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Been trying to find a link to these actuators and gear puller... anyone help a brother out?
Gear puller is not necessary. If you have access to a bench vice, a pair of good wire cutters, a small roll pin punch, and a hammer (basic tools for all diy stuff), then you can use them and not buy a puller. Ive done so many GS door lock actuators in the last year. Literally 2.5hrs start to finish, all 4 doors. If you have questions, I can take a photo or two and upload to show what Im talking about.
Gear puller is not necessary. If you have access to a bench vice, a pair of good wire cutters, a small roll pin punch, and a hammer (basic tools for all diy stuff), then you can use them and not buy a puller. Ive done so many GS door lock actuators in the last year. Literally 2.5hrs start to finish, all 4 doors. If you have questions, I can take a photo or two and upload to show what Im talking about.
Thanks, will definitely keep this in mind. I thought I wouldn't need a puller but bought one to make my life a little simpler. lol
The rear door handles don't need to come off. After you have removed all 4 of the T30 torx screws holding the door latch assembly pull the cable that was connected to the inside door handle and slide the entire door latch assembly out. Just the metal cable not the black sleeve. You just need to make sure the door is unlocked and the child door lock is in the right position. You seriously can remove that whole assembly in 10-15 minutes including the door panel removal.
There is an easier way to do this without taking off the door handle. After hours of trying to get the back bolt out of the door handle (which I did easily after buying a stubby gearwrench) and trips to three different auto body shops, I finally bought a few different wrenches and discovered the stubby gearwrench was the easiest way. After taking it all apart I found the secret solution to getting it in and out. You DO NOT have to remove the door handle to get the actuator and latch out.
There is a white plastic dust cover over the whole unit held on by one small screw. (I circled it in the picture.)
take this screw out and pull the cover off. Once the cover is off you can easily tilt the top of the unit toward the outside of the door and it will come down. There is nothing connecting the door handle to the latch like there is on the front doors, so the latch will come out. I get to take it out again tonight since the actuator I bought on Ebay from reach_autoparts was the wrong actuator. BEWARE, they are a Chinese company but ship it from the US. They don't stock the correct actuator for the right rear door, and said if I wanted a refund I had to send it back to China.
BS! Simply pull the cable that opens the latch, at the same time pull the assembly out of the door.
I've done 2 doors on the GS300 and doubt anyone knows the answer to this, but will ask anyways. Do the motors for the GS300 work for the GS350 and GX470. Someone mentioned that one of them may requite a flat sided motor shaft and not rounded all the way.
The rears are MUCH easier than the fronts! No need to remove door handle or anything like that. Once you've taken off all the necessary screws, pull the door handle cable and you'll be able to pull out the actuator easily. I can pull a rear actuator out in 3-4 minutes including the door panel
thanks so much for this tip... omg it was a lifesaver...
Hi guys. I joined the forum to let all know about the option of using an aftermarket actuator. I fitted one myself two days ago. I've had problems though trying to post and add pictures, maybe because I'm a newbie?
Any way, it is possible. There is a lock bell crank up by the child lock lever with a hole in it. That's where I attached my linkage rod. I removed the exterior handle after removing the latch mechanism. It's real easy to remove with the latch out, and makes it easier to test fit and remove the latch so you can make the required bends to your actuator rod to ensure correct operation without fouling or binding. I had it in and out about 5 or 6 times to get it right. The only change I made to the original latch was to leave the plastic shield off. I didn't even check if it would interfere with the new actuator linkages, it just wasn't required so I just left it off. So in theory the body module etc will know no difference from factory, so when I do the other side this weekend I see no reason that I won't be able to reprogram the keyless entry. If I can get photos up I will.
So there it is. Cost was negligible and whole process took about 2 hours. If you want more in depth info or more pictures let me know in the next few days before I do the other side.
Cheers,
Tim.
Last edited by gsnz; 09-27-15 at 11:10 PM.
Reason: Auto correct incorrect word lol.