On a recent trip back from my son's school, I came very close to becoming stranded without fuel. The pin in my fuel door lock actuator had broken leaving me unable to open the fuel door. The electronic & manual release mechanisms still functioned, but with a broken pin, the door remained locked. Luckily, I had just enough gas to get home where I researched the problem and figured out the repair.
An obvious option would have been to take it to the dealer and let them figure it out. It may have been covered by the warranty. But then again, it may not have. The repair, though tedious, wasn't particularly difficult or expensive (about $75 for parts), so I chose to do it myself.
Figuring out the problem and the repair was a pain in the ass. I'm detailing it here for any current or future victims that may want to fix it on their own (or simplify their trip to the dealership).
The repair involves two parts:
the lock actuator (required - it was busted) and the
fuel filler housing (optional).
Part 1: Remove the actuator bolts.
To begin the repair, I had to first get the fuel door open. I used a rubber wedge to open a space, then used a screwdriver to pry the door open. It broke the tip of the acuator pin off, but I didn't care - it was already broken anyway. If you have a
90-degree pick tool, you can manually press the actuator pin in, releasing the door.
To get the broken actuator out, you need to get to the two 10mm bolts that hold the actuator in place. Unfortunately, they're hidden behind the fuel filler housing. You can use a razor blade to create openings in the housing rubber over the bolt heads and simply seal up the cuts with electrical tape when you're done. See the picture of the finished job to see where to do this. If this is what you would like to do, skip forward to part 2. If you want to replace the housing, as I did, read on...
To remove the housing, start by removing the four small plastic pins that hold the inner ring of the housing around the fuel tube. I used a pair of needle-nose pliers to simply pull them out. They got mangled a bit, but I was able to reuse them without issue. Next, you will need to get a small flat-bladed screwdriver through the four points on the edge of the housing to release the four clamps that hold the housing in place. The four little dimples on the housing mark the spots you need to poke through (see pictures). I used a drill with a small bit right on the rubber dimples to create the holes for the screwdriver. Use your screwdriver to release the four brackets and then wiggle the entire fuel door & housing out.
FYI the fuel filler door snaps into the housing, but you need to remove the housing to get it out.
Once the housing is out, you can remove the two actuator bolts and unplug the wiring harness from the back of the actuator.
Part 2: Replace the actuator.
To replace the actuator, you'll need to partially remove the drivers side trunk liner to get access to the manual release wire, which is held in place by a bothersome little clamp. Do this by lifting out the floor liner panel that covers the spare tire, removing the plastic cover over the trunk latch (2 10mm bolts and two plastic grommets), then the remaining 10mm bolt and two screws that hold the floor of the driver side liner panel in place. From there, you can peel the liner out enough to expose the area you need access to. I used a bungee cord to hold it out of the way.
There is a bracket straddling the stuff you'll need to get to, but it's easy to undo the two 10mm nuts and rotate it out of the way.
Now you can remove the old actuator and its manual release wire. In my car, the manual release wire was held in place by a bothersome little plastic clamp that also encased the existing actuator harness wire. I wanted to keep the existing actuator harness wire, so I ripped the little clamp out, tore it open and threw it out. The new actuator has its own release wire and clamp already attached, so no need to save the old one. I didn't bother trying to figure out how to re-clamp the existing harness wire.
Part 3: Reassemble
Once the new actuator is attached to the existing harness and you've snapped the manual release wire clamp in place, you can go ahead and bolt the actuator into place and test it. I sprayed some silicon lube into the actuator pin to make sure it functioned a smoothly as possible.
From there, it's just a matter of reassembling the trunk liner. If you chose to replace the housing, snap the fuel door into it, snap the housing into place and stick the four small plastic pins back into the collar.
Again, researching and figuring out the problem and repair was a pain in the ass. I hope this post makes the job easier for future victims.
Actuator part for 2015 Genesis Sedan:
Amazon.com: Dorman 759-491 Fuel Filler Door Lock Actuator: Automotive
Housing:
NEW Fuel Gas Filler Door Pocket Plastic Housing OEM For 2015-2016 Genesis | eBay
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