How to Replace Rear Window Motor 2005-16 Toyota RAV4

What's up guys? I'm Andy from 1A Auto. In this video, I'm going to show you how to replace a rear window motor on this 2010 Toyota RAV4. If you need parts for your vehicle, click the link in the description and head over to 1AAuto.com.

I'm going to take a trim tool and I want to get underneath this bezel right here. Slide this up. Slide this out of the way. Then disconnect the connector right here. Just push down. Disconnect the connector. Now you don't necessarily have to take this off to take the door panel off. It just makes it a lot easier to disconnect the connector like this rather than while you're fighting and fumbling with the door panel.

Now we want to take this cover out. Just take a trim tool, get underneath here, and there's some clips that hold down on. Take this cover off right here. Sometimes you can just grab it with your fingers, or you can get the trim tool underneath there. Try to rotate it off. There's clips on there, the bottom, in the middle, and on the top. Now, there's three screws. There's one right here and two right there. I'm going to use a Phillips head screwdriver, take these screws out. Just grab it, and then these two. And this last one. Take a magnet to get the bottom one out. And remember these two are different than that other one.

Now you can use some trim tools, and I always like to start from the front of the door panel, closest to the car, in case you scratch anything. And just go all around. There's just some push pins that hold the door panel on. Just like that. Slide up the door panel.

This handle should slide off here. Should just be clipped in. There we go. Just slides down.

We're going to take this inside door handle off. We want to take the cables off the handle, so disconnect this cable right here. The bottom one happens to be the green one, which is the lever side, and the white one is the lock side. So slide it up and then slide the retaining ball out. And same with the white one. Slide it up, twist it, and slide out the ball.

Disconnect this connector right here, it goes to the door latch assembly.

Now I'm going to peel back the vapor barrier. You can take a razor blade or a utility knife and just cut some of this butyl tape. Generally it'll stick to itself afterwards when you go to put it back on. If you have to add more, you can always add more butyl tape. If you're doing this in hotter weather, it's going to be a little bit easier to peel back.

Just want to pull those cables through, and then that wiring harness, so I can peel back on this a little bit more.

Just going to disconnect this speaker wire, just so I can take the vapor barrier off completely, just so it's out of the way. Sometimes you can just fold it out of the way, but if it's in your way, sometimes it's just easier to pull it off completely. There we go. Set it aside.

Alright, I'm just going to use some tape and I'm going to tape up the window. I like to use three pieces of tape. I feel like it holds the window pretty good.

Disconnect this connector right here. There's a little lock tab. Push up on that, slide it out. I'm going to take a 10 millimeter socket right here. Loosen this bolt up, and these two. This one you don't have to take out. It is slotted so I don't think we have to take it out. These are pretty tight. Loosen these up. And take this bolt out, as well.

I am going to just support this while I take this last bolt out. Just support the regulator. Just slide it in. I'm going to slide it up so that I can get that bolt out of position. And then I need to slide this down and there's a rail at the base of the window. You want to slide it forward. That's going to disconnect the regulator from the actual window. So this is what slides out right there. And there you go.

Now, with the motor flat side down, I want to take these screws out. I'm going to use a T25 and a ratchet. Just be careful not to get your fingers caught in this at all. A lot of times, if these things are spring loaded, which this one's not, when you loosen up the motor, this will swivel and you could pinch your fingers. So just be careful.

All right, take that last screw out. And hold the regulator up and you can slide the motor down. Carefully. There's the motor and there's the regulator.

So we want to line this up. Now, keep in mind when you took this apart, or if you're getting a new one, you want to have this somewhat how you took this apart. Just line the motor up. Take the screws, get the screws started. With all those started, then I'll just tighten them down. Just use the T25 and a ratchet, and just go back around. Just double check, make sure they're all snug. That's good, good, good.

So when we slide this in position, this little cube is going to slide into the channel at the base of the window. So we're going to slip this up here and then try to slide that on first. Just slide this down. And it takes a little bit of skill right here to get that cube to line up. Just slide that cube right into that channel. So, somewhere in the middle there is good.

So it helps to hold that little pivot in the channel while you twist this, just so it doesn't fall out again. And then slide that bolt in position there. And then this is tricky because we didn't index it exactly how it was when it came out. So what I'm going to need to do, make sure you have the key out of the car. And I am going to have to just index this or move the window regulator a little bit. So I'm going to plug in the connector. Try to plug in the connector. There we go.

All right, plug that connector in. Now, I'm going to go turn the key on and make sure your fingers aren't close to this.

So with the key on, put this switch back in. I'm just going to try to move this a little bit. I'm going to push down on the switch, just to try to get this stuff to line up. I'm going to disconnect the connector and then turn the key off, then I'm just going to try manually put it where I need it to go.

All right, now I'm able to move it in position, where it needs to be, or closer where it needs to be. Put this screw in first. Then these two. This one in next, and this last one.

All right, now I can take a 10 millimeter socket extension and a ratchet and just tighten these all down. I want to tighten these three first and then the one with the slot last. Remember, these were pretty tight when we took them off, so snug them up pretty good. Then the last one. And at this point, it's safe to take the tape off.

So now, we want to take the vapor barrier, slide all the cables and all the wires in the correct positions you took them out. Sometimes it's easiest to get it started, and then take all the wires and add those. Just like that. It's all secured. Now, reconnect the speaker wire, lock it in place. Reconnect the door latch, and lock that in place.

We want to reattach this to the cables. Slide the green cable into the bottom. That's the one with the handle, just like that. And then through there. The white one goes on top, just like that.

Now, take the door panel, slide the handle right through here. And there's two tabs right there on the top and the bottom. It's just going to slide into place right there. If you check it from the outside, just make sure it looks good. That's right. And then slide the top part of the panel in first. Pull the wiring harness through here so you can connect the switch after. And then once the panel's lined up, you can just push it on.

Take a Phillips head screwdriver, and these two longer screws are going to go for the handle part. Get those started first. Snug those up. And then this smaller screw's going to go right here through the handle. Snug it up, not too tight. This cover's going to go over the handle. Lock that in place. And this cover is going to go right behind the handle. Pull out the handle, line it up, lock it in place.

Reconnect the window switch to the connector, line it up, lock it in place. Then there's a slide right here that slides in the back, that slides like that, and then push down on the front.

Thanks for watching. If you want the parts to do it yourself, check out 1AAuto.com, the place for DIY auto repair.