Nice detailed instruction with pictures makes very easy to tackle rookies. I have same problem and will tackle as weather warms up, after end of April and will give my feedback to make my first repair in the door. Add on notes by Salim Shah are good to incorporate before disassembly and to assemble the motor and gear.

 

Let's say I accidentally screwed up the spring behind the gear and put it back together without it... What are the consequences?

I've noticed that the thumb lock on the door is harder to use if you operate the locks by the actuator first, but then it's fine. Aside from that, I don't notice anything wrong.

Is that spring a critical piece? I can take it apart, and put it back. But, I don't know exactly how that spring fits. This is for the rear passenger door lock actuator btw.

 

Can you post or point to an existing picture where we can see the 'spring'?
If it is a spring on one of the rods then it might be essential as it might be using movement of on arm to push another ... like release of catch from inside vs outside. Remember to check child-proofing as well.

Salim

 

The spring is underneath this gear here:

 

That spring would push the gear up to mate with the helical gear at the optimum point. Without the spring the contact will not be in the middle and you run the risk that the gear teeth may get chewed up.The other thing that may go bad is the cam action ... the black piece has a pin that rides in the slot of the gear. IMHO this is unlikely as the pin is long.

Salim

 

Ahh, got it. Actually correction to my original post, the spring is there but I did not install it properly. Initially with the spring properly installed the gear would spin and then go back to it's original position. As of now, I just put the spring in there but it isn't installed correctly so it has no effect on the gear.

Thanks!

 

Can anyone give me a ballpark cost on having the drivers door lock actuator replaced by a professional? I was told stereo shops do this type of install.

 

Good luck finding an answer.
IMHO a professional's labor rates will outweigh the cost of buying a new unit. You may find some one willing to repair the actuator, but then you have to take it out and then install it yourself. Even then the person who does the repair would be enthusiast at best but definitely not a professional.
Now if you want some one to do all the work, you are back to finding some one local to you. You may have some luck in convincing a local stereo installer and show him/her the DIY. If the price is right and he/she is motivated, then you will get your answer right there.

If you want me to estimate the time, I would say about 2-3hrs from start to finish. Remember when people do the work, they have to build in margin for things going bad.

Salim

 

Thank you Salim!

 

I'd say about $500 per door. The part new costs (or at least costed when i looked into this a few years ago) about $250 plus labor at $110/hour = ~$500.00

This is what is so fr!gg!n great about this thread!!!! It costed me $21.00 USD for two actuator motors ($4.92/ea) and the mini gear puller. That is for two doors. So if I paid a guy to fix it, it'd cost me about $1000..... I had a substantial savings in repairing it myself.

 

BIG BIG THANKS for this how-to. A couple items that might make it easier for the next person:

1. You may be able to pry out the light at the bottom of the panel as one of the first steps, and then disconnect the electrical connection.

2. To remove the trim panel around the inner door pull, after removing the hidden screw under the plastic panel, push the trim panel towards the back of the door while prying on the space above the manual door lock button.

3. Once the motor has been replaced, test operation of the lock actuator and window switches before putting the door panel back on.

Jon D.

 

Thanks for this post. I did all of these steps and fixed my 2003 RX300 driver door lock actuator motor.

 

I ended up replacing my rear right door actuator on my rx300. I tried opening the actuator to replace the failing motor but it was really difficult for me to open it and too time consuming. I ended up purchasing used but new motor actuator (I would just pretend that someone else did it for me). Not the cheapest way to fix it but I am just happy that it's now fixed and works like new. I am looking to replace the hatch actuator since it acts up when the sun heats up the hatch. Has anyone tried it yet?

 

I did my rear right door actuator motor today. Everything was smooth and easy except to open up the motor cover by using utility knife. It takes long time to open the cover. Thanks God I was almost out of patience.

 

OK, I went through this process today and think something isn't quite right. I cannot unlock or open my door now. When I use the unlock button on the wood panel, I hear a loud buzz instead of it unlocking. Though, the door button indicates that it is in the unlocked position, but it cannot really be moved manually.

I'm done for tonight and will have to go through the passenger side to get in and out of my car, but would like to try and fix this tomorrow. The first thing I need is to get the door open again. Any idea how I can do that? Any guesses about what is going on with the lock would be greatly appreciated, too. Thanks.