micropterus

Glad to hear that you were able to fix your door locks. It sounds like your issues may have been cable related. When I was trouble shooting my driver side door issue, I pointed my key fob directly at the door lock while sitting in the car and pressed the lock button and I heard a low groan noise. That is when I new the electric motor was bad. It was in fact black and sooty on the white plastic end when I removed it. I'll remember your tip about not having to remove the window and handle on the rear doors if I encounter this problem sometime down the road. Dan Curtis

I forgot to mention that there are a couple of YouTube videos on how to disassemble the door and lock actuator. In Google type in Lexus GS400-300 DIY Door Lock Actuator and you will see the links. There is a Part 1 and a Part 2 ... ten minutes each. Study these as they are very helpful .....

If you go into Ebay Motors and type in Mabuchi Electric Motor FC-280PT-22125 you will see them. They are very inexpensive. You will also need to purchase a Walkera Universal Pinion Gear puller to transfer the pinion gear from the old motor (shaft) to the new motor (shaft). These are also on Ebay Motors and are inexpensive. You will need to split the plastic lock actuator assembly housing to get to the motor with something like an Exacto knife and glue it back together with a good glue like Locktite for re-assembly. Best to do this back in the house at the kitchen table while watching a football game, for example. Take your time and be thorough .... Hope this helps .... Dan Curtis

Hi All, I went ahead and bought the motor with the short shaft and it was the correct part. Had to take the driver side door apart to get to the lock actuator assembly and remove it. Changed out the electric motor inside and put everything back together. Door locking using the keyless remote works just fine. Total cost of repair for me was $27.00 Recommended solution for this repair from Lexus dealers is to replace the entire lock actuator assembly. I've seen prices as high as $300 for this part and then you would have to add whatever labor charge, at least two hours I would say. Hopefully this will help someone, as this is a fairly common problem for Lexus cars. Thx

Hi All, The driver side door does not lock except for inserting the key and turning to lock/unlock. I've done some testing and I can hear the electric motor near the lock handle sort of groan slightly when I point the key/remote and press lock or unlock. I need to replace this motor. Further research says these are called Mabuchi electric motors and they come with a short shaft or a long shaft. Anybody know which shaft length is correct for my car? Thx

.... The radio on my sister in law's GS300 won't power up. I checked the fuses listed in the owners manual, number 11 and number 40 (Radio #1 and Radio #2) and they are ok. Anyone ever encounter this type of problem? Any ideas appreciated. Dan Curtis.

... So I take my 2001 GS300 to the dealer for it's annual service. I run synthetic oil and I bring my own oil and filter with me (Castrol Syntec). Get a nice loaner car, one of the hybrid models. Later that morning the service rep calls me and recommends that they perform some additional repairs. He says that the front motor mounts on the engine have collapsed and that the rear mount on the transmission has started to sag. Also, he said that it is time to replace the timing belt. I have approximately 80K miles on the car. Motor mount job quote was $870.00 and the timing belt job was quoted at $575.00. Note that there was no mention of replacing the water pump which should be done at the same time as the timing belt. I said to hold off on the additional work and that I would possibly schedule another appointment. The following week I contact one of the local repair shops that specializes in Lexus and Toyota vehicles. I tell them the story and say that i want to get a second opinion. So I bring the car in, the mechanic raises it up on the lift and takes a look with a drop light. Also checks the transmission mount, I ask if I can look also. He calls over one of the other mechanics .... "Do these motor mounts look collapsed to you?". "Nope". They looked almost new to me. No sign of wear. Mechanic number two says "I don't know how those guys can go home and sleep nights after trying to pull this kind of s**t". So I say thanks and I'll come in next year to have the water pump and timing belt job done. Mechanic says, not necessary. Bring it in when you have 120K or more miles. Said these cars are built to last ... and they do last. i know this is long winded, but as mentioned before on this forum .... GET THAT SECOND OPINION ... you are not obligated to have unnecessary work performed by a dealer. I was looking at a $1,500 repair bill if I gave the green light to the Lexus dealer. Dan Curtis

... dude ... I checked in the User Manual and there was a chart of all the fuses and locations. There was one for the OBD ... I pulled it out and it was blown. It is a 7.5 size. I replaced it with one of the spare fuses from one of the engine compartment fuse containers which was a 15. Back to the smog test center this morning and the computers communicated okay and my car passed the test!! I went to Pep Boys and bought some fuses and changed the 15 back to a 7.5 for the OBD ... Thanks for the info ... Dan Curtis

I have a 2001 GS300 which I took in for a emissions control test - smog test (California). Their diagnostic machine could not communicate with my car's computer. They connect their machine to the OBD II (I think that is the name) plug located underneath the steering column. There are no warning lights or problems with the car. Everything works okay. Is it possible for a do-it-yourselfer to isolate the problem and fix it? Thank You Dan Curtis

Merwin, Check with irontoad.com they sell Lexus factory OEM parts at discount, previously checked them on a wheel speed sensor for my GS300 2001 and was quoted $188.00 ..... they also sell OEM parts for Toyota and BMW. I tried the reset procedure that Guy posted using a jumper wire on the Diagnosis plug under the hood. Dash lights remained on after this. I'll have to try the test you did on the sensor timing issue .... to isolate which side throwing error condition. Dan Curtis

Guy, Thanks for info ... I did find the list of error codes and schematic but apparently I overlooked the fact that the DCL1 plug can also be checked from under the hood .... I give that a shot Thanks Dan Curtis

Hey Merwin, I created my schematic using Appleworks Painting program on my Mac .... then I posted the file to one of those file sharing websites (checked for viruses,etc.) as most forums do not allow cut/paste to prevent virus introductions. I am puzzled at the wiring config to this plug ... only five wires ... anyway ... I've performed all the obvious reset stuff that I have found in my research ... disconnect battery, top off brake fluid, check ABS,VSC fuses, etc. etc. My last thing to try was the reset procedure that I mentioned that should clear the error condition with the dash lights. If that does not work, then I know I have a damaged wheel speed sensor or ABS Wire .... not good. I tried to save a bunch of dough by avoiding the dealer ... I had lower ball joints replaced (I purchased from irontoad.com for $64.00 each ... hi ghest dealer price was $121.00 each) I also bought new Michelin tires all around ... paid $124.00 each ... and I bought new struts all around from shockswarehouse.com $106.00 (fronts) $112.00 (rear) ... KYB GR2's plus alignment .... I did save a bunch of dough but I got screwed on the dash light problem. Get this, my local Lexus dealer wanted $760.00 to install MY struts plus another $140.00 for alignment .... I had struts installed and alignment done at another shop for $240.00 total all labor!!!! I should have had those guys install the ball joints .... Dan Curtis By the way it is really hard to find wiring schematics and repair manuals for Lexus cars ... at least for me it is .... Thanks for responding ...

Greetings! (New To Forum) I have a GS300 2001 and recently had the lower ball joints replaced. After that (see subject) and repair shop said 'Not Their Problem' I have done a lot of searching and found the DCL 3 Plug Reset documentation and have run into a problem. The pin connectors mentioned to use in the Jumper Wire reset process are numbers 4 and 12 which are the TS and CG connectors. However, my plug only has five wires running to it (click link below for diagram download) and all the others have no wiring at all. So, i am not sure what I have. Anyone know which of the five wires (pair) that I should connect the Jumper Wire to ? Thanks in advance, Dan Curtis http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ukmzmfaw2yd (Note - I modified this link and file format to .bmp - 11/18/08)