OK, so here is my first write up on something I think the forum needs. I'm starting this thread without the ability to give a final verdict on the entirety of it because the parts are in the mail, but I promise to update in due time.

So WHY do the door locks stop working on a hot day?

The consensus seems to be that the motors inside the door lock assembly start to go bad and start out failing in hot weather. Others have posted the link to IH8TMUD and ClubLexus about how they repair this on the FZJ80 and 100's but nothing definitive about what will work on a 3rd gen. My post will not be the ultimate solution, but it will go a long way toward clearing things up. I have been paying attention to the rare occasions when I would witness a failure. It is always the side of the vehicle getting the most sun, so usually I notice the failure when the driver's side is in the sun. For this reason I decided to carry out my experimenting on the driver's side rear, in case I really F'd something up I didn't want MY door not to work. So here goes. I am including the door panel removal for those who have never done it, advanced users please skip ahead.


LR Door panel before I start





Remove the screw in the middle of the inside door handle, and the two push clips on either end of the panel, push the center then pry on the outer to remove.



Pry up the arm rest and remove the two screws shown.



Pry the inside handle assy forward, toward the front of the door, then pull the front toward you.



Pry the lower part of the panel to separate the clips from the door, then lift the panel over the lock button. Then rotate the panel 90 degrees to allow the inside handle to slip inside.



Disconnect the window switch and the panel is off.

At this point you have to choose how to deal with the butyl tape holding the vapor barrier to the door. Some chose to cut it and then tape it back on, since it was a warm day, I chose to remove it intact, I used a plastic spatula and wore latex gloves. Pita, but worth it in the end. Be sure to disconnect the speaker wire so you can pull the harness through the vapor barrier.





Now to remove the lock assy.



Remove the plastic cover held on by two plastic push clips.



after removing the two long skinny rods(inside handle and inside lock rod) you need to deal with the yellow clip holding the outside handle rod. This can be a real B%$#, but if you place the leading edge of your brake adjusting spoon on the clip itself where the arrow is pointed it's a piece of cake. The picture shows the tool in the incorrect position, couldn't hold the camera when I had it correct.

Continued in next post

Once the rods are all removed, you can use a T30 Torx to remove the 3 screws holding the latch in place.




I pulled the motor out of the door to better access the connector, using a pocket screw driver I moved the clip to clear the detente. For those keeping score the two inner pins are for the lock motor.


This is what you have once you get it on the bench.



Remove the screw holding the plastic cover, try to note it's position and how you will reinstall it later. Same goes for the drain hose, both are indicated with arrows in this picture.


Remove the two screws holding the motor housing to the lock assy, only one screw is left in this picture.



I also removed the latch by taking out this one screw, I don't think this is actually necessary for the repair.



The next part was surprisingly easy, I used my pocket screwdriver to separate the two halves of the housing.



Voila!



You can see some carbon flash on the motor itself, but the true revelation is in the numbers.




I checked the resistance between the two motor pins while it was sitting on the bench, it was 11.1 Ohms. Then I set the motor in the sun for 15 minutes and rechecked it, it was over 20 Ohms, this reading is after I got the camera and rechecked it. Obviously very sensitive to heat.

You can order new motors on ebay, I only ordered two because I'm not sure the front will be the same, although knowing Toyota, I'm thinking they will be. Here is one link to the motors.

4X FC 280 Motors with Collar Car Door Lock and Mirror Motors FC 280pt 22125 | eBay

I reassembled the housings, no epoxy necessary, they snapped together.EDIT(Use a plastic tie wrap, and or Epoxy or it will unsnap and not work!) Which is good because I'll be doing the whole thing again in a few weeks when the motors arrive.

Addendum,

My apologies for the image sizes, my first time using flikr.

Here is a picture of all the tools I used, minus the plastic spatula.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/134164...posted-public/

I have been waiting for someone to do this write up, well done brotha! My drivers door luck stops working in heat...and in July in San Antonio...well that is pretty often. This fix will get added to my to-do list. Thanks again!

Good news regarding the mini pictures, if you click on the link I posted for the tools you can scroll through all the pictures at the bottom and select it for a better view.

This is fantastic. Thanks a ton! My front driver's side door has been doing this for the past 3 weeks whenever exposed to direct sun, and it's a bit annoying. I want to get it fixed sooner rather than later as I hate leaving things like this in a partially working, ghetto-fab state.

Thank you for the intro, and I sincerely look forward to seeing how the fix works with the new parts.

Very nice write-up! I did the same thing (with my own stinky little pic-heavy write-up...heh) 2 years ago September and both (left front, right rear) locks are (of course) still working perfectly. I did use a little epoxy and zip ties to hold the halves together, you'll want to do something- they likely won't stay snapped together on their own for long.

I like that you tested them. Wouldn't expect any less from you, though. I opened mine up to see the wear but didn't get out the multi-meter.

And yes, the motors are the same both front and rear...

Old thread but still relevant @IBallEngineer :thumbsup:

How about these motors?
4 FC-280PC-22125 CAR DOOR LOCK MOTORS DIY ACTUATOR Lexus Toyota Replace Mabuchi | eBay or should I get the motors with the collars already installed on the drive shafts?

Great write up! I've been looking for something like this for some time. I had looked a long time ago, and eventually quit. When we were in the Midwest, the locks worked great in the winter, but not so much in the summer. Now, that we're in Phoenix, they work a lot less.

It's intermittent. Sometimes they work great, other times 2-doors will work, and one works half-way, while one just twitches. It's not consistent either. Today the driver's door will work, tomorrow all of the will.

I'll be ordering the motors, and giving it a shot. Thanks!

^^^ make sure to get the ones with the collar on the shaft. Also stay with Mabuchi motors as these are OEM.

Why is the collar important?

i just did this job last week. the collars are fixed to the motor shaft and slide into, and drive the pinion gear, otherwise the motor shaft would spin freely inside the gear. I had read where people were able to remove the collar off the old motors but that looks quite the pita.

you can't beat four motors with collars included for $20 bought here from mops electric: Big thanks to Habanero and iballengineer for the helpful info.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4X-FC-280-Mo...5/282430695638

Good link on 4x for $20 but those aren't OEM/Mabuchi branded, they are generic (if that matters)

The ones from Mops is what I used 4 years/ 40,000 miles ago because I that's what I could find. If you've got a link to oem surely it would be appreciated!

Just ordered the OEM motor from Amazon (prime too, go figure). Nice writeup, should be a big help this weekend!