It wont save much trouble if you find the part your need. Replacing the cap that contains the brushes is not too bad. Just be patient and you'll be fine. Eventually your other door locks will die. When you add up the total cost, DIY seems to be the way to go. Then again, your door lock actuator is currently dead...if you can't fix it, buy a new one anyways but at least try. You'll be glad that you did.

 

on ebay...item number 170351624292

so is that what we need for the GS?? is that the direct drop in replacement motor???

any mod need to be done on that motor???

 

Someone forgot to put the latch/wire back on properly. Remove the door and check - should be very easy to remove door.

 

Well my drivers door went out last week. So what I did is order a new actuator from Sewell ($200) and the motor from ebay ($15). I will replace the whole actuator, since its the drivers door and I wanna fix it fast, but I will keep the old actuator so I can figure out exactly how it works, so if anymore actuators go bad, I'll just replace the motor.

 

Did that already. It appears to be secured properly on the door handle but I think the issue is on the other end of the cable. It's been hot & humid lately so I haven't looked at it recently.

 

I just did this replacement and it took me around 40 minutes total from start to finish. Very easy job, and about 10 steps of this tutorial can be skipped, you dont have to remove the mirror, or the glass, or the speaker, and anything that has anything to do with any of these items. Just pop the door panel off, unbolt 3 bolts that are holding the handle, unbolt one bolt that holds the bottom of the window track, unscrew the four T30 screws, and take the actuator out. Very very easy.

To the guy that said he couldnt get the T30 bolt on the inside of the door out - yeah that one was properly stuck. I was however easily able to take it out by grabbing it with a big visegrip.

 

Oh yeah, one more thing. I didnt replace just the motor, I replaced the whole unit, and as an additional benefit, the door regained that solid "thud" sound when the door closes. Night and day difference, now I wanna do the passenger side just for the sound

 

Och can you go into a little more detail about how you did it, like step by step. If you found a way to do it that is simpler then what I have been reading and everything worked out I would prefer to do it your way because it sounds like a nightmare from reading other peoples steps.

I still would like to try to fix the actuator motor myself instead of ordering a new whole actuator unit but unfortunately it seems fixing the motor does not work out all that great from what I have been reading and they don't last long after working on it and putting the new motor in.

 

if the motors are installed properly, then it will last just as long, if not longer than the stock motor. Most problems are due to installation errors, not the motor themselves. I have at least 1000 locks/unlocks so far and it's still holding up fine. In fact, I've done at least 10 GS and every one of them is still going strong.

 

It is very simple, really. Follow this DIY to remove the plastic door cover panel and disconnect all the switched, then skip everything that has to do with the window. After you've removed the plastic panel, just remove the plastic film on the inside (unglue it carefully without ripping it. Then remove the four T30 bolts, remove the three bolts that hold the handle, and remove 1 bolt that holds the bottom of the window track. Thats it, now you can just pull the handles, disconnect the cables, remove the old actuator, and put the new one in.

Just make sure you do the procedure with the window all the way up. When you open the door panel, you'll see how simple it is.

As far as replacing just the motor, I wouldn't. Cutting up the plastic case, gluing it back together, etc is just ghetto. Its a Lexus afterall, not a Huidai. And like I said, you also regain that solid "thud" door closing sound, so that alone is worth it.

 

Thanks for going into a little more detail, I will be attempting this soon.

I know cutting up the case and gluing it back together is ghetto but unfortunately it seems like the best way to save a bunch of money for this known design defect. My passenger is dead, rear passenger is off and on, a couple times my driver side did not unlock/lock recently. Since Toyota did not know how to design a door lock actuator that would last on the 2nd Gen GS and charges way too much just for a plastic piece with a cheap motor it makes more since to spend around $20 on just the motors to try to replace a couple failed/failing actuators then spending $350-$600 on the actuators or worse using the dealer and paying $1500 just to replace a couple crappy actuators. Since they fail so much I would rather learn how to do it myself and save all the money. I would rather spend the money on a TTE lip or other mods.

 

Removing these bolts as you mentioned is the next thing I need to do. I believe these bolts are the ones holding the plastic housing which is white in color. Still, I don't believe my problem has anything to do with motors like everyone else here in the thread has mentioned. Just a cable out of place hopefully.

 

It sound like the cable is busted do you might need a new actuator, which comes with all the cables

 

You must have reversed the voltage somewhere, positive with negative and so two motors spin forward and two spin backwars.

 

Has any one tried to get a list together to show which motors go in which model / year lexus and whitch tip should be used. I have herd of FC 280PT-22125, FC 280PC-22125 and a FC 280SC-20150 ... for tips there is a Brass tip 4mm Round with 3mm flat, a long black 4mm with 3mm flat and a star tip. If this list exist could some one point me to it?
I am thinking this might have something to do with the reverse rotation.