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OK, I went through this process today and think something isn't quite right. I cannot unlock or open my door now. When I use the unlock button on the wood panel, I hear a loud buzz instead of it unlocking. Though, the door button indicates that it is in the unlocked position, but it cannot really be moved manually.
I'm done for tonight and will have to go through the passenger side to get in and out of my car, but would like to try and fix this tomorrow. The first thing I need is to get the door open again. Any idea how I can do that? Any guesses about what is going on with the lock would be greatly appreciated, too. Thanks.
When you put the actuator back inside the door panel there is a U shape metal piece that should hold the little rod from your actuator.
Since I have the SC430 (2002 and up), the motor is a not the round shaft type...it has a 1/4 chamfer shaft.
Thanks for sharing...after pressing the lock/unlock button several times, the motor weakens after every repeated press. I thought mine was the module box (black box). I'll do a search to and buy the chamfered shaft motor and update my post. This may help others too.
Update: I have ordered two with the same part number from eBay, BUT with the "flat" shaft. http://www.ebay.com/itm/121417617504
Last edited by Regent6; 08-26-14 at 10:38 AM.
Reason: add link to eBay
Since I have the SC430 (2002 and up), the motor is a not the round shaft type...it has a 1/4 chamfer shaft.
Thanks for sharing...after pressing the lock/unlock button several times, the motor weakens after every repeated press. I thought mine was the module box (black box). I'll do a search to and buy the chamfered shaft motor and update my post. This may help others too.
There is a related thread in the GS forum. You may like to search in SC430 forum. For my 95 SC400 I had to get the whole actuator as the replacement motor is not known. Shaft is only one issue, physical size direction of rotation and rpms etc need to be considered.
My update is that I was able to get the door open and found the couple of things I had messed up. First, I had not attached the outside handle to the the rod properly, accidentally attaching it above part of the plastic clip (I didn't realize that the clip had a hole in it where the rod went first.) The second mistake was that I had put the metal wire from the lock in from the wrong direction, coming over instead of under. After fixing both, I was able to get it all working, so now my keyfob works again!
There is still something not quite right, though. While I had checked before putting it back together, manually locking and unlocking feels harder than it should. And, after messing with it a bit, the door wouldn't unlock until I played with the power lock again. I'll open this up again and mess with it, but am not sure what would be causing that. Any ideas?
I just replaced the motor in the driver side front door.
Everything works with the key fob or the switches, but manual locking/unlocking is not 100% functional.
If the car is locked, I cannot unlock it with the key, and I cannot unlock it by moving the lock/unlock indicator on the door handle. (the physical indicator, not switch - switches work). If I try to move thr button, I can feel alot of resistance. The cable is obviously trying to move the lever on the actuator, but cannot. I loosened everything up to get to the actuator without disconnecting the cables, and I cannot manually switch from lock to unlock. It resists.
If the door is locked and I turn the key to lock, it will lock all the other doors. If just driver door unlocked and i turn the key to unlock, it will unlock all the other doors. So the cables and rods are working, but for some reason I have too much resistance at the locking mechanism to be able to manually switch between lock and unlock.
Any ideas what the cause could be or how to fix it??
I would suggest disassemble all the links and reassemble. Make sure the rods and cables are in their original position.(no kinks, not crossed over etc). You can test the actual actuator by applying force to the lever directly.
Remember not to put back the door paneling back on till every thing is working properly. If things go wrong and the door is closed then you will have to rip the paneling.
Hi Salim, I did check all cables and rods. Everything is routed the same as it originally was and there are no kinks or anything in the cables and the rods are clipped in position properly.
I tried to apply force directly at the lever on the actuator (at the ball/socket style connection) and it will not switch between lock/unlock. It feels like it will break if I push harder.
Not sure what would cause this, given it works when I use the powered switches. Doesn't make any sense to me.
Door panel is still off until I can figure it out. Hopefully soon because the switch panel is just dangling until then.
I followed these instructions on my 99 RX300 and replaced passenger side rear door with only a couple of minor glitches that were easy to figure out. Yesterday I replaced the passenger side motor and have created a new problem. during the process, I removed what I thought was the window frame arm bolt you mentioned - a vertical bar that was behind the actuator. When I was putting everything back together, I re-attached the bar, but there is about 5 or 6 inches of rubber moulding protruding out of the top of the door. I could not figure out where this was supposed to go, so I just left it in the "S" shape it was in at the top after I replaced the bolt at the bottom. when everything is back together, the lock actuator works fine, but the window will only go down about 3-4 inches before it jams. I'm assuming it's jamming on the piece of mystery rubber moulding that could not figure out. Can anyone tell me how this is supposed to go back together so the window will work - a photo would be really helpful. thanks.
DJB
I followed these instructions on my 99 RX300 and replaced passenger side rear door with only a couple of minor glitches that were easy to figure out. Yesterday I replaced the passenger side motor and have created a new problem. during the process, I removed what I thought was the window frame arm bolt you mentioned - a vertical bar that was behind the actuator. When I was putting everything back together, I re-attached the bar, but there is about 5 or 6 inches of rubber moulding protruding out of the top of the door. I could not figure out where this was supposed to go, so I just left it in the "S" shape it was in at the top after I replaced the bolt at the bottom. when everything is back together, the lock actuator works fine, but the window will only go down about 3-4 inches before it jams. I'm assuming it's jamming on the piece of mystery rubber moulding that could not figure out. Can anyone tell me how this is supposed to go back together so the window will work - a photo would be really helpful. thanks.
DJB
Get a mirror and some light to study what is going on.
The window track has a molding to allow the glass to slide. The only reason you have to mess with the track is to give you a bit of room to negotiate the lock actuator out of the confines of the door.
With light and mirror see if and how the molding has been dislodged. You may have to coax it in the right position. If a dent or deformity has been set in,, you should replace the piece.
You can look up the parts diagram to get a sense of location.
Unfortunately, the DIYs require some level of technical skill that can not be conveyed. Open it up and investigate is the best advice.
Since you will have it open, please post pictures. Lets put the collective wisdom of CL to come to your aid.
Thanks for your quick response. I put a light up there before I put it back together and just couldn't figure out where this rubber part was supposed to go. I found a picture of the window frame arm online and now I think I'm not dealing with the window frame arm. the photo I found shows a curved piece. the part I un-bolted was a straight piece of metal about 10-12 inches long and maybe an inch wide. there was a rubber strip fitted in the backside, looks like heavy duty weather stripping. the bottom of this piece was fastened with one bolt below the actuator. I took out the bolt and it allowed me to move the piece around while I took out and replace the actuator. the rubber extended out the top of this part, maybe 6 inches. the rubber is connected to something above the outside door handle mechanism. when I bolted this part back in, it leaves what appears to be excess rubber molding between the metal bracket and the outside door lock actuator connections. this is the piece of rubber that is now folded in an "S" shape to fit. I'm guessing it's what is stopping my window from going down, as it jams after being lowered about 4 or 5 inches. I don't think I could have worked with the actuator rods without loosening this part, so I thought it was the one mentioned in the instructions, but now I think I'm talking about a different part. I hope I've explained the problem better. I'm thinking of taking it in to an auto glass place and see if they can help. Any other ideas? thanks in advance.
I can't figure out how to post a picture, but I'm still trying.
I figured out my initial problem. the rubber had slipped out of the metal track, which gave me excess at the top. I pulled in back in place into the track with pliers and remounted the metal bracket after I made sure the rubber was smooth all the way down. It looks like the window should have no problem now, but when I put everything back together the window does nothing. I'm wondering if there is a wire up there someplace that I may have inadvertently disconnected. when you push the window buttons the passenger window makes no movement or noise at all. other windows are working fine.
12-15-14, 04:42 PM
