salimshah

The bigger picture is that you will drive in a pin with the leverage from the screw threads of the puller. You use the slotted piece to slip over the shaft of the motor [between the nylon gear and the motor.

.. (ignore these ,,, put in there so the bit chomper in post does not reformat text)
P pin ... you may have to start with the short pin and replace it with longer ones as the shaft is pushed in
G gear
| and - are puller body
s shaft
M motor
x slotted plate

-------- <= handle to twist the puller
...|
...|
------
|..P..|
|..P..|
|..G..|
|..G..|
|..G..|
|..s..|
|xxxx|
_.s.__ <= bottom of the puller
...s...
...s...
MMMM
MMMM
MMMM
MMMM


bottom of the puller is the open end of the inverted U


Salim

salimshah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZV4xB0806M

you can see how the puller is being used.

Salim

SethP

Ok guys, great news, and bad news....

Good news is, I actually replaced the actuator, reinstalled everything and was looking good...

The bad news is, it seems I screwed up my window track in the process.

When I roll my window down it struggles really bad, and even pulled some of the sill down. The track beside the lock is definitely not right. Looks like I'll have to take it apart and try again.

Have you guys experienced this in your efforts?

2002RX300

Thanks Salim, that video is actually the first thing that inspired me to change out the actuator motor to start with. Although, I don't recommend the brick to hammer back down the gear, lol. Large set of channel locks works much better.

SethP, that felt lined window track should just slide up and down. The weight of the metal window retractor after being unscrewed from the door panel probably just pulled down the felt window track. Should be easy to slide the felt track back up into position.

salimshah

Just to set the record right, I have not replaced the lock motor on my RX. My first attempt to mess with the actuator was on SC400 (no known motor replacement .. although the mechanism is similar, but access is much worse ... or it was my first time .) Ever since that I have recommended the piggy back solution. I still think that is the way to go.

The next attempt was on GS4 and that was a success ... almost had an accident as I left the battery connected and the side window started to roll down .. lucky no component got bent/broken and the air bag did not deploy.

One of my best investments has been a work bench and a good size vise mounted on it. I was too tired of trying to hold things between my knees and feet or waiting for help.

If people can get a bench vise, it makes pressing things a breeze.

Salim

salimshah

In SC the track has a hold-down bolt. In GS there is slide lock-in-position mechanism (you can see it in the video). I am not sure how the track is secured in RX. You may like to loosen the hold down and move/adjust the outer (the thing that holds the felt) a bit further out to create more room for the glass.

Salim

SethP

There is a bolt in the bottom of the door which holds the track in place. Unfortunately the track can go a few different ways and be bolted to the bottom. Will be taking the door back off tonight and will hopefully see what I'm missing

Lexmex

On the felt are along the window, you may want to spray some lithium grease in there. When I recently replaced the motor in my window not too long ago, this helped it slide up and down.

zipperback

Wanted to add the following as I just followed this tutorial to replace the DC motor in the door lock assembly on the driver's side door of my wife's 2000 Lexus RX300. I'm sure this thread is being used quite often. It sure saved my bacon and a considerable amount of money!

Like others, I had issues with the metal actuator rod lock clips. I was worried that I'd break one of the plastic clips due to the advanced age of the plastic and the fact that they are hard to see, reach, and manipulate. I went back to the pictures to see the ends of the metal actuator rods and used a bright flashlight to better see how they attached to the plastic clips. I got lucky and the plastic didn't break.

I also had issues trying to remove the pinion gear from the old DC Motor. Thought I could get by using the drill bit trick and tapping the motor staft out of the pinion gear. It didn't work for me. Ending up getting the pinion gear off by placing the old DC motor in the bench vice and using a claw hammer - prying first on one side of the gear and then the other - to get the pinion gear off. Also discovered that it is difficult to get the pinion gear on the new motor shaft to the same place on the shaft as the old location when using channel locks to slip it down the shaft. It ended up closer to the motor than the old location but that didn't seem to affect its operation as long as there is not any binding taking place.

A great tutorial and fix - Thanks!

dnelli

I also needed to repair my drivers side rear door actuator. Note the following differences:

1.) The wooden window switch panel will pop straight up unlike the front door wooden panel. Just pry upwards towards the front and rear of the panel. There is a screw under this wooden panel.
2.) There is a hidden screw under a piece of plastic that forms with the inner handle/armrest that needs to be popped out to get to the screw.
3.) After replacing the mini motor as described in the previous thread steps, [B]ENSURE that the saddle of the door handle engages with the pin that opens the door on th eactuator/lock mechanism. I did not initially do this and almost ***** in my pants. Luckly, I closed the door with the inner door panel off. So I was able to look inside with a mirror to figure out how to open it.

THANKS TO ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS POST IT WAS AWESOME !

2002RX300

Just did my passenger side door last week with my spare motor. It only took me 45 minutes total. Longest time spent on the actuator casing going around with a razor blade. Works like new. Considering purchasing more motors for both back doors now, which will inevitably go bad as well.

Jonnybob

A HUGE thanks to the OP.

Just picked up a 2001 for Mrs. Jonnybob which is in very nice condition with the exception of the automatic door lock. The part is $150 on ebay but thanks to 2002RX300 it was $5 and an extra 15-20 minutes of time to install motor rather than a straight R&R. I used a utility knife to split the case which took only a few minutes (resealed with contact cement).

The pictures were a great help as I just sat the laptop on the driver's seat and had at it.

I have just two comments:

1) The door latch cover was more easily removed by wedging a screwdriver on the bottom of the latch pivot, not the top. The metal handle is a better fulcrum than the plastic lock mechanism.

2) I tried to test the system while the door panel, et al, was off. I could not get the motor to operate after multiple attempts. I did not have the windows switch attached for this operation which I believe was the problem. I reassembled the door (thinking I had not fixed the lock problem) and it worked great. So, if you want to pre-test make sure the window/lock switch is plugged in else you will be chasing your tail.

Other than that, this wasn't a bad job - about 1.5 hours having never worked on a Lexus before, doing multiple in/out with the mechanism, and having a 4-year-old hanging around my neck. Would probably take about 45 minutes now. The little guy was great at putting the door panel clips in.

Again, a huge thanks to the OP for the pictorial.


JBob

Monkeyman6

Thanks to everyone who has posted before me. Ya'll rock!
I just did 4 doors (not the hatch) in 5 hours. I'm happy.

I'd like to add to the informational part of this thread.

The front door wood grain panels for the window controls do come out VERY easy after you've done the first one. There is a clip towards the front that holds the panel down. This clip can be pressed once you start to pry the panel up. All the directions listed are correct BUT once you lift the panel even a 1/4" you can see a black piece of metal, that is the clip. Push it towards the back of the car and the panel will jump out.

Next when you cut the acuator apart start at the plug end where there is plenty of overhang of the glued joint. Once you get in, use a second razor or pocket screwdriver to follow your cut. This will allow the razor to cut new material more easily.

Those of you that tend to try to inprove on everything (like me) DON'T. I tried to relubricate the gear in the housing. Let me tell you this. When you hear a spronggggg! , you're in for a little bit of work to reload the gear with the spring hidden below.

This is simple enough if you just swap the motor and push the extra greese already in there around onto the wear marks. I had to wait until I took the other back door apart to see how to get this thing back together. Just lift the cover and replace the motor, don't play with the stuff in there.

On the front panels there is a screw towards the back of the handle that you use to shut the door. Just sit on the ground and look up, you'll see it. There is nothing covering it.

There is a lot of talk mentioning the cables. I did not take any cables loose or apart. I found that once the white dust sheild was removed (only 2 screws) I could turn the actuator and unhook the cables.
Thanks again to all the brave souls that tried this before me and took the time to write down their experiance.

danski50

Thanks for all the great posts. The video is especially well done. I replaced the motor on a 2000 RX300. The repair went as well as anything I have ever attempted from the Forums.

jorchang

I'm going to tackle my door locks this weekend. Can someone elaborate on Step 12? What are the cables? I guess l'l find out for sure when I start; just want to minimize any surprises....