Toyota Window Question (Highlander)

[Jeff Kleb]

My g/f has a 2002 Highlander with almost 150,000 miles on it. That is a lot of road time, but she has owned it since it was new, it is paid off and she cannot afford to replace it. It still runs well, so why get tied up with another car payment anyway?
:hatsoff:

Okay, the problem is with the right-front passenger side window. It will go down if you "help" it with your hand, but will not go up at all. The power window motor turns (clearly audible), but the window glass itself will not move. This, of course, makes me think it is simply off the track. I am leery of trying to pry off the door panel, as I am afraid I won't be able to get it back on & secured properly. I also am trying to avoid taking it to the stealer - as they are more likely to charge $200 for what may be a ten-minute repair.
:dammit:

Anyone here have any ideas? Have any of you experienced a similar problem with a power window mechanism on a 4Runner? They are both Toyotas, so there must be some similarities between them.

I appreciate any help, advice or suggestions from the T4R Brain Trust!
:biggrin2:


P.S. It is a 2wd V6, but I doubt that matters.

 

[toto]

I'm sure that someone here has experience with fixing the windows.

You might find it worthwhile to pay the $15 for a 2-day subscription to Toyota TIS in order to look at the service manual for it. I would think you'd find exploded views of the door panel in there so you know where to carefully pry it apart. There you would also find TSB's, letting you know if it's a common problem or not.

 

[ToyTech99]

I've seen this problem hundreds of times on high mileage Toyotas, as well as other vehicles. 99% of the time, the problem is the power window motor, although the driver's side typically dies before the passenger side. But chances are that it's getting weak and needs to be replaced. It's a fairly easy job to do yourself if you have some basic hand tools and knowledge. Do yourself a favor and buy an aftermarket motor from your favorite auto parts store. Toyota charges a lot of money for an OEM unit.

 

[Jeff Kleb]

Thanks for the replies. I still think it is something besides the motor, but I will take a closer look whenever I see the vehicle again.

Gracias!

 

[ToyTech99]

Thanks for the replies. I still think it is something besides the motor, but I will take a closer look whenever I see the vehicle again.

Gracias!

FWIW, the window isn't on a track. It's attached to a regulator, which is the mechanism that is turned by the motor and causes the window to raise and lower. Sometimes the regulator gets bound up, but that is really very rare. Keep in mind that power window motors commonly go bad, but when they do they die a slow death rather than dying completely all at once. So even if it seems like the motor is fine, it's probably too weak to do it's job.