I rebuilt top-one then was thinking metal on metal is not a good idea ... rolling or not so ordered the whole set delivered from village toyota out of florida.... no tax free ship arrived in a few days 240.00
Also with mine the bottom roller was completely flat on one side and the guide roller would not stay in track... middle both pins shot, top roller plastic worn off.... thats why I replaced all... like new
I know what you mean about metal on metal - preferable to have the roller wear out than the body - but I did this mod today anyway. A couple of slight differences to note...
i) instead of the doubled-up bearings the OP used, I used single needle bearings. The weight of the door is taken by the larger central roller in the first picture in this thread, and the two side rollers that wear out are just being guided by the track, so I'm giving it a shot. Part designation HK0608 - the size is 6 x 10 x 8 (id x od x height) so they are the same height as the two stacked 4mm bearings, hopefully will spread the load adequately, and they seem to work great. The clip I got to hold the bearing on the post was too big in diameter so I didn't use it. I could look in there and see the bearing working nicely as I moved the door, and it does not look like there's much chance of it coming off the post because the track is so restricted. Anyway I will report status as time passes.
ii) Consider taking the entire sliding door off. It's fairly straightforward if you've got the manual to follow (mainly to get the interior stuff off) and is arguably less hassle than making sure you don't accidentally damage the door when it is partially disassembled and partially attached. I've done it both ways now (once to replace the roller with plastic and once now with this needle bearing) and I'll always take the door off in the future. When servicing the rollers with the door removed, if you can get the keeper washers off while the whole roller bracket is still attached - do it if you can - you won't have to dicker with adjusting the door once you're done, which can be darned fiddly and irritating. Lifting the door off is no problem, even for a 135 lb weakling - bottom roller comes out first, move door forward a bit, top roller comes out, then slide the door out backward. When installing, once the rear/center roller is in, the door is significantly supported and two pieces of pre-attached tape on the door and the body helps with easily locating the upper roller.
Edit: It is a one man job if the upper and lower brackets are left in place. The only bit of the roller assemblies you need to remove is the spring on the bottom bracket which acts both as the bottom roller-keeper and door-open holder. There are gaps in the upper and lower track which allow both these rollers to come out when they are matched up (see ii above). Also, I may have been mistaken when I said the interior door panel needs to be removed - it was off when I did the work, but maybe it doesn't need to be. Even easier if this is the case.
Last edited by Jonny; 03-17-2018 at 11:34 AM.
Thanks, i just did this with the single needle bearing, size described above, and works great. I also did not use the old or a new top clip, don't think it's needed. I just slide the whole door off backwards after unbolting the top and bottom roller assemblies, 2 10 mm on the top and 3 12mms in the bottom. Just have to unpop the bottom edge of the inside door liner to get to 1 of the bottom 12 mms bolts. There does appear to be an escape defect from the top Trac i discovered afterward though, so didn't have to unbolt the top roller assembly i guess. Slides and closes like new now, although does have a pop sound when it's opened since it fits tighter now. Door is heavy so a helper is need.
I just did this mod on a 93 Previa I recently bought, using the HK0608 bearings, so I took some pics.
It is best to take the door off to do this mod - much less work in the end. Two people is useful for removal, but not necessary. If you do it by yourself get ready for the weight of the door - it must be pushing 100 lbs. If you choose to do it yourself the only bit which would really benefit from a helper is engaging the center roller upon install, although that can also be done alone after a few tries.
To remove the door...
Pop off the center track rear keeper, straight out, two clips. Clear the track by removing the white clip by pushing it forward. When putting this clip back on at the end, make sure you seat it hard until you hear it snap over its little mounting boss, or the cover will not go back on.
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Remove the spring keeper at the back of the lower track. One bolt.
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Now for the heavy lifting.
Locate the upper track notch which is towards the back of the track here...
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i) align the lower roller with where the spring keeper was and pull the door out of the lower track. The weight of the door is still supported.
ii) move the track forward a few inches to align the upper notch and pull out the door. You will now feel half the full weight of the door since the center bearing is still engaged.
iii) take the full weight of the door and slide it out the back. The center rollers sometimes catch on something at the back of the track. If it doesn't come out with a bit of jiggling you can slide the door forward and rest the lower roller on the step to take a breather.
The center bearing is usually the culprit. Looks like someone was here before doing some butchery on the rearward pin.
Take a dremel to the keeper washers and cut a slot, then they easily pop off.
Put on the HK0608 needle bearings. Gravity and the confines of the track hold them on - there is no need to figure out a retaining method.
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Inspect the upper rollers.
The upper roller has an o ring around the nylon roller. The nylon roller was a little beat up and the o ring ready to snap, although the bearings themselves rotated nicely. The o ring is 16mm ID x 1.5mm CS (or 16/19 if you prefer). I replaced mine with a 16mm x 2mm (after taking a razor blade to the slot and beveling the edges for a better fit), because I happened to have one that size - the track is plenty wide enough to accommodate the slightly larger OD.
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Inspect the lower rollers - usually OK
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!! Clean all the tracks with solvent, especially the upper n-shaped part of the tracks - there are lumps of dirty dried up grease in there. !!
Regrease very sparingly.
Hyperventilate a little then put the door back on, employing a helper if you can to get the center roller aligned.
Enjoy your nice smooth, quiet door.
Last edited by timsrv; 08-27-2020 at 03:14 PM. Reason: member requested edit
This is a popular thread and the following post, though not as "all time" as the roller fix, saves a bunch of aggravation simply dealing with that inside door handle. I have a few pet peeves, and this is one of them. Anyway, never again will I have to consult the manual for the required knowledge and fiddle buck around with a shop rag trying to find that hidden spring clip and the perfect angle of pull just to get the handle off. An added bonus is that it is achieved with baling wire which, along with duct tape and a big hammer, is a mechanic's best friend.
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