2nd Gen 2011 Tacoma Window Motor Removal

Hey all, my window was making some pretty gnarly grinding noises on the up and down so i decided to tear into it and figure out what's going on. I didn't see any threads with pictures of a 2nd gen for this removal so I figured i'd post my write up and the little tips I noted.

Overall super easy, 30 mins from door panel off to panel back on and that was with 5-10 mins messing with the linkage in the garage, a straight swap would probably be quicker.

Tools Needed:
philips screwdriver
flathead/pocket knife
ratchet & 10 mm socket
gloves (makes handling the linkage nicer, avoid getting grease all over your hands)
masking tape

1 - Pop the 2 covers and unscrew the 2 screws holding the door panel to the door (both philips head)
-One is behind the handle that you use to open the door

-the other is behind the grab handle of the door


2 - Pop the small panel loose that has the window and unlock buttons on it, if you get a screwdriver or knife under the edge you should be able to pop it loose. (shown here connected and hanging loose after the door panel is already off)

-I found it was easier to do this before removing the [door panel and I can work with just the button assembly and disconnect the connector (small push tab on the side of the connector and it pulls right out. this was a PITA when i tried it with the whole door panel loose)

3 - remove the door panel, should be completely free at this point. I started at the front bottom corner and pulled it out, tabs came loose easily and none broke on me. Lift up and off of the door

4 - Remove the plastic sheet if it's still there to get access to this metal plate
-remove the QTY: 2 screws circled in purple and note the orientation of that bracket, that is the door panel support
-remove the remaining QTY: 5 screws in red and set aside


5 - Plug your window button panel back in, key on, and roll the window down so that the right side bolt holding the window on is accessible through this hole. Left side bolt will also be visible. Both of these are 10mm, key back off and remove them.
NOTE: use caution here, the linkage of the window is exposed, take care not to move the window while any part of your body is inside the door if you are reaching around for whatever reason.


6 - Once the window is free of the linkage, get 3 or 4 sections of masking tape ~15 inches long ready to go and hang them where they are accessible. Support the window all the way up with one hand and with the other apply the tape so that it is holding the window in place. (picture taken from banditstpk's thread here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/window-regulator-motor-install.284882/) since I forgot to take a pic of mine but same idea.


7 - Now that the window is free of the linkage, unplug the window motor (connector on the outside with 2 blue wires) before removing the QTY: 6 10mm bolts holding the linkage assembly to the door and fish it out of the large opening. (3 bolts visible in the pic above from step 4 and another 2 visible in the pic from step 5) Apologies for not getting a good pic of all 6 but the 6th is in the image below and all look the same and will be very obvious.


9 - Remove your linkage assembly and reinstall in the reverse order! The culprit of my grinding was found below, I just bent things back into place and moved it by hand a bit to ensure no more rubbing and threw it all back together.


Overall super easy job, probably took me longer to type this up than to actually do it but hopefully this helps the next person! Lots of good threads out there, I just didn't find one with explicit 2nd gen pics so that's why I posted this.

 

This was an awesome write up, I appreciate it, and it will come in handy for many people

 

Did you figure out what the issue was?

 

Yeah my linkage was bent and when the scissor would close it would grind together, sounded awful (see the last pic in the writeup) I bent it back straight and it's good to go. There was a previous accident on this vehicle so my guess is it happened then, not sure how else this could get bent like that.

 

anyone know:
-how common is window regulator replacement on the 2nd gen?
-do they go bad?

My left front started crunching. Maybe more. It's for the blink of an eye when you first move the window.

On one side, maybe it's starting to go bad. Cheap and easy to replace. Can maybe even do more than one. It's old.
On the other side, well, it's old, but if they're a good design that's good. Due to age it just might be dirty.
Like it might actually be the glass and contact areas it interfaces with surroundings making that noise (which can and does happen on any vehicle) that would simply need detailing/cleaning to resolve and keep driving.

 

This is very helpful for me. Thank you. I’m having to diagnose why my rear windows (both sides) are not going up or down. I started with replacing drivers side switch. And that didn’t work. now I will have to try to replace window regulators. Anyone else have similar problems?