PDP69

There is an easier way to do this without taking off the door handle. After hours of trying to get the back bolt out of the door handle (which I did easily after buying a stubby gearwrench) and trips to three different auto body shops, I finally bought a few different wrenches and discovered the stubby gearwrench was the easiest way. After taking it all apart I found the secret solution to getting it in and out.
You DO NOT have to remove the door handle to get the actuator and latch out.
There is a white plastic dust cover over the whole unit held on by one small screw. (I circled it in the picture.)


take this screw out and pull the cover off. Once the cover is off you can easily tilt the top of the unit toward the outside of the door and it will come down. There is nothing connecting the door handle to the latch like there is on the front doors, so the latch will come out. I get to take it out again tonight since the actuator I bought on Ebay from reach_autoparts was the wrong actuator. BEWARE, they are a Chinese company but ship it from the US. They don't stock the correct actuator for the right rear door, and said if I wanted a refund I had to send it back to China.

afterburne

I think there is a need for someone to explain the operation of the locking system. There is excellent information on individual parts, bur no one has tied them together as a system. For instants what happens when you press the button on the key or the lock switch etc. I have repaired Lincoln lock actuators which are solenoid operated but the Lexus is motor actuated and I can't visualize its operation. If you don't know how a system works it is hard to fix.
I would also like to know if there is a repair manual for the RX330 such as Haynes, Chilton.

ksersoze

I was able to disassemble my rear left door panel and remove the actuator using the very useful DIY tips on this thread. However, when I looked for a replacement door lock actuator in eBay, I was only able to find 2-pin actuators for sale. I have a 2004 GS300 and the actuator that I removed shows 4-pins (see pics below). I don't think the 2-pin actuator will fit and I am tempted to just make a trip to the dealer and fork out what they are charging for a OEM part. Has anyone come across this issue? Any help would appreciated. Thanks.

angus

iTrader: (4)

OK guys - I have posted this years and years ago but I should add it here too.

There is a WAY WAY easier way to remove the rear door actuator and I just did it twice this week (I did 2 cars)

All that is needed is once you remove all the mounting screws for the actuator -

Simply press down the metal lever on the actuator ( the lever that gets pushed by the door handle) and you can slide the actuator out.

When re-installing - you do not have to do anything because the natural action on installing it will press the lever, allowing it to go in.

EDIT: I just read the other posts about pressing the lever… Well I hope it saves others some trouble.

BTW - I have been installing the $5 ebay motors in the stock actuators and they work like Magic!

tiger4life

iTrader: (16)

I bought one of the ebay chinese actuators for the front and it woked fine. Then I bought one for the rear and had the same problem. I sent the pics and returned it to california for a refund (made them pay for return shipping also). They know that those rear actuators don't work for the 2gs and still list it. Give them a negative feedback because I returned mines a month ago maybe. I had to buy an oem actuator off ebay for the rear door. You can also look on rockauto, but theirs are close to the oem on ebay in terms of cost.

ksersoze

Thanks tiger4life. I decided to open the actuator and replace the tiny motor inside. I've ordered the motors from eBay and should arrive soon. I will post pics and result after I have reinstalled the actuator.

KeyKeeper

Ive done 6 full sets of actuators........and I agree, no need to take the door handle out. Just push the actuator lever down with a screw driver on the driver side door, and use your finger on the passenger side...well if your a righty like me.

ninja6o4

iTrader: (6)

Just curious.. the guys that replaced just the actuator inside the assembly, how did you guys break it apart/reseal it? I found that once I got it apart, I couldn't get mine back together, so I ended up just swapping the whole unit.

lexo98

iTrader: (2)

The rear door handles don't need to come off. After you have removed all 4 of the T30 torx screws holding the door latch assembly pull the cable that was connected to the inside door handle and slide the entire door latch assembly out. Just the metal cable not the black sleeve. You just need to make sure the door is unlocked and the child door lock is in the right position. You seriously can remove that whole assembly in 10-15 minutes including the door panel removal.

ttaylor993

If you are talking about opening the actuator and replacing the motor that's inside, I used a knife the first time, a Dremel the next time. You have to be careful or they'll can break. In each case I glued them back together since I didn't think I'd be going back into them anytime soon.

KeyKeeper

I use a utility knife and just slide it through and it pops apart with ease.

gregc99

Before you try this I suggest you watch these videos- even though they cover front door actuator replacement, they are still very valuable for familiarization and the creator has some good tips.

Lexus GS400/300 DIY Door Lock Actuator pt.1
Lexus GS400/300 DIY Door Lock Actuator pt.2
I was very hesitant in disassembly, and toyed with removing the outside door handle. You don't need to, there is not a direct connection between the actuator and the door handle. The entire job took me about 2 1/2 hours. Now that Ive seen the inside of the door, I'm sure I could do the second door in less than 30 minutes. This forum is awesome, my thanks to all the contributors.

jonathancl

I love these old threads.

I replaced my driver actuator years ago. Right rear is failing now, never had a reason to take the rear door apart. Thanks everyone for the write-up.

ak11

I took out the rear door actuator last week and took 2 pics. These pics are captured after the cover been removed. Blue arrow is for screws where some members telling us to remove and Red arrow is for latch that can be pressed down. Hope these pics help!

xfea

It’s friggin MAGIC!



Thanks much to EVERYONE.

To SeattleGS400 for this thread…and especially to nguyengs42 (Two YouTube vides on Front Door Actuator DIY).

My driver side – both front and back have been out for almost a year.

Bought the four motors and gear puller on eBay, followed the YouTube videos for the front – and JUST LIKE THAT..it WORKS!

Be CAREFUL and PATIENT splitting apart the motor/gear assembly. They are glued and after 14 years the nylon is brittle. I used single sided razor blades and a small hammer to carefully go around the assembly, Take it s-l-o-w.

The rear is super easy, no need to take out the outside door handle.

I spent like five minutes locking and unlocking my doors…so cooooool!



Haha