Probably just going to find something used locally. But i'll update the thread accordingly to reflect my findings.

 

Bummer is right.
Thanks for sharing your updates!

 

I was finally able to track down a 1st gen 4Runner rear window regulator & motor. I found a ton of tailgates locally but they were all shells since the regulator, window and motors were ripped out of them. I should have the regulator this week and hopefully I can finally solve the problem i've been having.

 

12-11-19 - Update - Rear Window

Almost have this project wrapped up. It took some time to find a regulator that was even worth purchasing, let alone finding one. The local yards were picked clean. They had a bunch of tailgate shells but unfortunately someone ran off with the regulator(s) and motor(s) way before i got there. Through a Facebook group, I was able to track one down in Idaho. The buyer was extremely generous with pictures so after $120.00 shipped and 7 days later, I finally received it. The buyer was nice enough to include the motor with it, as well.

I got around to installing it yesterday and everything went smooth. Pulled the motor, unbolted everything, slid the regulator to the passenger side, slid it back to the driver side, pulled the window and then finagled the regulator out. Reversed the steps to get the new but used regulator and motor back in, got it all buttoned back together.

I wasn't able to find any alligator clip electrical leads in my garage (surprisingly) so i'm basically stuck with the tailgate down and the window halfway up. It's like this because the regulator has to be removed and installed with the window half way up/down. I could essentially pull the motor off the new but used regulator, push the window into the tailgate but then i'd have to do a little bit of clocking for the regulator, which i didn't wanna do.

White at work i'm going to make some make shift electrical leads and jump the motor when I get home. This should lower the window even with the tailgate down and then i should be able to close the gate, grease everything and finally wrap this project up.

Here's a picture for good measure:

 

12-13-19 - Rear Window Fixed

Wrapped up the rear window project yesterday and everything is dialed in. The window does appear to roll up and down slower than before but its definitely a lot smoother and quieter. If the motor craps out, at least I have a working unit from the previous regulator.

Thanks everyone for all their suggestions/help.

 

12-16-19 - Blower Motor Replacement

The original blower motor finally crapped out so I replaced it with an Autozone unit. Took about 30 minutes to pull the original motor, pull the fan blade off, wash it, install it onto the new motor and reinstall. Original motor lasted 31 years and 254k miles.

 

12-16-19 - Seized Brake Drum

Next on the list of things to do is address the nasty vibration in the rear axle. At first I thought that the U-joints were taking a ˟˟˟˟. I pulled the jack out, inspected those and I didn't find anything out of the normal. I greased them up while I was under there for good measure.

From there, I moved onto the differential itself. Popped the drain plug, drained all the gear oil into a pan and then poured it all through a low micron strainer and little to no metal was caught. Filled that sucker back up with new gear oil and called that good.

After inspecting the differential, I moved onto the brakes. I pulled the wheels off the back axle, unhooked the e-brake cables, clocked the shoes back so i could pull the rotors off. Passenger side rear looked great but the driver side was completed rusted and warped to all hell.

At this point, it seems like the passenger side brake has just been dragging ass when driving around. Surprisingly enough, I didn't even notice since the 4Runner is slower than hell. I'll order up some rear brake hardware and see what I can do as far as getting the rear axle dialed in and hopefully make this sucker a driver so I can move onto getting her smogged and California legal.

 

When I changed my drum brakes some time ago I got a nasty vibration soon after getting on the fwy. I had the adjustments wrong and had to adjust further. So, I think that drum brake issues could cause a vibration. But I think it would be a very different vibration than from something in the diff... (I've had both) lol

 

Yeah, it's not a big deal. I'll fix everything once the parts come in.

 

1-10-20 Update - Fixed Rear Brakes

Fixed the rear brakes on the 4Runner but the vibration still persists. The error I made on the rear brakes was on the driver side rear. Inspecting the shoes, it looks like the left side was basically pressed against the drum at all times and the right side wasn't touching at all. They were completely out of adjustment. Which is odd because I did the same adjustment method on the passenger side axle as i did on the driver side. Passenger side was perfect.

Anyway, Brakes are dialed in, e-brake works flawlessly and all is well. I still have a nasty vibration in the rear end for some reason. I'm beginning to think that it still could be the driveshaft. The vibration is only prominent on deceleration, which leads me to believe that it's definitely the driveshaft

 

Why do you think the vibration during decel is due to driveshaft? I have a slight vibration on decel above 70mph and I always thought its my diff

 

Typically, drivetrain vibration on decel is due to:

1) Driveshaft unbalanced/U-joints worn out

2) Pinion slop

3) Flywheel out of balance

4) Brakes not adjusted properly.

I just did the brakes, so that's been eliminated. I haven't touched the driveshaft since i did the SAS and i've never even looked at the clutch/flywheel.

 

1-28-20 - Fuel Filter.

No real update other than the fact that I swapped out the original fuel filter for another OEM unit. Getting the hard lines off was a bit of a task but they eventually budged. This is all in preparation of getting this ol' girl to pass smog. Since i've owned the truck, it seems to fail every year due to high NOX. it's got a relatively new OEM o2 sensor, new silicone vacuum hoses and the EGR has been cleaned/gone through. I believe it's failing due to high cylinder temperatures from carbon built up. The original 3vze is at about 250k miles and she's burning about 1/2 a quart of oil every 3k miles. I'm gonna put a little bit of seafoam in, burn a tank of gas and then swap the plugs/wires/cap/rotor then take her in to see if she passes. If not, I can at least resort to replacing the catalytic converter.

 

Double post

 

I had a hell of a time passing smog as well. Good luck with that, hope you pass!!

 

8-13-20 - Update

Took a step back from fixing the little things on the 4Runner to reevaluate the larger problems with the rig. Due to the fact that the truck is failing smog and preventing current registration in California, I decided to park it in my driveway, let it hang out for a bit and drive the Cressida.

I did add yet another Toyota to my fleet. I originally bought this car for $150.00 off of a co-worker of mine. It was failing smog because the CEL tossing a code for shifter solenoids. I got it home, fixed the solenoids, passed smog and drove the hell out of it. Shortly after that, a buddy of mine wife's car took a ˟˟˟˟ (it was a Kia) so I sold it to him for $2200.00 bucks. Well, a year later he bought his wife a new car and didn't need this one anymore so he sold it back to me for $300.00. it's got 100,000 more miles than it had when I sold it and it now has a little oil leak on the oil pan but it still drives and the AC works, which is a huge plus because the Cressida's AC didn't work and nor does the 4Runner's.

Anyway, long story short. I posted the Cressida for sale and it sold overnight. I also have the Xrunner posted for sale in hopes to free up the monthly payments associated with it and half of my garage so I can get the 4Runner in there for some serious maintenance. It still hasn't passed smog but I have everything to make that happen minus a catalytic converter. It does have the original catalytic converter and it's at 250k miles but I think i should be able to get it to pass with new plugs, wires, cap and rotor after i do a solid Seatfoam / denatured alcohol treatment..Besides getting the truck to pass smog, I need to address the steering issues. I have a brand new steering box, flat pitman arm and steering box mount waiting to be installed. I also need to rebuild the front axle and test the front locker functionality. No parts collected for this yet but I plan on running the Marlin Crawler gasket. Besides that, i'd like to get the AC fixed and relocate the rear shocks to a more ride-worthy location.

For now, i'm just waiting for the Xrunner to sell before I start all of this work. For good measure, here's a picture of the steering box & pitman arm:

 

8-21-20 - Update

The earliest that i can get my steering box relocated in the first week of October so I figured this would be a good time to get everything else squared away. I ordered a whole new vacuum hose kit and an OEM cap and rotor to go along with the new spark plugs and wire set. I'm gonna stop off at either O'Reilly or Autozone on the way home and grab some Seafoam to clean the whole system out.

I'll be working on the daily driver this weekend because the brake pads started hitting the guides on my way to work this morning. I ordered Calipers, rotors, pads and all the necessary hardware just to have everything in case it all needs to be replaced. I should probably start a little build thread for the ol faithful Camry just to keep track of everything. lol

 

8-31-20 - Vacuum Lines Replaced

I took the time to replace all of the vacuum lines on the 4Runner. Previously I ordered a cheap set off of Ebay and they worked when I first installed them but over a few years, they started to wear down due to the thin material.

I ordered another set from LC Engineering and the kit is much better quality. I deliberately made the lines a little bit longer so that I can access the spark plugs and wires without the whole spaghetti nonsense getting in the way.

 

i know it’s too late to help you, but you can operate the rear window with the tailgate down using the key if you close the driver side tailgate latch (i use a phillips screwdriver shaft). then you can “be right there” to observe its operation and hear any clunks or bangs. just remember to pull the tailgate handle to release the latch prior to closing the tailgate, or it will just thud and not close.

 

Nice. The LCE vacuum hose kit is awesome. The manufacturer is Paragon Performance. They are a quality company.