94 Es300 Window Broke - Help

[John B.]

Hello, I have a '94 ES300. The rear left window was down, and when i tried to close it, it made a loud cracking sound. The window won't roll up, but I can hear the motor running. It's 'loose' if i pull on the glass.

My question: I've called the dealer and it sounds like they think it's just the 'regulator'. Is this part just the cable? Is the same part from a '94 Camry identical?

Also, has anyone had luck getting a Toyota dealer to actually work on a Lexus? It seems like I tried this several yrs back and they wouldn't help me out. Just curious if anyone else has tried w/ any luck. Thanks

[SKperformance]

it might be off the track

which would explain the crack noise

best bet is to remove the door panel and see what is going on indside

toyota dealer sometimes will lookafter a lexus

i used to think a reg from a camry would work but i am not sure after looking at a camry which has a smaller rear window and a pillar over the window for support

also the es windows are slanted in the back while the cams are smaller with a solid small window behind

as well the es seems to have a slight pivot to the frameless window system for opening and closing the doors

[John B.]

well i have the door paneling removed....behind that there was a sheet of plastic...that's been mostly removed...i still can't figure out what is wrong exactly

i see a cable but it doesn't appear broke. i could hear my motor running, the window just wouldn't go up.

anyone have any pics of the internals or instructions that would help?

[John B.]

i think i've figured it out. i could take another door apart to check, but i'm hoping i don't have to do that (may not go back together - ha).

the glass pane on mine is resting at the bottom, all the way down. there's a metal plate about 3"x5" that is attached to the glass. i see the motor and it looks like it has 2, not 1, cables coming out of it. one goes down around the bottom and attaches to a white plastic piece (this one looks like what controls "pulling" the window down (so this isn't the problem).

the other cable from the motor starts out going up...and about 1/2 up the height of the door, it looks like there is a pulley type device, that the cable is SUPPOSED to loop over, and then go back down, to that same white plastic clip where it is SUPPOSED to attach to the top end of that clip.

on mine, the top end of that clip is frayed/cracked...it looks like when trying to "pull" the window up w/ the top cable, that it pulled thru the clip and broke it....and now the end of the top cable is resting up just below the pulley (hasn't looped over it yet).

so it looks like somehow i need to fix/replace that white clip so that it will again hold the cable. then loop the cable up over the pulley and back down.

[SKperformance]

good work on the detective status

now only if you can buy just that part

or it is cheap

good luck and keep us informed as to how it goes

[John B.]

guys i need some help. i am now trying to get the opposite door panel off so i can compare. so now i'm trying to remove the back right door paneling. but it's stuck. i can't get it off.

i've removed 3 plastic pop out sets along the edges of the door trim, plus the screw that's recessed under the door handle (on the inside). finally, there's a green pop out clip that you can't see, that is on the back edge, towards the top of the door. i've gotten that popped out. then there are 3 more just like this (green ones) that are on the bottom edge of the door. i've got those off.

then (and i know this because i have the other door panel off to compare), the only thing that should be left is along the top edge of the window that's holding it in. there's 3 like grooved/notches here that just appear to slide into a groove, to fit. i've got the front and back edges of the top of this door panel loose, but in the middle (where there is one groove), it's stuck.

on the other door, when i got it off (and it seemed much easier there), it seemed like when i got to this point, the plastic piece around the door handle came loose, and i could pull that off, and then lift up and the door paneling came off completely.

but here, i can't get it to "let go" of the piece around the door handle....ack. any one have specific instructions from a repair manual on how to remove the door paneling?? where can i find a repair manual? thks

[John B.]

new update...no longer worried about checking the other door.

i went to the dealer and asked to just talk w/ a service rep. he told me that it looked like i had alot of the work done since i had the door paneling removed and all. said it's almost surely just the regulator that i needed fixed, and that he wouldn't expect a 'rigged' one to last long, so to just buy the part. said it's about 2 hrs labor for them normally. he walked me thru the steps (WAY FASTER than i could catch it all)....

so, i'm going to try and do it myself. the biggest thing they told me to watch out for (and that it can basically ruin the $140 part i bought) is that the cabling right now is wound up on a coil thing, and right now it's tied down w/ a clasp. once you remove this clasp during the install and attachment to the existing motor, they said if you don't watch out, all that cabling will unwrap and go everywhere and that you can't really get it back together right, if that happens...if anyone has some detailed instructions w/ photos that would be soooo helpful....

[airace]

new update...no longer worried about checking the other door.

i went to the dealer and asked to just talk w/ a service rep.  he told me that it looked like i had alot of the work done since i had the door paneling removed and all.  said it's almost surely just the regulator that i needed fixed, and that he wouldn't expect a 'rigged' one to last long, so to just buy the part.  said it's about 2 hrs labor for them normally.  he walked me thru the steps (WAY FASTER than i could catch it all)....

so, i'm going to try and do it myself.  the biggest thing they told me to watch out for (and that it can basically ruin the $140 part i bought) is that the cabling right now is wound up on a coil thing, and right now it's tied down w/ a clasp.  once you remove this clasp during the install and attachment to the existing motor, they said if you don't watch out, all that cabling will unwrap and go everywhere and that you can't really get it back together right, if that happens...if anyone has some detailed instructions w/ photos that would be soooo helpful....

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Funny I have the EXACT same problem!!! :( It all started with that "crack" sound just like you said and I followed the other posts and opened up the panel and found the little plastic clasp pulling the door "up" was broken just like in this post! :(

& the wires had slipped out

- Now the reason it broke was that the wire around the coil thing you mentioned above was messed up inside the assembly and got too tight, pulled upon the platic hing which gave away - poor design to say the least...

I have now fixed the broken plastic assembly which holds and pulls the wire in the up direction (the way I did it was by super-glueing a small computer plastic part on top and closing the gap - next i took a plastic wire, coiled it arouind the metal part and glued it in too - the upward force when the window gets pulled it too high for a simple tiny plastic housing. Its a wonder it all keeps working all these years for everyone....)

My problem is the coiled wire housing...

I shall really appreciate it if anyone has instructions on how to WIND those wires back inside the housing behind the motor. They go around a white plastic guide which is rotated by the motor - you have to get the winding just right so that the window goes all the way up and down and not get stuck in the middle somewhere...

Oh - this is for a 94 ES300 in NJ

TIA!

[airace]

Update:

I finally fixed the wire pulley housing also. Heres a description -

- Keep the glass as high up as it can go and hold it there by some means - I used a high grip modelling clasp such that there was about an inch of the window left open and giving me some play in the wire.

- remove 4 nuts and 1 screw holding the motor assembly in place. Do not move the motor more than a few inches away from the door or the wire wind will have wrong play while putting everything back. Use smaller tools to get to the small screws capping the pulley

- remove the couple of screws holding the metal cap in place - this is where my wires had become trapped.

- remove the plastic tubing feeders with a spring around them from the housing. I also put a tape around these tubes as the wires kept slipping out thru the groove running down their center.

- push up and remove the round pulley assembly completey and untangle the wires. My wires had also frayed a bit.

- Figure out and mark the direction of the rotation when you press the window button up/down - basically its anticlockwise if you're looking at it from the inner assembly side

- Now wind the wires back on the pulley by hand - the wire coming from the top goes on the top hole of the pulley. When you insert the wire head, follow the direction of the groove next to that hole and wind the wire around as tight as you can by hand.

- similarly the wire from the bottom goes into the bottom hole of the pulley. This should be pretty tight to insert and wind maybe half a circle around the pulley -because the glass is in the up position, leaving barely any play.

- holding everything in place, insert the pulley back on the motor shaft and snap the feeder tube part back on top. I sprayed silicone around the assembly as I couldn't find my grease box - originally it had grease all over the place

- Put the metal cap back on and screw it in place. Arrange the feeder tubes on the top and bottom so that they are tight at the end where they sit in a small groove in the door.

- Make SURE that the wires go around the pulley guides on the top and bottom side on the inside of the door - they also have small guide lids that keep the wires from slipping out. Make sure the wires slip under these lids.

Bolt the motor asembly - the center part needs to be pushed in and bolted really tight to enable the door pocket screw to match its hole. Insert the electric connectors back into the door and snap the door back in place.

Thats it! :)

[ajenness]

Update:

I finally fixed the wire pulley housing also. Heres a description -

- Keep the glass as high up as it can go and hold it there by some means - I used a high grip modelling clasp such that there was about an inch of the window left open and giving me some play in the wire.

- remove 4 nuts and 1 screw holding the motor assembly in place. Do not move the motor more than a few inches away from the door or the wire wind will have wrong play while putting everything back. Use smaller tools to get to the small screws capping the pulley

- remove the couple of screws holding the metal cap in place - this is where my wires had become trapped.

- remove the plastic tubing feeders with a spring around them from the housing. I also put a tape around these tubes as the wires kept slipping out thru the groove running down their center.

- push up and remove the round pulley assembly completey and untangle the wires. My wires had also frayed  a bit.

- Figure out and mark the direction of the rotation when you press the window button up/down - basically its anticlockwise if you're looking at it from the inner assembly side

- Now wind the wires back on the pulley by hand - the wire coming from the top goes on the top hole of the pulley. When you insert the wire head, follow the direction of the groove next to that hole and wind the wire around as tight as you can by hand.

- similarly the wire from the bottom goes into the bottom hole of the pulley. This should be pretty tight to insert and wind maybe half a circle around the pulley -because the glass is in the up position, leaving barely any play.

- holding everything in place, insert the pulley back on the motor shaft and snap the feeder tube part back on top. I sprayed silicone around the assembly as I couldn't find my grease box - originally it had grease all over the place

- Put the metal cap back on and screw it in place. Arrange the feeder tubes on the top and bottom so that they are tight at the end where they sit in a small groove in the door.

- Make SURE that the wires go around the pulley guides on the top and bottom side on the inside of the door - they also have small guide lids that keep the wires from slipping out. Make sure the wires slip under these lids.

Bolt the motor asembly - the center part needs to be pushed in and bolted really tight to enable the door pocket screw to match its hole. Insert the electric connectors back into the door and snap the door back in place.

Thats it!  :)

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[azmalu]

Airrace I wish I would have read this yesterday instead of looking at the clublexus forums for answers....I took mined apart and cut the coil on the wire beause I didnt think it was repairable(same kinda problem where it was all knotted up and gargled + bent out of shape...)....I just assumed a 94 camry would reg. work fine...I ended up just buying it from a junk yard 65 shipped....