screw up here. Then down here, onto the pole handle, there are two T25 Torx screws. We'll just fast forward as Mike removes those. Pry out, behind this panel, the flat blade screwdriver, and then slide the panel forward and over the door handle. Then pry out on both sides of your door lock switch while pulling up on it. It should pull free.
There's an indent right here that you want to slide your putty knife into, and then just pry out on the clip. Then reach back behind the door panel and feel for the clips, and just pull out sharply to release the clips. Once you've release them all the way around, just lift the door panel up and then pull it back. Push the tab on this harness and pull it free. Do the same thing for this harness. Your door panel is free. Push on the tab on this harness and disconnect it. Unclip the harness from the door and pull it aside.
Carefully, without damaging the water shield, you want to just peel it back. Pry out on this clip, and then pry out on the adhesive on either side of this foam block. You want to make sure that you keep the adhesive to the block so you can stick it back into place later. If any of it peels off, make sure you push it back into place.
You'll need to remove your window, which is not too difficult. You can re-hook up your switch and position it so you can get to these two screws that hold the window to the regulator. They're 10mm bolts, and then remove those two 10mm bolts. Now, lift your window up and out. You need to remove the exterior door handle, so pry out this cover, and then you can see that there's two 10mm bolts in behind that hold the door handle on, so remove those bolts. You can see one there and then one right through there, so you need a socket and ratchet with an extension. It's the easiest way to get to those.
Now, inside the door, there's a yellow clip. Reach in there, pull it back, and unclip it. Then remove that rod. Then, to get your door handle out, you want to push from the inside and pull from the outside, and then you're going to pull the front of the handle out, down, and out first. Then twist it to get the back of the handle out, and then release the rod. Now, remove the bolt at the bottom of the door that holds the window channel. Remove the top weather strip from the top of the door, reach inside and grab your window channel, and pull it down and out. Pull the shield from your inside door handle, and there's two clips or one clip on each that hold these rods in. Just reach in and unclip them, and the top one pulls down and out, and the bottom one pulls up and out, and then unclip them from the door clip as well.
Now, three T30 screws hold the latch in. Remove those. Now pull the door lock actuator out, lift up on these tabs, and disconnect the two harnesses. Now, remove these two T10 Torx screws, and pull your door lock actuator free.
On the left is the old door lock actuator; on the right is the new one from 1A Auto. You can see they're identical and they'll fit exactly the same. Push your door lock actuator back into place and replace those two T10 screws. Reconnect the two harnesses. Just feed the actuator back into place. Once you have that lined up, replace those three T30 screws and tighten them up. Now re-clip your lock rod and your door handle rod back into place. Re-clip them back into these clips and push those clips closed. Now, you want this tab to go up into this slot, so just feed this strip up, in, and up, and it will clip on. Then just replace the 10mm bolt at the bottom.
Test it out real quick and make sure that it works and you can see that it does. You got to make sure this goes in between the track and the door lock actuator. Get the rod down in. We'll speed it up here as we just feed those two 10mm bolts, you can put them up in there by hand first and then tighten them up for the exterior door handle. Then replace that cover. Then take your exterior door handle rod and re-clip it into this yellow clip. Push the clip closed. Put the front of the window in first, and make sure that the front goes into the channel, and then start lowering the back down. You have to lower it down until the top clears the top of the frame, and then make sure you push it in and rotate it back so that it gets into the weather strip all correctly. Then once you have it in, you can let it go up and down, make sure it's nice and free, and then let it go down to the regulator.
There's two little clips here, just make sure that they're on this side of the regulator bracket, and just put your bolts in. Feed the foam block back into place and re-clip the top of it. We'll just fast forward as Mike replaces the cover around the handle and the water shield. Push your weather strip back into place. Reconnect this harness and re-clip it to the door. To reconnect your door panel, just start off by reconnecting these two harnesses. Just put this switch through here, and then line up these slots with these four tabs. Just lift the door panel up, and push those slots onto the tabs. Then just make sure the clips are wind up, and hit them into place around the sides of the door panel. Push your door lock switch back into this panel. Slide the panel over your interior door handle and slide it back into place. Then just replace those four screws, and you're all set.
We hope this video helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.