Problems with power lock in 98 Honda Civic

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:51 pm

We now have a matching pair of 98 Honda Civics. My original Silver one that I used to autocross and we now have a Blue one. They are identical (year, trim) other than color and optional factory CD player in the new vs optional factory tape player in the old. The new car is so that Tina can cut down on the amount of driving she does in the Odyssey (30 vs 20 MPG)

My problem is that in the new car the power door locks do not work. There are effectively two switches that operate this. One is in the driver door lock itself (so if you push the button down or rotate the key outside) it will lock the car. The other is the manual lock switch on the driver door.

Neither will operate the power locks. Manual operation works just fine. The fuse that operates the power locks seems to be OK. I have yet to tear into the car and look for faulty switches, wiring, etc. But before I do this I am curious if anyone else has run into a similar issue on a Honda?

Michael Westerfield · **Posted:** Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:57 pm

Never run into that before, although I've thought one of mine was broken once when it wouldn't lock when I hit the button. Then I realized I was stupid and still had the keys in the ignition.

Think maybe the ignition key switch still thinks you have the key in? Does the "you've got your keys still in the ignition" chime come on?

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:03 pm

Thats a good point, but no, I don't think it thinks the key is in the ignition. But I may play around with that just to make sure.

Haynes manual wiring diagram is pretty useless. I need to find a PDF of the factory manual. I have a PDF of the factory manual for the Odyssey and it is great to have.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:37 pm

I just found a PDF manual. I am going to look at the troubleshooting section, but if anyone else has any tips, let me know.

PhilFausz · **Posted:** Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:44 pm

Check the fuse, check for a relay (not sure if that applies here), then start looking for something central to all doors. Get an FSM, it will pay for itself. Let us know what you come up with.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 10:34 pm

Problem solved. Turned out to be a broken ground wire in the harness in the section that travels from the door to the interior of the car. Troubleshooting info from factory manual helped me zero in on ground issue quickly, but it took most of the day to track down and find the break in the wire. I pretty much disassembed the entire entire door to get the harness out of the door.

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Problems with power lock in 98 Honda Civic

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