I'm trying to replace the power window regulator for the left rear window on a '99 Camry. I could hear a motor whirring when pressing the power buttons, and the motor sank in position over time (we propped it up with some rubber).
I took the door apart, and it looks like a 6-toothed gear has fallen off the window regulator (which keeps the scissor assembly together). I tried banging on the gear with a hammer, but it keeps coming off. Planning to use some JB Weld on it before buying a replacement.
Oh, good. I just did a couple of hours ago, waiting for it to dry. I was just hoping no one would respond saying it needs to move freely.... aaaaaaahhhh!
Well, I hate to say this but I was taking your word that it didn't. When you said you were banging on it, I thought you were trying to force it on far enough that it would get stuck and not rotate. If you wanted it to rotate, why wouldn't you just slide it on? If the shaft had no groove on which a retaining washer could be attached, and no threads, then I suppose it was fixed in place to begin with. But you'll know after the glue sets -- well, I see you posted 13 hours ago, so the glue has set.
Before it got cold, I was trying to get the inside panel off the front door of my 2000 Camry Solara, but I didn't finish, and even though it's probably the same as the rear window, I wasn't going to look closely at the window mechanism anyhow.
Please let me know how it turns out, even if it makes me feel bad and look bad. . --- Oh, I see that you glued it a couple hours before you posted, and I posted only an hour before you posted, so I guess I'm not responsible. Whew.. But still post back to let me know.
Oh, okay, will do. If I messed it up (with my luck I would have glued the thing on upside-down) I would just run to AutoZone where they have the part for $99 anyhow, or maybe at the junkyard if they have the part.
It's not a rotating part... I think it just is supposed to secure the various scissor parts together, but why they designed it able to so easily come off, I'll never know...
Glue had set this morning. Last night it was still wet and when I put it in the door it came off again (grr!) but maybe that was bc I didn't have the right ratio of glue. I was more careful the second time.
Putting the door back on was a challenge. Put the door on, only to realize I had to pull it back off, attach it from the TOP (otherwise there will be an inch gap bet. the door and the window) and THEN punch the bottom clips in. Sigh.
Well, it was your idea. I was trying to be funny when I repeated it (although in this case I would have recommended it anyhow.. My other favorite "glue" for strength, where there is room for added material, is PC-7, or its twin, PC-11. One is black, the other white. There may be other differences but I haven't experienced them. I know that PC-7 can go on a slowly leaking pipe while the pipe is leaking and still dry waterproof (although you have to keep pushing it back on the pipe for 20 minutes or so because the water makes it fall down. PC-7 and 11 are thicker when first mixed, and need a wet finger to smooth them over, but they're not as runny as JBWeld. I suppose if needed one could wait a while with JBWeld, but I don't like to wait at all once something is mixed**. PC-7,11 will stick even to glass, although maybe JBW will too.
**(I once put a gas tank patch on in very hot weather and it set in 4 or 5 minutes before I was done, and continued to look I had to drive home from work with a maximum of 2 or 3 gallons in my tank. Had to plan the route so there were always gas stations, and still I ran out of gas once. I bought another epoxee kit and the next morning I put it in the freezer for 5 minutes before I started to work. Plus I worked faster, plus it wasn't as hot at 8 in the morning. The second patch lasted for 5 years, iirc. Because of traffic I couldn't change lanes, and I had driven over a chrome strip the previous day. Mad a hole the size of a quarter. )
That's how one learns. Everyone has gone through this. Even those who go to mechanics school are not taught how to put a door back together, I would bet. It's when it takes 4 tries to get something back together that I wonder where my mind was, but that happens too.
BTW, this story revolves around something sold as Gas Tank Epoxy. Complete with a fiiberglass patch 3x3". It didn't look like PC7 or JBW, and I wouldnt' try to use a general purpose epoxy on a gas tank unless I had no choice.
Strangely enough the patch failed the day I got my car back from being painted, as if the fumes of the paint had attacked it. But I patched it a third time (a second successful time) the next day (It had only been dripping, not pouring out like the first time) and that patch lasted the same legnth of time plus or minus a couple months, even though the car wasn't painted at the end. As if it was just a coincidence that it failed after the car was painted. I must have patched it again, and this time it lasted until I got rid of the car. Even with four patches, it was a lot easier than replacing the gas tank. By the thrrd time I could do the patch in 10 or 15 minutes.
Just when I thought I was kind of clever, my wife emails me that the window is stuck again.
Yay.
Now, I noticed when applying the JB Weld the first time, I was able to clean it off with carburetor cleaner before it had set. Will I be able to use carb cleaner to remove JB Weld after it has set?
Otherwise I guess I'll just go to CarQuest or AutoZone to get the part...
... although for $133 to $138 for the part, I'm not exactly looking forward to it...
For future reference, the driver side rear part number is 741-829 at AutoZone. Apparently the cheaper part number 741-830 is not appropriate for this application, yay...
Ace Hardware has it. I but it in a pair of 4 oz cans. If I use sepearate screwdrivers or popsicle sticks to take it out of the can, and never let them mix, it lasts at least 10 years. I don't remember if Lowes or Home Depot have it or not, but Ace has a of things those two places don't. I needed a long, 6", #1 Phillips screwddriver and those 2 didn't have it. Ace had 3 models. I needed a couple square U-bolts, and those two had not a one, but Ace had 12 sizes.
OTOH, I've noticed that if iI want black GE (silicon) sealant, I can only get that at an autoparts store, not a hardware store.
The white stuff says it's good for water iirc, but I don't think it's betteer. At any rate, I'd probably buy only one of them to start.
I just use water to remove it before it sets. Maybe a paper towel held against the a Coke bottle filled with water, When it's somewhat set, I might use a knife to cut off extra glue. If it's farily hard and I want it all off, not sure what I would use.
Ooh... thanks! I think that's just the regulator though... it's the regulator plus motor I need. It's the gear holding the two together that keeps coming off...!
I don't know. I tried using epoxy to seal a brass car radiator, but the normal radiator heat seemed to ruin it rather quickly (as I recall it leaked within a couple of hours of running the car). It turned this particular epoxy from a hard, glossy, black material that seemed to be very tight to the brass, to a dull, not so hard material that easily peeled from the brass surface. There may be more heat-resistant epoxies available today (30 years from then!).
If the parts you used the epoxy on are all metal, and not to difficult to remove, you might try putting them in an oven at, say, 250 degrees F for a couple of hours (in a well-ventilated area, of course).
I checked the site but it seems like they prefer to sell the motor assembly separately for some reason.
Thanks anyway though. I appreciate the time you put into helping me.
A friend of mine sent me this, and I am really inspired to go get some
1/16" electrodes and a welding helmet (or at least those welding goggles).
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Wow.
I've only got two batteries (unless I can bug the neighbors to borrow their car battery... uh... naah.) So I'll see if 1/16" electrodes work (in the video he used 1/8").
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