Window regulator replacement and disappearing oil in 99 Corolla

I recently had the window regulator and motor replaced in the driver's side door on my 1999 Corolla because the motor was making groaning sounds when the window was rolled up. About a month after the new part was installed, the window jumps the track and will not roll up past

3/4ths of the way. I bought the part seperately online, and the place that I bought it from is going to send me an RMA. Rather than paying again to have the part removed and reinstalled at the mechanic or dealer, I've decided to do it myself. I need to open the door, remove the defective part, and then reinstall the replacement once it arrives. I still have the original part, which still works, just noisily. Can I use the old part temporarily, and if not, is there any way to lock the window in the up position until the replacement gets here? Are there any guides online on how to do this repair or at least open the door?

As for the oil disappearing, it's very perplexing. The car is driven a lot, 60 miles round trip 4 days a week for work. Total milage is a little over 120K, around 80% is highway miles. I change the oil every

3000 to 5000 miles, and it's always half a quart to a quart low when the oil is changed. At first I thought it was leaking, so I parked the car over a drop cloth for over a week without a hint of any drops. I had the mechanic look at it to see if there was any leaking when the car was running, and they ran it up on a lift for over an hour and no leaks. The underside doesn't show any oil residue at all, and they even had me come over and see for myself. The car passed its emissions test last month with flying colors, but they took the reading for the test from the computer and not from the tailpipe, so I'm not sure how accurate the reading really is. The engine does have some sludge in it, but it's not too bad. I haven't noticed any blue smoke or oil in the radiator water, and don't think it's burning any oil, but every time the oil is changed, some of it is missing.

Any ideas?

Reply to
Arklier
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I'd guess here that the problem is tighness in the window slides or one of the mechancal pivot points that has not been noticed. pivot points can also wear and the slop causes jams and track jumping. Check all this before sending the noew motor back.

Yes, you should be able to use the old motor.

At 120K miles, the valve guides and rings are going to leak more oil than when it was new. You can burn about 1 quart for 3000 miles and not affect the emissions. Check the PCV valve. Follow the hose to where it connects to the intake and look for a oil residue in the intake hose.

sd

Reply to
Stewart DIBBS

I took the door apart yesterday and had a look down inside. Now I understand why they wanted so much in labor to replace the thing. It looks like Toyota picked the least possible convienent spot they could possibly think of to mount it. I was glad to find that it wouldn't have to be replaced. The problem was that the window had completely come out of the track on the front side. With the help of an extra set of hands, some silicone lubricant on the rubber in the track, a pair of pliers, and a very long putty knife, I was able to get the window back in and it worked fine. We lubed up the tracks pretty good, so hopefully it won't happen again.

I didn't have a chance to look at the PVC valve, but I'll check it this weekend. Thanks for the advice.

Reply to
Arklier

Sometimes you just can't win. The very next day after we got the window fixed, some asswipe broke the passenger side window and stole the stereo at 4 AM. I apparently interrupted their progress, but they managed to make off with the stereo (which was a two year old aftermarket deck) with the mounting brackets for the radio. The dealer wants almost $20 apiece. Anyone know where I can get them cheaper other than calling around to junkyards? It's just a piece of metal with a pair of tabs and holes drilled in it, for chrissakes. I asked around to different places that install car stereos, but they all referred me back to the dealer.

To top it all off, I got the new passenger side window installed today, and the driver's side window popped out of the track again. I think I'll be taking it back to have it adjusted, since this is now the second time.

Grr.

Reply to
Arklier

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