rear hatch swap
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PitbullRescuer
New member
Can you post a picture of each? I've swapped a hatch before, a '99 hatch onto a '97 without issue. I'd have to see what you're referring to to see if I remember doing any extra steps.
Greg_Canada
New member
You will want to use the wire harness and the ECM's / control modules from your truck. You can use everything else from the donor truck. Just remove the harness / control module from the "new" tailgate and set it aside and install the original harness in it's place. All the internals are the same but they added more electrical bits.
From the 98
<a href="http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/dh1376/media/photo_zps2eb87f9c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a620/dh1376/photo_zps2eb87f9c.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo photo_zps2eb87f9c.jpg"/></a>
99
<a href="http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/dh1376/media/photo_zpsa6892998.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a620/dh1376/photo_zpsa6892998.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo photo_zpsa6892998.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/dh1376/media/photo_zps2eb87f9c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a620/dh1376/photo_zps2eb87f9c.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo photo_zps2eb87f9c.jpg"/></a>
99
<a href="http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/dh1376/media/photo_zpsa6892998.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a620/dh1376/photo_zpsa6892998.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo photo_zpsa6892998.jpg"/></a>
PitbullRescuer
New member
Sorry, didn't realize you posted them. Those plugs don't look different to me though. If they are, I'd just swap the module from your old hatch. You can test it before you button it all back up.
jc1kz
New member
What you have is the pre-face lift '98 and you want to replace it with the face-lifted
'99 (the years for pre-face lift are '96-'98 and the facelift years are '99-02) you will need the wiring harness and the blue box from your truck transfered into the the new tailgail of the '99....if it works as others have said great...but there was another member here that did the same thing and had a heck of a time removing the wiring harness.....just saying....I did a tailgate switch from a '00 to an '01 and still had to switch out the box not the whole harness to get the alarm to work....good luck...
'99 (the years for pre-face lift are '96-'98 and the facelift years are '99-02) you will need the wiring harness and the blue box from your truck transfered into the the new tailgail of the '99....if it works as others have said great...but there was another member here that did the same thing and had a heck of a time removing the wiring harness.....just saying....I did a tailgate switch from a '00 to an '01 and still had to switch out the box not the whole harness to get the alarm to work....good luck...
Update: I took out the wire harness that runs along the side and out at the top today. I was planning on swapping the harness inside too but I noticed they were the same in the 98 and 99 hatch so I kept that and swapped the harness with the white plug. Doing this I was able to use the power module that came with the 99 hatch, but after hooking everything up the window didn't work. Do I need to swap the harness inside even if they're the same? There is one plug that I couldn't get to on the 99 hatch, because the window of course was in the way.
Cheers:driving:
Cheers:driving:
AssBurns
New member
I'm having the same issue right now. I have a 2000 4runner and I am trying to replace the hatch with a 1998 hatch. Ran into the problem of the harness connections not being the same. I don't want to have to rip out the harnesses and try to replace them if there is a better solution. Has anyone gotten around the whole harness swap or had anyone verified that swapping the whole harness will work. Thanks!
UPDATE: You have to swap the entire wiring harness for the rear hatch. All the connections for the lock, window, wiper, etc are the same. The difference is the actual ECU for the entire assembly. I didn't get any pictures but it wasn't too hard. The biggest PITA was trying not to completely break things when pulling the old harness.
UPDATE: You have to swap the entire wiring harness for the rear hatch. All the connections for the lock, window, wiper, etc are the same. The difference is the actual ECU for the entire assembly. I didn't get any pictures but it wasn't too hard. The biggest PITA was trying not to completely break things when pulling the old harness.
Last edited:
AssBurns
New member
Depends if you have the correct harness or not. If you have the correct harness it is pretty easy if you have a helping hand. It's just 4 bolts for the Hatch, 2 bolts per gas strut, pulling the cargo light, unscrewing a couple panel screws, popping off the paneling & roof, and plugging in the new harness. If you have to swap the harness its way more work. I advise getting a hatch with the correct harness already in it.
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96*4Runner
New member
Tailgate swap - 99 to 96
I have a similar problem - I have a 1996 4Runner that has a badly rusted tailgate and I was able to pick up what I thought was going to be a compatible 1999 tailgate from a scrap yard. I started to remove my old tailgate and noticed that the harness that's up behind the headliner has two plugs one grey and one white. The grey plugs are the same shape and fit whereas the white plugs are different. I have two questions: 1) Are the grey plugs wired identically so that all I have to do is just plug it in on the 99 tailgate? 2) Has anyone tried to wire a short cable to transition between the two harnesses and make them compatible? I have both ends of the white plug from the 1999 and the plug in my 1996 tailgate.
Or do I have to pull out the harness from my 1996 tailgate and install it in the donor 1999 tailgate?
I have a similar problem - I have a 1996 4Runner that has a badly rusted tailgate and I was able to pick up what I thought was going to be a compatible 1999 tailgate from a scrap yard. I started to remove my old tailgate and noticed that the harness that's up behind the headliner has two plugs one grey and one white. The grey plugs are the same shape and fit whereas the white plugs are different. I have two questions: 1) Are the grey plugs wired identically so that all I have to do is just plug it in on the 99 tailgate? 2) Has anyone tried to wire a short cable to transition between the two harnesses and make them compatible? I have both ends of the white plug from the 1999 and the plug in my 1996 tailgate.
Or do I have to pull out the harness from my 1996 tailgate and install it in the donor 1999 tailgate?
96*4Runner
New member
phattyduck
Elite Member
The wiring in the hatch is different, not just the plugs. There is a whole 'rear door ECU' that communicates with the front body ECU via a multiplex communication bus on the '99+ trucks... You'll need to swap out the guts.
-Charlie
-Charlie
96*4Runner
New member
Thanks for your response. How long do you think that it would it take for a novice to complete? Could it be accomplished over a weekend? Do you know if anyone has documented how to do it? Would it be wiser for me to look for a hatch from a '98?
