Junior Member
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Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Fort Collins
Posts: 20
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Fort Collins
Posts: 20
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1998 4Runner Rear Window Inop
Hi all, I've been a long time reader of the forum, just now getting involved! It's a great place, and I look forward to adding what I can. I work as an aviation technician, troubleshooting electronics in aircraft and doing wiring jobs for new installs. A lot of this is new, but I can still fall back on the basics.
Here's the issue I have with my 1998:
The rear window will not go down, AND the rear wiper will not operate. They've been inop for about a month, and I finally had the time to look into it. Oddly enough, we had a cold snap a few weeks ago, and this caused them to operate properly again, only during the extreme cold- What?
Electronic lock operates, and window heat operates. Since I've been driving it (2016), I've never been able to use the key in the rear lock, I can't turn the key. It's very finnicky, and I've only been able to find the "sweet spot" once, it's more or less impossible to test the window from there.
I removed the rear door panels, cleaned all the connectors (and applied Deoxit to the contacts), verified all wires and pins were present and in good condition.
I can hit the down switch on the console, and hear a single click from the rear hatch. After doing this a few times, I felt the window motor, which had become warm. I suspect that the motor is running the wrong direction, and is unable to force the window up any further. The limit switch next to the motor and drive assembly is about a quarter inch past touching the drive gear, clearly in the off position.
I personally suspect that my issue is with the controller computer (I think I read that it interfaces to both the window and wiper). I don't know the system well enough to know for sure, and from everything else I've read nothing addresses this directly. I say this because the window motor is almost certainly trying to drive the window UP when I press DOWN, and is failing to see that the limit switch is off which would indicate that the window is fully up.
I have tried moving/resetting the wiper to allow the window to move, but that did not work.
I'd like input on anything else to try or test before I try to order a new computer. Right now this is still just an inconvenience, but if it IS the computer, I have concerns because it also controls ABS, and the last thing I want is for it to fail and lock up the brakes at a bad time. Failing microchips can do some weird things.
Last edited by EJosephs; 04-25-2021 at 12:03 AM.
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