Window troubles

[Kozuto_98]

Been having some troubles rolling my front windows up and down over the past few months. They were always a little rough since I bought the
car last May, but recently they've finally given up. I remember seeing a video Robert Walker uploaded a while ago about these windows getting out
of alignment and causing some issues.

The drivers side door is the worst of it, if I roll the window down it's fairly smooth, however rolling up will only be smooth half way up, then my crank
starts jumping, almost as if the plastic is stripped. I'm just curious if this is a fairly common problem others have had and if so what it the best solution.

All else fails I can try swapping in another window regulator.

[dlb]

Yes, this is a common problem. It's not stripped plastic though, it's the metal teeth of the window regulator that are likely stripped. I think Xirdneh posted something about a way to possibly repair the teeth but I can't remember now. They are easy enough to replace if you have access to a good spare, but they are getting harder to find as time goes on.

An ounce of prevention is the best cure for these. Save all the other window regulators while you can -- remove the door panels and spray all the moving parts with lithium grease, and then spray the exterior tracks with silicone spray lube. I do this on all my old cars when I first get them.

[Mark]

I've had this happen on my Tercel wagon and my Toyota van. As mentioned, one or two teeth on the gear of the window regulator get worn down and eventually cause the mechanism to slip. Both times I welded a small glob of metal on the tip of the worn tooth and filed it down into shape. So far they are still working. And as DLB said, keep everything well lubricated.

[Kozuto_98]

I'll take a look inside the doors tomorrow. Thank god it's not the plastic stripping. If the gears are worn down enough I'll try some filler rod and shape
it like Mark suggested until I can make the hour drive to where I know there are Tercels in a yard. I do eventually want to have a full set of spare doors
plus hatch incase I ever need them.

Thanks for the info and tips, dlb & Mark!

[Kozuto_98]

Tore my whole door apart, problem is the regulator gear teeth like what was said. I'll try loading up some welds on them and shaping them first.
I at least managed to get my window to fully roll up in the mean time, I was starting to get worried about some rain on the way.

[Petros]

the factory service manual says to lubricate all the window regulator and guides every 30k miles, but like the diff and trans oil changes, no one ever does this. road dust and grit get into the door and slowly grind the parts away, most often on the drivers door (since it is used the most often). Replacement new window regulators show up on ebay/amazon/rockauto every so often, but not reliably (perhpas it is just someone selling off old inventory). I found the 2wd use the same regulator, and likely the same year corolla too (but I have not tried the fit, they look similar). I try to grab any good ones I find at the local pick and pull when they have a tercel4wd in, but I am always using them up fix other peoples Tercels or my own project cars.

welding and regrinding is a good solution if you can not get a replacement, just keep it lubricated and it should last indefinably. it only takes about 5 min to remove the door panels once you know how, so it is not too big a job to do on a regular basis to keep it working smoothly. Lithium grease works the best since it will not attract dust, graphite and other dry lube should work well as well.

[ALiveSR5]

Replacement new window regulators show up on ebay/amazon/rockauto every so often, but not reliably (perhpas it is just someone selling off old inventory).

Maybe I should consider dismantling these doors and just selling the components, since shipping the whole doors sounds like more work than it is worth to me. The car had less than 52,000 miles on it but I had to store the doors outside. The window gears, though, have not been used for 25 years.
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LeftFrontDoorInside.jpg

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LeftBackDoorInside.jpg

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I wonder if the work would be worth the effort?

[Kozuto_98]

Always worth a shot, I'm sure someone could use the parts, and I imagine those door cards could clean up nice.

[NWMO]

I would be interested in the FRONT driver's side regulator if it's in good shape. A little welding/grinding doesn't scare me, but my time has some value.

Chris

[ALiveSR5]

I have been dealing with limiting health challenges, for several months, now. If someone does not buy the whole doors and I finally feel well enough to dismantle them, I will let you know. I am not quite sure what would motivate me, right now.

[NWMO]

Bill,

I'm certainly in no hurry. I have plenty to do on my car before it's on the road again and I've lived with it like it is for 4+ years

Chris

[Petros]

it should not take more than about 30-40 min to totally dismantle the door. you will need a philips screwdriver and 10mm socket on a 1/4" drive set, with an extension. and a way to get the clips off the window crank handle (some find wrapping a rag around it and pulling it out works, I have used needle nose pliers to push the clip off). the door panel pops off along the bottom edge, after you remove the handles, etc. and than once the lower edge is free, you lift it up. there is a detail of it on the FSM, and all the parts that hold the inner panel to the door.

though more work, you will likely find it easier to sell off individual parts. if someone just needs the window glass they would be reluctant to pay for shipping a whole door to get it.

good luck.