rear window - '98 4runner

Spray some silicone spray on the window tracks --- down inside the door shell too. Do it before you strip the grars on the motor (big $$$).

Hey Wolf,

Thanks for the tip. I just picked up some silicone spray but when I went to lower the back window all I get now is a click (from the back door). This sucks. I suppose I better bend over now.

-T

Unfortunatelly you WILL have to bend over. What you described is exactly what happened to me. The little gear on your motor has stripped. The design of the window sucks, and water gets in an washes out all the grease. This in turn rusts the gears. What happened on mine was that the motor gear got stripped. You have no choice but to get a new motor. Sorry.

I don't suppose I could find an aftermarket motor out there and that I could do the work myslef? Am I dreaming? Google seemed to think so.

Try

for a used motor. I'd take yours out and check it first --- I seem to recall dealer price on the motor (can't just buy the gears) was over $300. Might look on ebay too --- TAP is often pricy on what they think a used part is worth.

Good ideas - thx! I called my local dealer here today and was quoted $262.00 for the motor. The regulator is another $131.00 if thats needed. I did manage to get the window open this morning and immediately shot a bunch of silicone in the tracks, and onto the regulator gears (I think that's what I saw - 2 fan shaped gears in the center of the door??). The silicone seemed to help and I didn't have any problems lowering/raising the rest of the day. I have no idea how this works but am envisioning that the motor turns an arm and the other end of the arm is attached to the fan shaped gears? As the window comes up the regulator moves down thus lifting the window. Am I close? One parts guy told me it was a huge job, and the other one told me it could be done pretty easily so I guess I better just get in there and see what I can find.

The 'fan shaped gears' keep the window straight in it's tracks as it goes up and down by pushing on both sides evenly. One of the arms is pushed up and down by the motor.

If you have sprayed some silicone lube in the rubber window tracks and on the mechanism, try it for a while - with the caveat that you don't lower the window at a /really/ bad time - like when you're away from home and it looks like rain...

You still might have to take the door panel off and change the motor or regulator, but stuck windows are often just caused by the glass sticking in the channels. (And if you leave the glass sticking and binding up the works long enough, THEN it chews up the motor or regulator gears.)

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yes, actually, there are three gears, one is hidden behind the brace. but you got the idea. the motor turns the hidden gear which is attached to the fan-shaped assy and that moves the window up and down. every couple of months i grease it all. however rather than silicone, i suggest spray white lithium. don't use the lithium grease on the rubber, that's best left to the silicone, but for metal-metal contact the lithium is the best and it's mosty water proof.

i didn't find working on the window a big deal. my friend bought a runner where the rear window was crooked and he wanted to fix that. i had never taken the rear apart before, but i took the motor, regulator, and window out (i also took the motor apart by accident). then we straightend the windows and put it all back in. i think it was a 3hour job or so. but about 1.5 hours were trying to put the motor back together (there are springs that push the brushes agains the rotor which jumped out and were a real pain to get back in). so it'll be a relatively easy job if you don't mess with taking the motor apart - you can take the motor off without taking it apart.

mike

Well I found out what I am up against this weekend, had some extra time so i removed the metal panel behind the door and got a good look at the guts. I assume that blue box (attached to the panel) is the control center for the wiper, window, door locks, license plate lights, etc.??? Didn't really take too much apart yet but did spray a nice coat of silicone on most of the moving parts. Didn't have any of the lithum spray grease but i do have lithium canned grease, would this be OK to use on the arm slide and the fan gears, for instance? Or will it eventually gum up?

thanks!

the canned grease is the same thing. it's just easier to apply if it's the spray kind. either way it should be fine. just don't put too much on. if you put a lot on, it will attract dirt and not help you out. a nice thin layer on the areas where there is actual metal to metal contact will be fine. i've actually known guys who use some type of degreaser (like carb cleaner or somehting) to completely clean out all the old grease and dirt and then put new stuff on. i'm too lazy to do that, so i just add new grease every so often, it works well.

mike