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That can't be as the rod is 0.75 of an inch long while the actuator housing is 0.6 of an inch thick. Also, if that part is missing then the actuator wouldn't work but he noted it is working fine without that part.
Freddie, the housing is actually 0.97" thick.
The white gear is currently being held in place by the black housing. It can be functional but it is scraping the sides of the gear onto the side housing creating friction and will slowly kill the motor and lock up. Trust me, I've rebuilt 500+ of these.
If I replace the whole actuator will I have to reprogram the the actuator to the system? For the keyless entry to still work??
QUOTE=Randy B;5800353]After much Google searching, I figured out the grinding I was experiencing sometimes, was due to having not glued the actuator housing back together. I originally simply snapped it back together and re-installed. Rather than glue it and not have access next time, I used some zip ties. Others have done this from the links I read and saw, and upon reassembly, it all fit with no issues regarding the zip ties. The first two pics show the assembly with the zip ties. This placement will not interfere with any reassembly or functionality.
Since I had taken the whole thing apart again, I figured I would really inspect the old motor and compare it to the new.
***Warning***; those of you that are not in to minutia and fine details need not to continue reading the write up. It may bore you to death, and I do not want to responsible for that.
Continuing on for those that dared. The new motor which was the Mabuchi replacement recommended on many threads is not quite the exact replacement. It is much louder and stronger on the torque than the original.
The third picture shows the end cap with the brushes of the original motor.
The original motor had a part number stamped on it "BN635624." The brushes were quite deformed, and worn out.
The fourth picture is of the new end cap from the Mabuchi replacement motor.
The armature from the original motor is slightly shorter in length than the replacement. About 3.7 mm's off. However this excess is in the end cap, not the magnet portion or commutator portion of the motor.
Based on this inspection, I cleaned up the original armature, and used the original magnet housing, and placed the new end cap from a second motor I had purchased as a spare. So essentially what I have re-installed in the car is the original motor housing w/magnets, original armature, and new end cap with new brushes.
The fifth picture shows the two armatures side by side.
After re-installation, the motor is as quiet as the original, and it functions as is should. Also by reusing the original armature, I was able to have a correct D shaft, and not a grinded one from a dremel tool.
I share this for future do it your-selfers. The write up in the beginning of this thread by the OP is quite good, and was relied upon for completing the project. So a big thanks the OP for getting me going.
Add me to the list of successful actuator replacements... It took me about 90 minutes start to finish (except that my door panel is still off as I work on the speaker replacements going on right now...
I did the shaving of the actuator shaft into the D shape and it all went back together amazingly easy (but wow that lock/latch mechanism is extremely extra engineered),,, there was a point when I did wonder if I was going to remember exactly how everything went back together but I got it all back together and everything (window, lock, latch) all worked... We have been locking unlocking with the key on this car for almost 4 years (didnt want to pay Lexus to fix)... I love a functioning remote !!!
Add me to the list of successful actuator replacements... It took me about 90 minutes start to finish (except that my door panel is still off as I work on the speaker replacements going on right now...
I did the shaving of the actuator shaft into the D shape and it all went back together amazingly easy (but wow that lock/latch mechanism is extremely extra engineered),,, there was a point when I did wonder if I was going to remember exactly how everything went back together but I got it all back together and everything (window, lock, latch) all worked... We have been locking unlocking with the key on this car for almost 4 years (didnt want to pay Lexus to fix)... I love a functioning remote !!!
Do you think you can tell me how to get the actuator out. I have a hell of a time trying to get the actuator out. It seems like its attached to a rod thats attached to the door handle. I can't figure out how to remove it though. I got the window rail (2) bolts out. 5 torx bolts + the spade lock out. I just don't know where to go from here.
It does have a rod to the handle,,, there is one of those rod clips (like most cars have for their locks/handles) that you reach your fingers up there where it attaches to the handle and pivot the plastic piece up (I think the clip is green plastic) and then pull the rod out of the clip,,, the clip will stay with the handle...
sorry no pics... but a good small flashlight up in there is super helpful so you can see what ur doing... Good luck...
It does have a rod to the handle,,, there is one of those rod clips (like most cars have for their locks/handles) that you reach your fingers up there where it attaches to the handle and pivot the plastic piece up (I think the clip is green plastic) and then pull the rod out of the clip,,, the clip will stay with the handle...
sorry no pics... but a good small flashlight up in there is super helpful so you can see what ur doing... Good luck...
Oh, I never opened a door before. I ended up taking the entire handle assembly out. Probably the wrong move but its seemed to work so far. Now I'm having the problem where one of the bolts/nuts for the motor housing is completely inaccessible to remove that bolt. This is a easy close lexus.
Fixed it. I'm a idiot and didn't realize that theres a plastic cover that is removable.
Hi JPV, I received your unit last night. Here is a brief explanation of what I found.
When you lock or unlock your door the motor spins in the corresponding direction turning the large white gear. After this movement, power to the motor is cut and a spring located under the white gear returns the unit back to the "neutral position". Once in the neutral position you can manually lock or unlock the unit by hand. If however the spring fails to return the white gear into the neutral position your door will stay locked or unlock - using a key or manual switch will just bind up.
So this brings us to JPV's unit. His failure is quite common in LS430 models. The spring located under the white gear is attached to the bottom housing. There is a small tab that comes up from the bottom. It is only 1/2" long, 1/4" tall, and less than 1/10" thick. Because it is so thin this part has a tendency to break off. The spring now has no attach point and is unable to return the gear to it's neutral position. Photo's below
There is a simple test I perform on every unit during my rebuilds. With the motor removed take some needle nose pliers and rotate the white gear. If it snaps back into the original position you are good to go.
Regards,
Lenny
After taking apart the door 4 times and hours of trial and error, I found the culprit for the grinding noise when unlocking my door. Thanks for the explanation Lenny! One question, how would you recommend fixing this broken piece? I tried some epoxy but don't know how long it will last since the piece is so thin.
After taking apart the door 4 times and hours of trial and error, I found the culprit for the grinding noise when unlocking my door. Thanks for the explanation Lenny! One question, how would you recommend fixing this broken piece? I tried some epoxy but don't know how long it will last since the piece is so thin.
Sadly I have no fix that I can confidently sell to my customers. I consider this type of failure a loss and use the unit as spare parts.
Finished up repairing my drivers door lock mechanism this morning. Should have been yesterday but some dumbarse around here forgot to plug in the electrical connector going to the actuator before putting everything back together.
I used the Nichobo brand motor from the user zinky86 over on eBay (also known as Surplus Deal). There were some user complaint about this motor being too noisy. I didn't find this to be the case. I also picked up some spare motors as I suspect I might need to revisit one of the other doors at some time in the future.
Thanks to all of the previous posters who submitted information on the fix. Its always nice to be able to repair something yourself for a very small fraction of the price...
I have a question regarding the actuator's will i be able to add these to my doors even tho i don't have soft closing doors as a feature??
Not sure I understand your question. All of the LS430's have a door locking actuator. The versions with the soft close feature have a slightly different mechanism than the other cars but they all use the same DC motor to drive the actuator to lock/unlock your door.
***Warning***; those of you that are not in to minutia and fine details need not to continue reading the write up. It may bore you to death, and I do not want to responsible for that. 
Continuing on for those that dared. The new motor which was the Mabuchi replacement recommended on many threads is not quite the exact replacement. It is much louder and stronger on the torque than the original.
