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I removed the middle panel on the door and have the door lock actuator loose, but I can't disconnect the actuator from the handle. Any tips on how to do that? I've been stuck for a while now. Thanks!
Nevermind, I just got it off. I disconnected the actuator's screws and pulled it out without taking the part that attaches to the handle with it. Hope that helps someone in the future.
EDIT: You have to remove the whole assembly, not just the actuator, to get it back in correctly. Check out youtube for lexus door handle removal videos. These are the two that helped me.
Once you get the handle out, everything will drop down inside the door and you can replace the actuator. Be really careful not to drop things inside the door or else you might end up jacking the car up on the other side and shaking the door with a magnet to get it out.
In response, I've been struggling with removing the actuator. It won't simply "drop down" to be removed. You must remove the glass from the door. I will try to post a pic for removal.
BTW, I actually took apart the motor inside the actuator assembly and fixed it! I have instructions if anybody wants them...
In response, I've been struggling with removing the actuator. It won't simply "drop down" to be removed. You must remove the glass from the door. I will try to post a pic for removal.
BTW, I actually took apart the motor inside the actuator assembly and fixed it! I have instructions if anybody wants them...
Are you talking about the motor for the lock/unlock?
Yes, the motor inside the black box for the lock/unlock. I got it all done. The door panels go back on this AM. What a job. Removing the window is not a walk in the park either. The entire project ended up costing about $0.15 in electrical cleaner and epoxy, so I guess it was worth it. Lock/unlock works strong now.
No, sorry. I will write up a detailed description of the steps that should help anyone through it. I ended up doing the job twice because I used the wrong glue on the black box etc. etc. so now I feel like I could do it in about 4 hours next time. I'll try to get to it tomorrow. If you have any specific questions, let me know.
Yes, the motor inside the black box for the lock/unlock. I got it all done. The door panels go back on this AM. What a job. Removing the window is not a walk in the park either. The entire project ended up costing about $0.15 in electrical cleaner and epoxy, so I guess it was worth it. Lock/unlock works strong now.
You Do not have to remove the windows to do this. I did this about 6 months ago when I first got this car. Once you get the door off you can remove the black box after taking off the door handle
From Cyphear: You have to remove the whole assembly, not just the actuator, to get it back in correctly.
From Black31385: You Do not have to remove the windows to do this. I did this about 6 months ago when I first got this car. Once you get the door off you can remove the black box after taking off the door handle
So far, I'd have to agree with Cyphear. In one of my 2 tries, I got the black box (bb) out without removing the whole assembly. I don't recommend that method as the black box is difficult to screw back in--only 2 of the 3 screws are accessible that way, the third is a slide-out slot that does allow the bb to be removed with access to 2 of the screws. UNLESS, you found a way to remove the whole assembly (minus the door handle) without taking out the window. If so, very cool. I was not able to remove the linkage from the door handle while the whole mess was in the door-don't know why, the linkage wouldn't pop out of the nylon piece on the door handle even when the "shaft keeper" (or whatever it's called) was unsnapped from the shaft.
At any rate, I'll leave that for now and post further on my motor fix below.
Lots of discussion on this, and it seems as if the locking actuator on all of our Lexi are prone to problems. Plenty of discussion as well on the best way to remove the actuator motor that is enclosed in a black box as part of the locking/door latch/handle mechanism. I'll leave that discussion for further explanation by Cyphear, Black31385 and others. I'll assume the black box is in-hand.
My symptoms were that the lock (passenger door, 2004 SC430) was making noise as if it were trying to open, but just didn't have enough guts to do the job. No problem locking and unlocking by hand.
If you are going to try this, make sure that all of the parts and pieces in the black box (bb) are in good shape, gears, contacts, etc. You don't want to redo this soon! Also, why repair a motor that only costs $15? I did it because I could. I have confidence that the motor is high quality and that failure would be only marginally more likely than in a new motor. Also, I've read some people got a motor with a shaft that has not got a flat spot on the shat as ours does (also motors with fatter shafts were received). BTW, the new bb reportedly runs about $200, so that would be your option if you don't have confidence prying open the sealed bb. Also, when you start into this project, you won't know exactly why the actuator has failed. It could be bad contacts in the bb, stripped gears from a binding mechanism etc. etc. I didn't want to wait for parts, so I dug in. Onward...
Prelims...I used a 12v power supply to check out the motor and bb. You could easily use a 12v battery but be careful, a car battery can be dangerous if shorted. My power supply could be shorted without danger. Polarity doesn't matter, the motor is meant to run in both directions. The pictures are not mine, I've borrowed them from other sources and annotated where needed. I'd sure take my own next time!
So, step-by-step...
Pry open the bb carefully. Mine cracked open on the seems without destroying any plastic.
Inside you'll find something that looks like the first picture below. Check out all of the parts. If there are stripped gears or broken contacts, that is probably a sign that you need to order the entire black box. At this point you should clean up and check the electrical contacts in the bb. These send feedback to the computer to let it know that the door is locked or unlocked. Failure of these could result in your car trying to lock itself over and over again. I suspect this is one of the causes of the phantom battery drain in our cars.
Pull the motor out-it plugs in to 2 contacts-and slide the worm gear off the shaft.
Now try the motor with 12v applied directly to the contacts-use some small wires to touch the contacts. The motor should run strongly and smoothly in both directions (reverse the leads). Mine advanced in jerky jumps. If your motor doesn't run fast and smooth AND you're up for it, read on.
To open your motor you will need to bend out 2 metal tabs from the plastic top. One of the tabs is shown in the picture below.
Lift off the white plastic cover carefully. The brushes will stay with the cover leaving the rotor behind.
At this point you might want to spray out the plastic end with electrical cleaner. You can use alcohol in a pinch. I would NOT use silicon, WD40 or anything that leaves a residue.
Remove the rotor (the part that spins). You can see a small motor rotor in the picture below. THIS IS NOT the actual motor but gives you an idea. The motor has magnets and the rotor will try to stick in there. Also, the brushes in the motor shown below are NOT like the brushes in the motor you will see. Our brushes are made of carbon and have some thickness to them.
Spray off the black powder with the contact cleaner. It will surely be everywhere due to wear and tear.
Examine the entire motor. If the bearings look good, the brushes are not worn too much and there is no apparent damage, procede. My motor looked good. This is a high quality motor and I wouldn't expect any damage other than brushes or split ring. The brushes on mine were worn about 20%. I have about 65k miles on my car, so the brushes should last a long time.
There is a split ring on the rotor. On my motor, the groves in the 3-part split ring had filled with old dust and copper and carbon. This had created a path for current between the split rings causing much reduced torque and speed. I carefully scraped the groves out with an exacto knife and washed it well with contact cleaner. An example of split ring grooves are shown in the picture below (NOT our motor). There should be nothing left in the groves when you're done.
Replace the plastic cover/brushes CAREFULLY. you will have to move the brushes away from the shaft as the top goes on. A third hand might be helpful here.
Tap the metal tabs back in place and test the motor. Mine flew like a champ in both directions.
Reassemble the motor/black box using a suitable glue. I used epoxy.
Well, there you go. If you have any Q's, let me know. Again, I'm not gonna guarantee this fix will last as long as a new motor, but I was confident enough to trust it. I promise to let you know if it fails.
I hope this is the correct motor for the SC430, I ordered part number Mabuchi Nichibo FC280PC-22125 with a flat shaft or D shaft, it has a notch and standard size. I also ordered the chrome Walkera Gear puller.
The motors were $6.25ea and the puller was $12.20. Ordered on eBay.
Sure enough, I checked the door locks this morning and the actuator is working just fine. The car had been out in the sun most of the day yesterday when the actuator stopped working. The actuator is showing all of the symptoms and it is on its way out.
the door lock/unlock actuator motor... I just finished changing the drivers door motor. Not too difficult...will post pics later.
tried it out and the new motor is very strong!
the gear puller was not required because the worm gear slide right off.
level of difficulty was a 6 of 10. Why because it was a little tricky to remove the door latch/lock assembly.
others complained about the rod held on by a yellow clip. The clip was easy to move but the rod had a notch and you have to give it a tug for it to come loose. I was afraid I would break something, not the case.
the last thing, I pried the actuator case open with a small blade screw driver then went larger until it opened. It seemed like it would snap back together and stay that way until I plugged it in and tested it. The case opened so I removed it and used JB Weld epoxy three or four edges of the case. I am sure I will never open it again, so no worries.
09-29-13, 06:29 PM
SC430 Door Lock Actuator Removal
