Serious Door Lock Problem

[lexuseng]

There are many postings on how to replace door actuators but what do you do if the door is locked and you can't get the door open to fix the lock? It is a 2001 GS300 and the child lock is not on (although it can't be checked right now and I have tried to open from the outside). The door lock is stuck in the lock position and if I force it to the unlock position, I still can't open the door from the inside or out (window still opens). When I force it to the unlock position, it does return to the lock position so I'm thinking the linkage is still connected but something is preventing it going to the unlock position.

Obviously I have to open the door to have a chance to fix it. Does anyone know how to slim jim this door? It might be my only option.

[TRD911]

There are many postings on how to replace door actuators but what do you do if the door is locked and you can't get the door open to fix the lock? It is a 2001 GS300 and the child lock is not on (although it can't be checked right now and I have tried to open from the outside). The door lock is stuck in the lock position and if I force it to the unlock position, I still can't open the door from the inside or out (window still opens). When I force it to the unlock position, it does return to the lock position so I'm thinking the linkage is still connected but something is preventing it going to the unlock position.

Obviously I have to open the door to have a chance to fix it. Does anyone know how to slim jim this door? It might be my only option.

You might have to try and remove the door panel from the inside. You could remove the bottom section of the seat to get to the bottom of the door panel. I think your in a bit of a difficult situation. If you have never taken the rear panel off I would suggest taking the side that open off to get a fee for where the clips are etc.. I would not "slim jim" it as there are a good number of wires in the door.

Good luck.

BP

[mlgs300]

So you can't use the remote to unlock any door?

[lexuseng]

So you can't use the remote to unlock any door?

All other doors work properly with remote or manual. This rear door is stuck in lock position. I plan on taking apart the good door so I can see what I can learn about the linkage that would cause it to get stuck in this position. Then maybe I can slim jim with the window down. I'm also thinking maybe when the weather warms up or with time/vibration it might cure itself. Just need it once so I can take the door apart. Just hoping. At least it's not the driver door.

[mlgs300]

I have slim jim'd many cars. Typically you have to insert the jim 1/3 from the rear of the door and angle toward rear and door handle. There is linkage there that you can possibly pull upward after hooking onto it. You will see door handle move out like as if opening. You are close at this point and need to have patience and keep digging, wiggling around and pulling up using different angles. Bend jim in or out as well. This probly won't help much as the plastic is still on, but you can sort of see what the inside of a door looks like.

inside of door

[lexuseng]

I finally was able to open the door. I studied the opposite good door and determined there was no way to slim jim the door but I was able to determine what I needed to do. I ended up drilling a 3/8” hole through the door handle to access the lock. I could post a picture of where you would need to do this but it would be posting a way to break in the car although most thieves would just break the window (I could post if there’s enough interest). I plugged the hole with black epoxy so it could be driven without looking hideous but it actually looks decent (good thing my car is black) so I may not replace the handle.

I did take a picture of what caused the jam and have it posted here. This is the inside of the actuator. It is pretty apparent what the problem is. I couldn’t get it to un-jam until I took it apart. How did this happen?

Well I hate to admit it but this was a unit that I took apart last summer to replace the motor. Worked fine for about 6 months then it locked up. The replaced motor wasn’t the issue but gluing the case back together probably was. I had carefully cut the case apart and the case is pretty intact and even with the case open, I couldn’t see how the case could deform enough to allow the worm gear to climb on top of the tooth. Everything fits tight. But with high temperature variations, vibration, Murphy’s law, it is obviously possible. I’m not the only one who has replaced the motor so is this just a fluke? I was very happy to save $200 but I have to share the bad with the good.

So a word of caution to those willing to replace the motor instead of replacing the entire actuator, be very careful gluing the case back together. This time I added some self tapping screws along with the glue as shown. If it jumps again, then it wasn’t a fluke and I’ll buy a new one, at least I already have the have the hole in the handle. ;)

One last note, I had mentioned in previous post that lifting the door handle helped manuever the actuator out (rear door). Now that I have done both rear doors and the right twice, lifting the door handle didn't seem to help this time. It just takes some patience to pull, twist, turning, to manuever the actuator out. You definitely don't need to take the door handle out first (which is very difficult to access with the actuator in place).

gs_door_lock.ppt

gs_acuator_screws.ppt

[othater]

Lexuseng,

Since you have replaced the motor in the actuator, do you need to leave the the sleeve on the shaft of the new one or

do you remove it before you add the gear from the broken one.

The reason is I can't find model Mabuchi FC-280PT-22125 for sale anywhere which has the ring/sleeve,

but I found Mabuchi FC-280PC-22125 which has the same specs without the sleeve/ring/collar (sorry-dont know the correct name).

Thanks for your help.

[lexuseng]

Lexuseng,

Since you have replaced the motor in the actuator, do you need to leave the the sleeve on the shaft of the new one or

do you remove it before you add the gear from the broken one.

The reason is I can't find model Mabuchi FC-280PT-22125 for sale anywhere which has the ring/sleeve,

but I found Mabuchi FC-280PC-22125 which has the same specs without the sleeve/ring/collar (sorry-dont know the correct name).

Thanks for your help.

You do need to remove the coupling from the old motor shaft and replace the coupling on the new shaft. This was not easy but check this link out, there's a ton of info on how to do this in this thread, post #214 has a good picture. Basically you need to support the coupling so you can pound the shaft out of the center of the coupling using a shaft of smaller diameter. That's the hard part. The easy part is using a vise to push it on the new shaft.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-second-...ors-diy-15.html

[sakataj]

Lexuseng,

Since you have replaced the motor in the actuator, do you need to leave the the sleeve on the shaft of the new one or

do you remove it before you add the gear from the broken one.

The reason is I can't find model Mabuchi FC-280PT-22125 for sale anywhere which has the ring/sleeve,

but I found Mabuchi FC-280PC-22125 which has the same specs without the sleeve/ring/collar (sorry-dont know the correct name).

Thanks for your help.

You do need to remove the coupling from the old motor shaft and replace the coupling on the new shaft. This was not easy but check this link out, there's a ton of info on how to do this in this thread, post #214 has a good picture. Basically you need to support the coupling so you can pound the shaft out of the center of the coupling using a shaft of smaller diameter. That's the hard part. The easy part is using a vise to push it on the new shaft.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-second-...ors-diy-15.html

thats always been one of my fav DIY from that board....such creativity and ingenuity to figure that out...

[othater]

On another forum stated he orderd the FC-280PC-22125 and they were wrong.

So I still need one more.

I'm trying a different one FC-280PT-20150, same size, a little less torque, no collar.

Might be a good replacement since the 22125 is so hard to find.

The seller said people are buying them for the door actuator.

Will see when I receive them.

Lexuseng,

Since you have replaced the motor in the actuator, do you need to leave the the sleeve on the shaft of the new one or

do you remove it before you add the gear from the broken one.

The reason is I can't find model Mabuchi FC-280PT-22125 for sale anywhere which has the ring/sleeve,

but I found Mabuchi FC-280PC-22125 which has the same specs without the sleeve/ring/collar (sorry-dont know the correct name).

Thanks for your help.

You do need to remove the coupling from the old motor shaft and replace the coupling on the new shaft. This was not easy but check this link out, there's a ton of info on how to do this in this thread, post #214 has a good picture. Basically you need to support the coupling so you can pound the shaft out of the center of the coupling using a shaft of smaller diameter. That's the hard part. The easy part is using a vise to push it on the new shaft.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-second-...ors-diy-15.html

[Lucky13]

Wouldn't calling a locksmith generally be a better idea than drilling a hole in the side of your vehicle?

[sakataj]

Wouldn't calling a locksmith generally be a better idea than drilling a hole in the side of your vehicle?

yeah that seems kinda silly to me also

[lexuseng]

Wouldn't calling a locksmith generally be a better idea than drilling a hole in the side of your vehicle?

yeah that seems kinda silly to me also

Well I guess you just have to get inside the door and study the workings to know that no locksmith could unlock this door. The mechanism was jammed, so hard that even when I removed the actuator, I could not un-jam by pulling on the cable. A slim jim had no chance, even if it could work on this type of cable system. The only other fix I heard of was someone took it to a body shop. They probably did something similar to access the lock.

[sakataj]

Wouldn't calling a locksmith generally be a better idea than drilling a hole in the side of your vehicle?

yeah that seems kinda silly to me also

Well I guess you just have to get inside the door and study the workings to know that no locksmith could unlock this door. The mechanism was jammed, so hard that even when I removed the actuator, I could not un-jam by pulling on the cable. A slim jim had no chance, even if it could work on this type of cable system. The only other fix I heard of was someone took it to a body shop. They probably did something similar to access the lock.

i guess i would have to see it but there should ALWAYS be a other route besides drilling a hole into the car, regardless you got it fixed and thats what matters

[lexuseng]

Wouldn't calling a locksmith generally be a better idea than drilling a hole in the side of your vehicle?

yeah that seems kinda silly to me also

Well I guess you just have to get inside the door and study the workings to know that no locksmith could unlock this door. The mechanism was jammed, so hard that even when I removed the actuator, I could not un-jam by pulling on the cable. A slim jim had no chance, even if it could work on this type of cable system. The only other fix I heard of was someone took it to a body shop. They probably did something similar to access the lock.

i guess i would have to see it but there should ALWAYS be a other route besides drilling a hole into the car, regardless you got it fixed and thats what matters

s

Just to be clear, I drilled through the handle, doesn't quite give you the same image as drilling a hole in the car. And you think I wanted to drill a hole in my handle?? Cost for a new handle, about $65. Cost for a locksmith, probably much more even if it was possible. And since you almost can't see the epoxy repair, the cost to fix this, $4.

[Lucky13]

Ah. Well yes a locksmith can open it. That does seem cheaper but a lot more work and if you have insurance that reimburses you for then the smith is free.

[LexusMBF]

On another forum stated he orderd the FC-280PC-22125 and they were wrong.

So I still need one more.

I'm trying a different one FC-280PT-20150, same size, a little less torque, no collar.

Might be a good replacement since the 22125 is so hard to find.

The seller said people are buying them for the door actuator.

Will see when I receive them.

Have you received them?

I saw this one too, but the buyer wants me to buy in quantity.

If you can direct me where to buy in small quantity, I would appreciate it very much.

I would also try it if it fit.

Thanks!

[othater]

On another forum stated he orderd the FC-280PC-22125 and they were wrong.

So I still need one more.

I'm trying a different one FC-280PT-20150, same size, a little less torque, no collar.

Might be a good replacement since the 22125 is so hard to find.

The seller said people are buying them for the door actuator.

Will see when I receive them.

Have you received them?

I saw this one too, but the buyer wants me to buy in quantity.

If you can direct me where to buy in small quantity, I would appreciate it very much.

I would also try it if it fit.

Thanks!

I haven't received them yet, coming from Canada.

Some bad news, another member notified me that the shaft is on the wrong side ,

but said I should be able to use the brushes to rebuild the old one :) .

Will see??

[trickedout281]

Lexuseng,

Since you have replaced the motor in the actuator, do you need to leave the the sleeve on the shaft of the new one or

do you remove it before you add the gear from the broken one.

The reason is I can't find model Mabuchi FC-280PT-22125 for sale anywhere which has the ring/sleeve,

but I found Mabuchi FC-280PC-22125 which has the same specs without the sleeve/ring/collar (sorry-dont know the correct name).

Thanks for your help.

Where can I purchase Mabuchi FC-280PC-22125? They are currently not available for sale on ebay. I at least need 1 but would like to purchase 4 of these motors. If anyone has 1 or more of these "new" motors they would like to sell me it would be greatly appreciated. Contact me via email abyssthought@gmail.com. Thank you ahead of time.

[trickedout281]

On another forum stated he orderd the FC-280PC-22125 and they were wrong.

So I still need one more.

I'm trying a different one FC-280PT-20150, same size, a little less torque, no collar.

Might be a good replacement since the 22125 is so hard to find.

The seller said people are buying them for the door actuator.

Will see when I receive them.

Have you received them?

I saw this one too, but the buyer wants me to buy in quantity.

If you can direct me where to buy in small quantity, I would appreciate it very much.

I would also try it if it fit.

Thanks!

Have you tried to install FC-280PT-20150 yet? Does this motor work well for replacing FC-280PC-22125? Please post your results. Thank you.

[othater]

On another forum stated he orderd the FC-280PC-22125 and they were wrong.

So I still need one more.

I'm trying a different one FC-280PT-20150, same size, a little less torque, no collar.

Might be a good replacement since the 22125 is so hard to find.

The seller said people are buying them for the door actuator.

Will see when I receive them.

Have you received them?

I saw this one too, but the buyer wants me to buy in quantity.

If you can direct me where to buy in small quantity, I would appreciate it very much.

I would also try it if it fit.

Thanks!

Have you tried to install FC-280PT-20150 yet? Does this motor work well for replacing FC-280PC-22125? Please post your results. Thank you.

Actually the 20150 has the shaft on the wrong end. The good thing is the plastic cap is correct with the correct connector. I'm going to try to use this cap for the new brushes. You can search on ClubLexus for replacement of the brushes. I will post if it works.

[othater]

On another forum stated he orderd the FC-280PC-22125 and they were wrong.

So I still need one more.

I'm trying a different one FC-280PT-20150, same size, a little less torque, no collar.

Might be a good replacement since the 22125 is so hard to find.

The seller said people are buying them for the door actuator.

Will see when I receive them.

Have you received them?

I saw this one too, but the buyer wants me to buy in quantity.

If you can direct me where to buy in small quantity, I would appreciate it very much.

I would also try it if it fit.

Thanks!

Have you tried to install FC-280PT-20150 yet? Does this motor work well for replacing FC-280PC-22125? Please post your results. Thank you.

Actually the 20150 has the shaft on the wrong end. The good thing is the plastic cap is correct with the correct connector. I'm going to try to use this cap for the new brushes. You can search on ClubLexus for replacement of the brushes. I will post if it works.

The cap works great.

Door locks working again.

The motor is from Ebay (activesurplus) is the way to go for the brush replacement.

You don't have to buy fifty. He has a auction for a pair.

The only thing to remember is to take the old bushing out of the old cap and put it in the new cap.

I updated TRD911's post on Clublexus forum also.

[tag16c]

The FC 280PT-22125 motor you are looking for is back on eBay for $9.99 + S&H

[lexusfan2]

I had exactly the same problem. I replaced the motor about 10 months ago and now the door (rear passenger-side) won't unlock with the remote or from inside. BUT FINALLY I WAS ABLE TO. I'm not sure if it will work for everyone, but here is what I did. Using the key fob I unlocked all doors. I opened all 3 good doors then went inside next to the problematic door. I pulled-pushed the knob with the red dot (with a little force than usual due to resistance) and the handle below it. After about 7 tries doing this, the door opened! Hope this helps.

[tomeniss]

I finally was able to open the door. I studied the opposite good door and determined there was no way to slim jim the door but I was able to determine what I needed to do. I ended up drilling a 3/8” hole through the door handle to access the lock. I could post a picture of where you would need to do this but it would be posting a way to break in the car although most thieves would just break the window (I could post if there’s enough interest). I plugged the hole with black epoxy so it could be driven without looking hideous but it actually looks decent (good thing my car is black) so I may not replace the handle.

I did take a picture of what caused the jam and have it posted here. This is the inside of the actuator. It is pretty apparent what the problem is. I couldn’t get it to un-jam until I took it apart. How did this happen?

Well I hate to admit it but this was a unit that I took apart last summer to replace the motor. Worked fine for about 6 months then it locked up. The replaced motor wasn’t the issue but gluing the case back together probably was. I had carefully cut the case apart and the case is pretty intact and even with the case open, I couldn’t see how the case could deform enough to allow the worm gear to climb on top of the tooth. Everything fits tight. But with high temperature variations, vibration, Murphy’s law, it is obviously possible. I’m not the only one who has replaced the motor so is this just a fluke? I was very happy to save $200 but I have to share the bad with the good.

So a word of caution to those willing to replace the motor instead of replacing the entire actuator, be very careful gluing the case back together. This time I added some self tapping screws along with the glue as shown. If it jumps again, then it wasn’t a fluke and I’ll buy a new one, at least I already have the have the hole in the handle. ;)

One last note, I had mentioned in previous post that lifting the door handle helped manuever the actuator out (rear door). Now that I have done both rear doors and the right twice, lifting the door handle didn't seem to help this time. It just takes some patience to pull, twist, turning, to manuever the actuator out. You definitely don't need to take the door handle out first (which is very difficult to access with the actuator in place).