carrotjuice

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for everyone who responds to my posts =)

Does anyone have the problem of their rear door (cargo) not opening? My Powerlocks on my 91 4Runner work fine with all 4 of my doors, however, the rear door doesn't open at all when I insert the key, or when I try to open it via the powerlock.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

thook

Does the window go down? And, are you saying that when you lift up on the handle, the gate latches will not release?

carrotjuice

Both - The gate latch will not release from the inside, nor when I turn the key from the outside will the rear cargo door open. The windows don't go down either

jrfast

im not sure if you have the tailgate/power window that recesses into the tailgate. If so check the rear wiper blade. make sure it is on the perch/bracket/holder thing. You might need to start the truck, turn on the wiper and help it stow itself. If the wiper arm is bent like from a car wash and it doesnt seat on that holder the window power realy module will not let the window down because it thinks the wiper blade is still on the glass. Ther eisnt a swith on the holder just a position sensor on the wiper motor. hope this helps. Let me know if this works.

thook

You won't be able to unlock the tailgate nor open it until the window is all the way down. The lock is prevented from moving to unlock until the regulator is in the right position....window open. Like he said, the wiper has that sensor and that will keep the window from going down. If that isn't the problem, there are other reasons why the window won't work.....obviously.

Greg_Canada

I had this problem once... and my rear window lock switch was on

GSGALLANT

Like thook mentioned, you can't unlock the rear door until the rear window is all the way down, and you can't open the rear door until it is unlocked (obviously). The power locks button and the key in the rear door will not unlock the rear door anyways... it's not setup that way. Manual lock/unlock only. Now, the key in the rear door should open and close the rear window if everything is working properly. I think you stated your real problem in post #3. You have to troubleshoot why your window is not working.

carrotjuice

Thanks for everyone's help.

I'm still not sure what everyone is referring about regarding the rear window?
Like..when I go into the back, and try to open the cargo door with the indoor level, it won't budge. When I try to open the cargo door from the outside with my key, it won't budge.

Regarding the window, it won't roll up or down, and theres a small sliver crack opening, where the last user didn't roll it all the way up. Maybe this is the problem?

I was told that the rear window doesn't come up or down, but the mechanic said it wasn't worth it because it was extremely expensive to replace.

Thanks again everyone!

GV27

By design the tailgate will not open unless the window is all the way down. So you don't open it with the window up and break the window by sitting on it, dropping something on it, hitting it with something, etc.

The power locks have nothing to do with it. They don't work on the tailgate lock. The key on the outside is not a door lock but rather a power window switch to roll the rear window up and down. Once it's all the way down you reach in and open the lock, then open the gate.

So your problem is the rear window which is the achilles heel of all 1st and 2nd-gen 4Runners. Do a search on that. Usually it's that water has gotten down there and rusted out your motor and/or regulator unless it's the switches. Make sure it's not locked on the console and make sure your rear wiper is properly seated. If both of those things are OK then you'll have to get to it from the inside and start troubleshooting. This can be damn expensive. On mine the stealership wanted $1800 to fix it and my local shop did it for $650 using used parts. I'd have done it myself but me and power windows just don't get along!

Chris

GSGALLANT

Again... very simple. To get the door open, you must get the window down first. Period! The problem is getting the window down.

Crawl in the back of the truck, pull the panel off of the rear door, disconnect the connector for the rear window motor, and put power directly to the motor (12V on one side... ground on the other) If the motor and regulator work, your window should go up or down. If it goes up, reverse the wires that you connected to make it go down. Once the window is down, you can then unlock and open the hatch, which will make troubleshooting the rear window problem much easier.

thook

Don't believe what that mechanic told you. Yes, it CAN be expensive, but it can also be repaired inexpensively if you have some help from others who've done it. Any of the parts within the whole system can be had used, and some of them new from aftermarket suppliers. And being worth it? That's rediculous. I mean, you have to be able to get the window and tailgate down, don't you?

BTW, have you tried fooling with the rear window wiper? As simple as that sounds, you'd be surprised how common that little problem is.

carrotjuice

Thanks a lot for everyone's help so far..this forum is great!

Can anyone show me exactly how the rear wiper is supposed to look like? Without me knowing, my father disassembled it for cleaning, but he is saying he forgot how to put it back into place

I know I know..arck..its frustrating

thook

Really? Oh boy.

I don't have any pics at the moment, but can you tell me how far he has gotten putting it back together? Did he pull the motor out or what?

carrotjuice

OH man...

There's a motor in the rear wiper?

He totally disassembled the rear wiper...and by disassembled, theres nothing except a bolt there where the rear wiper is now.

It's driving me insane

carrotjuice

Does this refer to the rear wiper or the rear cargo bay (inside?)

Thanks!

Ender83

My feiend's 94 4runner is half dissasembled right now and I have access to the wiper and how to put it back together. I can take pics of how to assemble it and what parts there are. pm me if you need this and I'll email pics.

I can also take pics of the relay box, window motor, and window regulator if you need help identifying any of the parts or their wiring.