1st Gen rear window repair
 

My teeth on the motor gear are stripped and the lift rail is rusted on both sides so the window has stopped going up and down unless I give it a little "assistance." I'm pretty sure the teeth are stripped because I can hear the motor running while turning the key and it slides down by itself while I'm driving. I did a search and it seems someone else had problems with stripped teeth on their motor. Before it stopped going up and down on its own, it used to make a clunking noise while going up and down like it had a broken gear tooth somewhere. Even if the motor and the gear are o.k., I still need to replace the liftrail. My questions are:

1) Can I replace just the gear on the motor or do I have to replace the whole motor?
2) There is a connector on the driver's side of the lift rail and two wires hanging loose in the tailgate. Are they for the defrost or do they go to something else?
3) I know I have to take the carpet and the plastic off to get to the whole window assemby, but how do I get the assembly out of the tailgate? Do I need to take the glass out of the liftrail first or what? A step-by-step would be nice. There isn't alot of room to work with in the tailgate and I can't quite figure out how to get the motor and regulator assy. out. :think:

My runner is an 89, BTW.

Some ideas on my web page:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...arWindow.shtml

Have not done any mechanical work on my '85 window, but on my old FJ55 Landcruiser I had a gear strip on the motor. Had to buy the whole motor and some other parts as an assembly from Toyota. I ended up just pulling the gear off the new motor and put it on the old motor while it was still in place.

Thanks, Roger. You're right, I'll probably have to buy the whole motor assy. unless I can find one with a gear in good condition. Now I just have to figure out how to get everything out of the tailgate so I can replace the gear on the motor.

Anyone have any info on how to get the regulator assy. out or what the two loose wires go to?