echassin

Ha! This forum is great! I searched here for what that is, tried it, and now the window works fine!

I think I know why it's doing it, I just didn't put two and two together till I saw your post: when I changed the lock actuator, the rear window track was in the way, and after reinstalling it (apparently tweaked a bit), the window is just slightly slower. I wonder if the window is a bit stiff in the track and is being intermittently perceived as a kid's hand jammed in the window.

I ordered a new window switch relay, but before changing that, maybe I'll see if tweaking or greasing the window track helps.

Thanks again!

Steeprock

Just thought I would add my two cents.

Dremel did work good with a vice.

When you put the pinion back on; don't go further than it was. Will cause the lock to bind....then it is really hard to get the gear puller in to get it back where it was. One tooth made the difference.

If you buy a replacement door handle from rock auto the threads where the cable seats are not very good quality; mine slipped out so I put a drop of glue there.

I would say taken the door handle bezel off without breaking it and opening up the actuator enclosure were the toughest. Also, getting the actuator out on the back door was a pain.

All done and working good but it took all weekend and a couple re-dos. Needless to say I can probably do them in under an hour now. It would almost be worth it to buy the casing whole if you are short on time.

echassin

I have a question:

I replaced the dead passenger door lock actuator as described, and all's well except an annoying new feature that disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes did not solve: whenever the doors are unlocked and someone uses the front passenger door (the one with the new actuator), as soon as that door is closed, the hatch briefly locks then immediately unlocks.

Not the end of the world, but WTF? Any ideas?

charluss

When using a Dremel, some material will be removed. Use "Quick Setting Gel Epoxy" to glue back the two sides together (clean the surfaces with acetone to remove any white grease). The gel glue won't seep inside the assembly and will fill the gap.

jlarocca

I used these instructions for a rear driver-side door, rather than the front. A few things I learned made it easier (or would have, if I did them):

1. Totally agree with the posts about replacing the entire actuator. Wish I read them first. Found one on eBay for $49.95. [edit ..salim].

2. Take a photo of each screw you remove that shows where it goes. Because I had to wait a week for my actuator to arrive, I struggled a bit to remember where everything went back. I ended up with one extra screw, but am missing one, so I must have swapped two somehow. This is especially true for the rear door that doesn't match exactly the instructions in the post.

3. When removing the wood panel with the window switch, it's very important to pry up both the front and rear a little bit before lifting the entire thing straight up. Otherwise, you'll snap off a connector as i did. Fortunately, it still stays in pretty well with just one connector. It's an expensive part.

4. I struggled to remove the push-in fasteners, breaking a few in the process. Realized after that there's a truck to pull out the center pin first, then pull the whole thing out. Anyone know where I can more of them online?

5. Loosening the window arm barely helped, it only moved a little. It was a challenge to find a way to get the mechanism out of the whole in the door. However, keep trying different angles and eventually it will come out. Moving it down to the lower, bigger hole didn't help because of the window arm in the way.

6. When putting the mechanism back in, you have to make sure that the plastic piece from the door handle (two long plastic prongs) fits around the pin so that pulling the door handle opens the door. I didn't see anything about that in the instructions, but figured it out. It was a challenge to get it lined up correctly in the tight space.

Hope this helps some of you.

westerj

So far, have done 3 of these, and have the following observations:

Lirrle plastic plugs around the perimeter - push in center a little bit and they will pop out easier!
Can peek in thru the door glass opening to see the little swivel disconnectors, makes it easier.
Hold the Window track out of the way with a larger screwdriver poked thru the top opening.
The Remote will not flip the lock lever until you plug in the upper control switch.
Group up the control rods when you introduce the mechanism back into the lower hole on re-assembly.
` They can get hung up on the structures inside the door.
Measure the offset from the face of the motor to the bottom of the shaft cover.
Channel-locks are good for pressing the shaft cover back into place. Big ones!

MRubenzahl

I did this -- thank you much for the person who wrote the instructions!

So now, the motor runs but there is something in there that's bass-ackwards.

I replaced the motor for the driver's door. Now:

- When I press the wireless key control to lock the car I hear it whir like it's trying to lock, then a few seconds later it unlocks. The other three doors work normally.

- If I sit in the car and press the Lock All Doors button on the driver's door switch panel, all the doors lock except the driver's door which UNlocks! If I unlock all, then all doors unlock except the driver's door, which LOCKS!

Ideas?

salimshah

Welcome to Club Lexus.

Best Idea to share is to read this thread. There is a discussion on incorrect motors being sold ... incorrect .. same part number but the direction of rotation is backwards,

Salim

MRubenzahl

I did this and the motor was defective (as some of the thread said sometimes happens). Bad words ensued.

Much easier: Instead of replacing the motor, consider replacing the whole actuator. The motor and the gear puller tool are only a few dollars less than buying the whole actuator (about $25). Search ebay for RX300 actuator.

peteram5

The rear door lock worked manually in my car but not with the auto lock. It always made noise like something is spinning.I had removed two screws from the actuator and the electrical clip and disassembled the chassis of the part. But it won't worked so i called Locksmith and they then fix the issue by replacing the actuator.

dhawk

Is there any trick to how the two plastic white pieces on the outside top of the actuator are placed once connected back to the remainder of the unit. There is one piece that a ball shaped plastic piece goes into and the other piece connects to a wire extending from one of the cables. I know the white plastic piece that connects to the cable needs to be moved in a position toward the cable, but does the other white piece connected to the white plastic ball need to be moved in the same direction or the opposite direction (as in the pic below). Also, I'm hearing a click at the door lock when I hit the lock/unlock button on my key fob, but most of the time the door does not unlock or lock. Once in a while (1 in 20 times), the diver door will lock when I hit unlock and lock when I hit unlock. Any thoughts on this?

Kdodson

Dumb question here. If I remove the door panel to take a look but leave the latch in place, will the door still open and close normally?

Thanks.

salimshah

Door lock actuators are driven independently from inside and outside. [safety]. Once you remove the door panel the cables either have to come off or they will be dangling with there door panel. You can still yank and them and operate from inside.

If and when you work on the actuator, keep the panel off for few days to confirm good operation. Once the door is shut with the panel on, you are out of luck.

Salim

Teddeits

i followed this tutorial when replacing the actuator on my son's 2000 RX 300. Three of the four door locks would not function. I found this tutorial very helpful and exactly right. I purchased the motors mentioned and they fit perfectly. I ordered the gear puller as well but cancelled the order as it was being shipped from China. No thanks. Was going to take 5 weeks. Decided to go without it.

You don't really need it, but it does require persuasion to get it off. Used a vice to press on the old part.

The passenger side front door was the most difficult as there are two rods that connect to the door handle and lock. Very tight a fussy to reattach. Patience here is required as well as small hands which I do not have.

The rear doors were much easier.

The motors cost $18 for four of them. A real bargain.

Rear doors difficulty, about 3 out of 10
Front door. 5 out of 10.

Thank you you so much for the great write up.

quyxanh

Replaced my 2002 RX300 two rear door locks last weekend. It took about 2 hour with a help of my more season home mechanic cousin. Thank OP for the DYI instructions.