I have a 1995 Convertible and just replaced the rear window mounting plates. My drivers rear window pretty much just fell down and the other side is barely working. The nylon roller bushing which keep the window in the tracks break after many years. You can't just replace those bushings, you have to replace the entire plate they and the window glass are mounted to. Luckily the parts are still available from Toyota! I paid about $52 /each from my local toyota dealer. I was able to replace the window plate without removing seats or much anything else from the interior.

Difficulty level : 7 out of 10 - Mainly for the patience, tools and finger dexterity required

Tools I Needed:

Phillips Screwdriver
10 mm open end wrench
Vise grip pliers
Dremel tool with metal cutting blade
Magnet stick to pick up dropped parts LOL
Flashlight to see dropped parts
Big 90 degree needle nose pliers (or spanner wrench - specialty tool)
Lithium Grease
Penetrating oil

1. Put the top down.

2. Remove the top plastic cover next to the window and drop it out of the way (2 phillips screws)

3. Slightly pull the lower side plastic interior panel into the car just off the door opening. Enough to get to the Window parts.

4. Facing into the car from outside looking down. There are two window stops with rubber bumpers on either side of the window that need to be out of the way to get window out and back in. Note their positions, maybe scratch lines. The one on the right needs to come all the way out, the bolt clip will stay in. The one on the left I was able to loosen enough to get it out of the way without removing it. (10 mm bolts)

5. The first fun (heh) part. Between rear and center of window is where the regulator is attached to the plate with rear roller.
I tried to loosen the 10 mm friction nut but the whole shaft would just spin. Couldn't get a good grip on the shaft with needle nose pliers. I had to get my Dremel tool with the metal cutting blade and carefully slice the nylon roller in places until I could get it off of the shaft. Then I was able to get my vise grips on the shaft to hold it while I loosened the 10mm friction nut. There are also 2 small washers. You'll probably drop them so you need the telescoping magnet.

6. Pull the window out.

7. The washer nuts that hold the glass. Disks with two oval holes. The specialty tool is called a spanner wrench, I used a pair of big 90 degree needle nose pliers. I sprayed the nuts with penetrating oil, waited a few minutes. It's a bit of a trick to get the right amount of downward pressure and torque to turn them.

8. Mount glass to new plate. I was able to order new plastic window mounting washers but the ones that came out looked re-useable. Put it back together the way it came off.

9. Get some fresh grease on the window tracks. I used a 3 foot piece of trim wood and tried to slop some into the tracks.

10. Put the window in, Takes some finagleing to angle it in and get the rollers in the tracks. Getting the regulator arm through proper bolt is fun too but once it's on it will hold the window up and in place while you get to the hardest part.

11. Putting the regulator washers and nut on. I carefully lowered the window an inch or two where my fingers could just barely reach the bolt. A little sticky grease on my finlgers, a couple drops and magnet pick ups later they were on. I have big hands and fingers so getting the nut on and starting to thread was just barely possible. Have patience, a flashlight and that magnet pole on hand or this will be impossible.

12. Lower window and put the stops back in where they used to be.

13. Test up and down, match with front window and with top up and down. Mine lined up just the same.

14. Put the rest back together and you're done.

I have one related question, which I hope is simpler than what's mentioned here.

The drivers side rear window is aligning improperly when raised, and getting lodged in front of the front window. The only workaround is to first raise the front window then raise the rear window.

Do you know how to adjust the rear window to raise properly? I've seen this in a few other Celica Convertibles so I believe it's quite common.

Thanks.

[quote name='njccmd2002' date='Apr 25, 2008 - 11:25 PM' post='668283']
First of all this is a tough job.... Read all two times before you attempt this and post for extra questions

If you are lloking for something easy, this is not easy I repeat.. x2.

After searching and finding this great write up by njccmd2002, I was able to find and purchase a complete rear driver window assembly. Upon inspection I found that the same (bottom) idler bushing was broken on the acquired part. But the other bushing was good. I decided to experiment and was successful in prying off the good bushing on the acquired part so I would be able to replace the broken one on my car. By placing 2 screwdriver under the bushing and GENTLY prying up, I was able to pop the idler off the shaft in one piece with no visible damage.

I wanted to post pictures, but being a newbie, don't know how.

I searched to see if anyone else had done this procedure, but did not find anything on it. If it has been done and posted, I don't mean to step on anyone's toes, and want to apologize in advance if so.

Post pics with photobucket or any pic service. I want to see it. No worries. Your not stepping in my toes at least. Im laying on the couch. My toes are under a warm blanket

I'm finally getting around to doing this on my Celica, again. What a pita. I think I discovered why my plastic wheels break. The metal channel that the plastic wheels or bushings (whatever you call them) don't slide in the channel freely. On my car it binds going up & down, that's probably why my lights dim when I put the rear windows up, the window motor is struggling to force the window up & down. I could see where it was binding on the track as the paint was worn off in one spot right where it gets really hard to slide. I took a file & some sand paper to the spot where it was binding. I got it to slide up & down with a lot less resistance now.

Now is the hard part getting the window back in the channel & all bolted in & adjusted properly. Hopefully I won't have to ever do this again.

So I got my rear window out yesterday & took a look & two of the three wheels were broken. I decided to try to make my own wheels on the lathe out a piece of delrin. I'm a complete amateur with the lathe, so it took me a few hours measure & set up the work & make 3 of the wheels to try out. Since I think I paid about $80 for this metal part with plastic wheels in it a few years ago on the other side I guess it's worth my time to tinker with it before shelling out that kind of money.

Here I am drilling the center out. The drill bit stays stationary & the plastic is what spins, for those that have never worked with a lathe before. The delrin cuts very nicely.


I then turned the piece down to the proper diameter, & cut the groove to the proper depth, but those pictures where too blurry.
Here I am using the cut off tool to remove my new wheel, so I can go on to the next one.


Here are new wheels I made compared to the original ones on the other side. They are only a couple of years old, but had caused me problems due to the the fit being too tight, you can see how the wheels are black in spots, from the paint wearing off the metal track. The stock pieces don't spin while my replacements can spin & rock more freely. This seems to make them slide up & down the track way more smoothly, but time will tell if they last or cause the window to be too loose & rattle.






And installed.

My first wheel was a bit too loose, & I thought it might fall off, so I made an extra, they are both looser than the stock wheels, but they still take some force to go on to the posts.

I'll let you know how they fit when I get them installed in the car & if they were out too soon, or cause me other problems.
Oh and before any one asks, I think I only paid about $5 for a one foot piece of the Delrin (acetal) plastic online.

Did you make any extras? I've been thinking of just 3d printing a replacement set. If you have an extra it would save me tearing mine apart to grab one to model it off from first. Then I could make them available on Shapeways to anyone that needs them in the future.



>

>


Do you happen to have both part #'s?

Thanks for the write up. I hope to be able to follow your instructions without the pics (after a decade, they are no longer available from what I'm seeing) and be able to get my passenger side rear window to seal against the front.

@OP: Is there any chance that you still have the photos somewhere? Looks like all of them from photobucket is broken.