Looking for some guidance in replacing the entire hatch with one from a wrecker. Not finding anything online.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Does the new used hatch need painting?
Have you ever taken parts of a vehicle apart previously? Do you know how to align the hatch after you replace it?
You will need help as this is a 2 or 3 person job and requires first removing - disconnecting electrical connections.
You may want to check with a few local body shops for estimates to have them do it. I bet it won't cost more than an hour or 2 and body shop labor rates are less than repair shops, especially if you tell them no insurance is involved.

If you want to know the official Toyota procedure, join the Toyota Technical Information System for 2 days for $25 and download their instructions. https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfo...a.com%3A443%2F

 

Donor car is the same color, so no paint. I've always worked on my cars, but this is the first hatch. I'd be guessing on alignment. It's not clear yet but I may have to remove the hatch from the donor car, so I'm still looking for info.
Thanks for the help, John

 

Did that on first gen.

Open hatch.
Disconnect battery.
Remove panel(s)
Disconnect harness/ cables [some ends are up in the roof liner.
Remove the hatch lock [only if you have key lock]
Support hatch with broom.
Remove struts.
Make sure the hinges are the only tihings attaching the hatch to the body.
Loosen the bolts and only leave one fastener hanging in there.
With help holding the hatch remove the last two fasteners.

Lay the old and the donor door and study the paint or the lack of paint [attachment points]. Use a marker to best estimate where the old are on to the donor.
Hang the donor hactch. Ask your help to move around the hatch while you best match the marker marks and tighten the fasteners.
Reconnect the connectors.
Swap the old lock [if applicable]
Attach the struts. Check balance and smooth motion.
Leave the battery unconnected and test the latching operation and use the mechanical release.
More than 90% chance is that everything will line up. If not you can tweak or worst go to a body shop.
Remember to transfer over the narrow privacy strip right below the rear glass.

Note: Lift motor implications not listed above. I think some one posted how to replace the motor, please visit that post.

Additional note: Do not expect 100% match in color.

Salim

 

I agree with the above post about paying for the offical TIS service manual. I have the instruction but not going to post pages of pages of the information . Removal and installation of the rear hatch requires a lot of steps.


The TIS subscription will give you access to offical service data like this. You then save the information as PDF files(print to PDF) for the 2 days that you rent it.