airnocker

I'm new to this forum but always contribute to forums I belong to. I've owned my '94 4Runner SR5 4WD's for one week, just put new rear drive shaft u-joints in. It has other minor issues such as the rear window goes down and up from the tailgate switch but only down from the center console switch. Here is one possible solution that worked for me.

Today I received a new gear shift boot in the mail so I removed the shifter bezel/boot and console, realizing this was a good opportunity to test the rear window switch. The previous owners didn't keep the inside very clean as there was lots and lots of back road dust in cracks and crevasses all through the interior and engine compartment. Dust and mechanical electronic switches don't live well together and there was plenty of dust surrounding the rear window toggle switch and bezel.

With the console removed from the vehicle, I snapped out the rear window toggle switch and rear fan switch toggle. I first Ohm'd out the switch contacts to see what was what and found the 5 wire terminals on the back of the switch were like this:
1 2 3 4 5
0 o o o 0 Of these five contacts I was able to confirm the center contact (3) was the one that either connected to (2) or (4) depending on the toggle's position. I believe (1) and (5) are 12v and one of them powers the teenie-tiny light bulb on the side of the switch body and am guessing is switch "on" by the control relay board.

On one side of the switch body is a round gray, slotted part. This is the bulb holder and rotating the round part with a small screw driver unlocks the bulb holder for removal. With the bulb holder removed one can see inside of the toggle switch and reveals one stationary contact and the toggle contact for that stationary contact. I put an ohm meter,that beeps when the two probes are in electrical contact, across (3) and (2) and alternately (4) as I pushed to "Open" or "Close" positions. I only got continuity in the "Open" switch position and not the "Closed" position.

I could tell the toggle button was pivoting on a small, hollow wrist pin, and the rear switch body was held in by four clips. I was unable to release the clips and remove the back of the switch that the 5 wires attach to and this was a good thing, too, as it told me to go in from the other side. I pressed the wrist pin out (while holding down on the toggle button) with a small drill bit, which was easy to press out. I gently released the toggle and it seemed spring loaded (and was). I lifted the toggle switch out along with a white plastic pin and spring inserted in a hole on the backside of the toggle button. With the toggle out I could see the mechanical "toggle" contactor that was held suspended on pivots like a see-saw. I remove the toggle contactor.

All around the top rim of the switch body was dirt, dust and hair grunge and lots of it. I used a pointy, small pick akin to a small sewing needle and loosened up and removed all the grunge on all four sides that surrounded the toggle button. Then I washed it out with warm soapy water and a toothbrush. With it clean like new, I blotted up as much water as I could and shook out what was left, then sprayed the inside of the switch with WD-40 to displace any remaining moisture.

I dropped the toggle contactor back in with a tiny pair of needle nose pliers, added a tiny dab of spit to the white plastic pin to help it from sliding out when placing the toggle button back into position, then pressed the wrist pin back in with a small flat blade screw driver.

I ohm'd out pin (3) and (2), toggled until I heard a beep on the ohmeter, then ohm'd out pin (3) and (4) and did the same. I now got good continuity between (3) and (2) and (3) and (4) for the UP/DOWN toggle positions.

My point is, these switches are built far too ruggedly for contacts to go bad, but dirt will mess up the mechanical workings of a toggle switch in a heart beat.

The rear window works great from the console once again.