unlocking door with key on driver side triggers alarm, pass side doesn't
05-29-14, 08:35 PM
#16
I picked up a spare lock sensor for the driver's door, in case the old one was in bad shape like described above. I decided to tackle it on my own today, as the mechanic was tied up for a few days.
It's a good thing I had the spare sensor, because when I removed my lock cylinder, there was nothing obvious wrong with the old one. The zip tie was still in place and both ears were firmly attached. I cleaned out some dirt and grime and put the replacement one on, making sure I could see the inner portion of the white plastic turn with the key in the lock. (I didn't think to check that before taking the old one off.) Once I got it put back together, everything worked as it should! What a relief to finally be able to unlock from the driver's side.
It could be that my sensor cable had a break in it somewhere, but the guys at Circuit City had tested for continuity up near the sensor itself and found it to be okay, so I don't t think that's it. It seems more likely that something in the potentiometer is capable of going bad even with the ears still attached and seemingly making contact.
Having the spare sensor (and lock cylinder) in hand, I was able to see how it is secured to the door handle. Turns out you don't have to remove the window rails or outer door handle to get to it. You just need to be really, really patient...
There are two 10mm bolts that hold the lock cylinder on. One is shown in O.L.T.'s picture and is accessible through the big opening on the inside of the door frame. The other is at the top of the assembly and is hidden in the picture. It's just to the right of the pink plastic clip that the metal rod connects to. Fortunately, there's a medium sized hole in the door frame that more or less lines up with that bolt, so you can get to it from straight on. Of course, you're working pretty much blind at that point, because you can't really get any light up on it from the side.
You'll need to undo the rod from the pink clip, then remove the attachment points down below for the sensor's cable. They're tricky to get undone... The next challenge is removing the lock cylinder. There isn't enough room to pull it out directly without disconnecting other stuff in the way. What I finally managed to do is pull it out from the opposite direction (the left side of the handle, furthest from the big opening in the door frame) and feed the cable through behind it.
The final challenge is on reassembly, the top bolt's mounting tab slides under the tab for the door handle, which in turn fastens to the door frame. I was having a heck of a time figuring out why I couldn't get the cylinder to slide straight into the hole. You have to sort of twist it into place to get everything to line up.
July '15 addition: My passenger door lock has started triggering the alarm sporadically. A) It looks like I'll have to go through the above hell again... B) I'm sure glad I already fixed the drivers side, otherwise I'd be screwed!
It's a good thing I had the spare sensor, because when I removed my lock cylinder, there was nothing obvious wrong with the old one. The zip tie was still in place and both ears were firmly attached. I cleaned out some dirt and grime and put the replacement one on, making sure I could see the inner portion of the white plastic turn with the key in the lock. (I didn't think to check that before taking the old one off.) Once I got it put back together, everything worked as it should! What a relief to finally be able to unlock from the driver's side.
It could be that my sensor cable had a break in it somewhere, but the guys at Circuit City had tested for continuity up near the sensor itself and found it to be okay, so I don't t think that's it. It seems more likely that something in the potentiometer is capable of going bad even with the ears still attached and seemingly making contact.
Having the spare sensor (and lock cylinder) in hand, I was able to see how it is secured to the door handle. Turns out you don't have to remove the window rails or outer door handle to get to it. You just need to be really, really patient...
There are two 10mm bolts that hold the lock cylinder on. One is shown in O.L.T.'s picture and is accessible through the big opening on the inside of the door frame. The other is at the top of the assembly and is hidden in the picture. It's just to the right of the pink plastic clip that the metal rod connects to. Fortunately, there's a medium sized hole in the door frame that more or less lines up with that bolt, so you can get to it from straight on. Of course, you're working pretty much blind at that point, because you can't really get any light up on it from the side.
You'll need to undo the rod from the pink clip, then remove the attachment points down below for the sensor's cable. They're tricky to get undone... The next challenge is removing the lock cylinder. There isn't enough room to pull it out directly without disconnecting other stuff in the way. What I finally managed to do is pull it out from the opposite direction (the left side of the handle, furthest from the big opening in the door frame) and feed the cable through behind it.
The final challenge is on reassembly, the top bolt's mounting tab slides under the tab for the door handle, which in turn fastens to the door frame. I was having a heck of a time figuring out why I couldn't get the cylinder to slide straight into the hole. You have to sort of twist it into place to get everything to line up.
July '15 addition: My passenger door lock has started triggering the alarm sporadically. A) It looks like I'll have to go through the above hell again... B) I'm sure glad I already fixed the drivers side, otherwise I'd be screwed!
Last edited by t2d2; 07-14-15 at 11:29 PM.
07-25-15, 10:57 PM
#17
I replaced the pass. lock sensor today. It was significantly easier, having been through the process once already. I did get rather frustrated with trying to get the third bolt back in, however, as I could only get to it with a wobble extension and that works for removal but can never get the threads to bite for reinstallation. I didn't really want to remove the window track to get at it directly...
What I finally came up with that worked great was to use a magnetic pick-up tool to get it started. The thin shaft clears the window track and the magnet holds the bolt head just enough to get it in a few turns. From there, I was able to finish it up with the wobble extension. This will also save you a bundle of trouble if replacing outer handles.
While in there, I noticed that the lock rod's plastic clip was half broken off and probably didn't have much time left before kicking the bucket. Fortunately, I had a pack of spares on hand, knowing how problematic they can be. The last thing you want is to have the inner handle break while you're waiting on replacement clips to arrive to fix a detached outer handle!
Oh, and another thing I figured out is that with the 3 bolts and actuator rod removed, the outer door handle is free to slide out. This makes it SO MUCH easier to get the lock core back in position for reassembly, being able to line it up with the bolt hole from the outside before putting the door handle back in place. Trying to do so from the inside is extremely tedious. Once the bolts are tightened back down, you can then reattach the actuator rod via the plastic clip.
What I finally came up with that worked great was to use a magnetic pick-up tool to get it started. The thin shaft clears the window track and the magnet holds the bolt head just enough to get it in a few turns. From there, I was able to finish it up with the wobble extension. This will also save you a bundle of trouble if replacing outer handles.
While in there, I noticed that the lock rod's plastic clip was half broken off and probably didn't have much time left before kicking the bucket. Fortunately, I had a pack of spares on hand, knowing how problematic they can be. The last thing you want is to have the inner handle break while you're waiting on replacement clips to arrive to fix a detached outer handle!
Oh, and another thing I figured out is that with the 3 bolts and actuator rod removed, the outer door handle is free to slide out. This makes it SO MUCH easier to get the lock core back in position for reassembly, being able to line it up with the bolt hole from the outside before putting the door handle back in place. Trying to do so from the inside is extremely tedious. Once the bolts are tightened back down, you can then reattach the actuator rod via the plastic clip.
Last edited by t2d2; 07-26-15 at 09:04 AM.
05-16-18, 12:50 PM
#19
https://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/...903-50040.html
https://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/...903-33120.html
12-12-18, 12:14 PM
#20
passing on the knowledge after having the same issue. tested my drivers side and it failed the continuity checks
here are the part numbers
LH: 8490324030
RH: 8490324010
TRUNK: 8490350040
here are the part numbers
LH: 8490324030
RH: 8490324010
TRUNK: 8490350040
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