Auto Glass: 02 highlander rear right window glass, symatic, glass run

Question

highlander rear r wind   QUESTION: Ben
the glass in my wifes highlander came off of the bracket...the motor is fine....I tried putting the glass in the bracket the window goes up ...but comes out of the bracket on the down cycle...nothing seems to be broken or bent. It takes patience to put the glass back into the rubber channel in the bracket...I cant find a symatic and I dont know  the exact position of the  glass on the bracket since it had fallen to the bottom of the door panel when I found it  any tricks on how to get the arm into the glass bracket..Hate to go to the dealer in Maui...any suggestions....Aloha   john

ANSWER: Hi John,

I have seen this problem a couple of times before.  

Let me start by giving you a few items of window regulator "jargon" so we are both speaking the same language. The window motor moves the "regulator arm" up and down in a short arc to raise and lower the glass.  Let's call the small plastic roller an the end of the "regulator arm" a "guide".  Next, let's refer to the metal piece attached to the bottom of the glass as the "lift channel".  Finally, the front and back edges of the glass slide up and down in gaskets referred to as "glass run channels".

From your description it sounds as though you have put the "guide" at the end of the "regulator arm" back into the "lift channel" at the bottom of the glass and the glass back into the "run channels".  After doing so, the mechanism works fine when you raise the window, but it comes apart again when you lower the window.  This is happening because the "lift channel" has moved forward on the glass.  This allows the "guide" at the end of the "regulator arm" to fall out of the "lift channel" as the arm moves downward on its arc to lower the glass.

To solve the problem you need to move the "lift channel" closer to the back edge of the glass.  I realize you are immediately thinking "how far back?".  I can't tell you exactly, but it probably won't be more than and inch or so.  

I am assuming that you have a reasonable amount of mechanical aptitude and can figure out how to do this without step-by-step instructions.  However, let me give you a couple of pointers.


1.  Remove the bolts that hold the bottom of the "glass run channels" in place.

2.  Have the glass out of the "run channels" when you put the "guide" back into the "lift channel" at the bottom of the glass.  

3.  Move the "regulator arm" to the bottom when you put the glass back into the "run channels".


If you need any clarification, don't hesitate to send me a follow up question.

Ben ... the power window guy


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Ben
is ther a trick to getting the glass into the "lift channel"?
Do I need any adhesive to secure the glass in the rubber inside the  "lift channel".(thr rubber chanel moves freely in the "lift channel" now...or adhesive at the bottom of the lift channel to secure the rubber chanel to the "lift channel". I have been gently pounding downward on the top of the glass to get the glass in to the rubber inside the lift channel. It is not going in easily and hard to get into even and so far I had not been able to get the glass all the way down in the channel and do not want to pound the window at the top to hard.  Thanks

Answer
Hello Again John,

I am sorry, I didn't realize that the lift channel had come off the glass.  

The only practical way to re-install the "lift channel" is to remove the glass from inside the door.  You can slide it out of the door by removing it from the "run channels" and then sliding it straight up.  There is a small gap between the "run channels" and the inside edge of the door to allow the glass to be removed and re-installed.

Once you have the glass out, place the rubber filler strip on the bottom of the glass.  You can use a little contact cement in a couple of spots to hold it in place.  After the filler strip is attached, you can install the "lift channel" on the glass by taping it with a plastic or rubber mallet.  Be careful, you don't want to bend the channel in any way.  If the channel is difficult to tap onto the glass, lubricate the rubber filler strip with water.

If this task is getting a bit too complicated for you, talk with a local auto glass shop.  They should be able to handle it for you in thirty or forty minutes.

Let me know how else I can help.

Ben  ... the power window guy