Automatic Door Locks Going Crazy

My girlfriend's '95 Honda Accord has developed the habit of, whenever the automatic doors lock, they go crazy and keep trying to lock the car another 10 times before finally stopping. Likely culprits for this behavior?

Demons???

If it has an aftermarket alarm, that'd be my first guess.

My second guess would be a bad relay somewhere. Where, I have no idea, though.

Nope, it's not an alarm or relay. It's the drivers' door lock actuator. I had to do this on the ball and chain's '94. Sorry, I don't have any pics of my repair.

Take the actuator off (have to remove the door panel etc) it's mounted on the back of the door latch assembly. Once off take it apart, easy to do. You will see a small 'bridge' terminal and two mating terminals in the housing. That's how the actuator knows when the door is locked. You'll see that white grease everywhere, and the grease over the contacts will be stained black. That stuff conducts electricity and it drives the door lock module nuts since it can't determine whether the damn thing is locked or not.

Clean all the white grease out thoroughly (use real contact cleaner so you don't damage the plastic housing) and then clean all the contacts with fine emery paper. Clean the contacts again. Then, grease the gizzards with silicone dielectric grease and reassemble. While you are in there, you will see a metal tab with a rubber bumper on it and that bumper (shaped like a ring) will probably be split. Slide a small piece of heat shrink over it and shrink it back into place.

Then, like the Haynes manual, assembly and installation are the reverse of removal.

Or, you can buy another actuator from the Honda place for, like, $150.00.

Thanks J-man,

Suggestions on where to get silicon dialectic grease? Is this something I'd find at a hardware store, radioshack, or Frys?

I don't have a heat gun or any heat shrink for your other suggested fix. Heat shrink is cheap, but I don't feel like investing in a heat gun right now. Would a zip-tie or wrapping the offending bumper in electrical tape work?

I get dielectric grease in the big tubes from Autozone etc. The zip tie will be too big and the tape won't stay. You can do the heat shrink with a match,. the piece won't be more than about 3/8" long. The bumper has to be resilient for the thing to work (you'll see when you get it apart).

You don't have to spring for a big tube. Most parts stores have little packets of of the dielectric grease at the counter for short money. It should be more than enough for your needs.

How big, diameter-wise, a piece of heat-shrink do I need to get?

IIRC, about 5/16". I usually buy those little 'variety packs', has some of each in it.

This is all stuff I should be able to get at Autozone, right? I've never perused the electrical components section at an autoparts store.

Yeah, it's usually hanging with the bulbs and fuses. I find I can get shrinkwrap cheaper at Lowe's, it's in their electrical department as well.