Ok so i've been meaning to post this for awhile now, but haven't had the chance till now. Well i've heard a lot of people having problems with thier convertible top opening and closing. And usually the motor is still good, except there is a part inside that is broken. What happened with mine was that one of the sides stopped working and my convertible top needed assistance opening and closing. But the motor was still good, cause it still made noise when i pressed the button. The problem was a pin inside. So if you are having this problem, and your motor still sounds good, then try this, and it may solve your problem...

First you'll need to remove your convertible top motor from which ever side isn't working properly. So first remove the bottom part of the seats, they just pop right out, they are held in by two clips in the front. Then you will need to remove the rear plastic panel on the side your trying to get to. Don't worry bout the seat belts, you can leave those attached, cause you just need to get the panel out of the way. After those are out of your way, You should be able to see the convertible top motors. They are held in by 4 10mm bolts, but you will also need to remove the rear speakers and cut a zip tie before you can unplug the wiring clip and remove the motor. After you remove the motor, you will need to take off 4 hex bolts connecting the motor to a black box that has gears in it. After you take that apart, it should look like this...



Now we can take a look at the problem. There is supposed to be a pin that keeps the gear moving when the motor moves. When this pin breaks, the motor will just keep spinning, but it has nothing left to turn the gear. This pin seems to break off since it happened to both of my motors. Im guessing its like a fail safe device or something, if there's too much stress put on the motor is just breaks the pin, so you dont burn out the motor? Thats my guess. Or maybe the pins just suck. Well anyways, it needed to be replaced. Here's a picture of the Motor with the broken pin removed...



Here's a picture of what was left of the pin...



Here's where your gunna need to improvise cuase i couldn't find a part number for the pin. I ended up cutting drill bits in half and using the solid end as the pin, whatever get's it done right? haha Im guessing you could use any pin as long as it fits in the hole pretty snug. I hope this helps

ahhh awesome!

maybe i can find out whats makin my top act like crap! Thanks!

Oh and just in case if I did entirely kill the motors... how much are they? all I hear is is that theyre expensive.

Great post. What keeps the pin from falling out?

You could just get a 98 or 99 convertible because I understand that the motors are upgraded for those years and I have never read on anyone with those years having a problem.

Masked Man...You ARE the man...By a weird coincidence I was working
on my daughter's 99 GT Convertible this weekend. Same problem, I
could hear the motors turning but no top movement. Took the motors out,
made sure they spun the gears, BUT I couldn't see the pins in the gear
for all the grease on them. Pretty much gave up and started pricing motors.
Started surfing the net and there was your post.
Took the motors out again and sure enough, both motors had sheared
pins! Found a allen key that fit pretty snug so I sawed it up and made
two new pins.
All is well and I saved about $250 per side in new motors.
Thanks Dude!!!

can you get a better picture of the pin??? its not that good.

Looks like a roll pin from the pic.

I think my 97 has the same prob. First the left went and yesterday the right. Damn happy to find this post!

Now if I could only find a replacement hold down latch for less than $200

please sticky this!

i cant get anymore pictures as of right now, cuase i am back in LA where my 6GC isnt . But im glad i was able to everyone out

ok, they're not roll pins, they just look that way in the pic. It's a solid pin that's been scored along its length to make it stay in the hole.

I pushed mine out and replaced with 3/32" rolled pins (Home Depot). They press in nice with a bench vice. Bad news is, one broke the second day. Replaced that in 40 minutes -- will see how it does.

Some tips:

• I removed the metal spacer thing (3 X 10mm bolts) above the speakers to access the motors & left the speakers in.
• Don't try to drill out the pin left in the shaft -- it's hardened steel. Put the shaft in a vice and press or tap it out. I would put the shaft in the vice, not the housing, to avoid bending anything.
• You can press te new pin in with the gear off, then slide the gear and springwasher back on after.
• Seal the motor body to the gear housing with some silicone to keep the grease from oozing out over time.
• Using an L-shaped allen wrench for the 4 hex screws on the motor takes forever.
• When replacing the panel, get it into place, align/insert the end of the inside quarter window weather strip with the rubber attached to the door, then put in the plastic keepers along the seatback edge (if you want to), then move on to the screws.

those were some nice tips psilly.

yeah the pins have to be pretty strong to move the convertible top. maybe it would also put less strain on the pins and motor if you oiled whereever the convertible top bends to make it easier for it to open and close. just a thought.

Sorry bout the bad pic of the pin, it was REALLY small, so it was hard to get a good picture of. It just looks bigger in the pictures cuase it's blown up like a bagillion times. But anyways, goodluck with your top

You can get a replacement hold down latch from Champion Toyota world for $126, Latch thingy

Cool! Right now the part that broke (aluminum pivot arm that the J hook screws into) is at my neighbor's machine shop. He thinks he can mill a new one. If that doesn't work out, I'll buy one from that site.

awesome, f'ing awesome! Just pulled both motors apart and rigged them up and for the first time in months i have a working soft top! just in time for the end of summer! lol. You the man!

ps. the "J" hook for the latch if very easy to machine out, I made one in my basement with a 3 inch bolt, a blow torch, a vice, a grinder and a hammer, very very easy. pm me if you want more info

awesome topic ever, used drill bits made of titanium. This is the post that made me join the group.

Welcome to the group . Nice to hear my topic is still helping people out

x2

I cannot get the pin out for the life of me. I tried taping it out, but with no success. Did anybody else have this problem?

At first I did, but then I bought an actual tap and didn't have any problems...before then I was trying to use nails to tap it out,

I took a small punch and ground down the end so it would fit in the hole. Then I was able to tap it right out. I also used the drill bits. I searched and searched at the local hardware store and could not find an actual pin that was the right size.

I only had to fix one side for the time being.

Nice Tech Tip.

after reading this i think im goin to go pull my car apart 2morrow and see if thats my problem also, sounds like it could be.

I made my pins out of titanium drill bits, you can cut them with a dremel tool. to get the pins that are stuck use pin pushers. good luck,

x3!

I JUST got my top fixed today after a year of not working...

and yup the pins were exactly what the problem was...

If it wasn't for you posting this I probably would have ended up wasting money on two new motors.

THANK YOU!!!

I'll try to revise this or maybe make a better version with better pictures now that i once again have my Celica and then maybe it will get stickied (sp?) haha. Anyways congrats to all those with working convertible tops again!

Hello. I just recently found this post on a Google search and it has given me reason to hope. I have pulled both motors and found the sheared-off ends of the pins. I now have two questions:

1) How difficult is it to get the pins out - is there any special tool or technique?

and B) I read that some of the posters have used drill bits to replace the pins. What size works best?

I realize that this is an old post; hopefully someone is still paying attention to it and can help steer me in the right direction. Thanks.

Always paying attention to my fellow vert owners . The pins are easy to remove, just take something small like a pick or screw driver and tap the remaining piece out. Use that piece that you knock out to find the correct size drill bit. When I have time, I will post better pictures up.



Wow I realized that my last post said the same thing about me updating it when I have time. I really gotta find time .

Yeah, I find myself saying that a lot. After my post, I realized there was a second page, and right there at the top of the page was the suggestion to use a pin pusher (or punch). I managed to find one at Home Depot, and it just so happens they are sized and the one that got the pins out is a 3/32" so that is the size drill bit I used. I got the motors back together, but I ran out of time (there it is again) last night, so I'll be reinstalling the motors today. Wish me luck.

Oh, and by the way, you should have seen the look on the HD tool guy's face when I told him I wanted to break the bits on purpose. He said he has never heard of anyone trying to break a bit before.

Thanks again for your post.

I just re-installed my motors and they work like a charm. I thought I was just going to have to live with a half-working top, but thanks to your post, as well as follow-up information from the others, I have a fully-working convertible top. Now I am really going to have to hide the keys from my wife...

Thanks for the info.

Glad to hear I could be of help. Thank you for posting the drill bit size as well. Enjoy your full functioning convertible top .

this info is awesome. Gonna fix my top this weekend after reading this. I was about to purchase two motors as well. Hopefully it works for me too, will update when I fix mine

I recently did one of theese for a friend. Luckily the quarter glass motors are the exact freakin same (mostly )

I cut allan wrenches to fit into place My drill bits are too precious to me, but i got a sh!t load of extra allens

2 years later and I still haven't updated this thread like I said I would . Oh well, looks like most of you guys have been able to figure it out . Good work.

lets not wait another two years

I took the motors out and the pins were the problem. Changed them out for some pins I got at autozone. Worked the first two times I put the top up and down but the third time I think I accidently held the the button for a half second too long when opening the top and the pins broke :-(

I am ordering some heavy duty, Stainless Steel 3/32nd roll pins tonight and installing those next week. Hopefully that'll work better

I'm new here and I could kiss your feet. I just bought a '99 convertible about 3 weeks ago and the top quit working on me this week. I also did a google search and came up with this GREAT thread.

It pays to suck up to the craft guys at work because I told them what the problem was and they sent me home with 3 different types of pins to try. I got everything torn apart but could not get what was left of the pin out. I had to wait for my husband to get home from work and he was able to get it out for me. Unfortunately, the 3/32" size was just a tiny bit too small and wouldn't stay in. We ended up cutting an allen wrench and using that. I put everything back together and it works great again!!!

Now, I need to figure out how to fix the door lock. I bought the car knowing there were a few issues with it but nothing huge and the price I paid reflected that. I've always wanted a convertible so I'm having a great time this summer with it. My kids are loving it too. I bought them scarves and sunglasses since it gets pretty windy in the back seat. It does kind of cut down the cool factor though when I have to put their booster seats in!

Annie (yes, a chick and, yes I fixed it myself)

Tapping out the pins is not a problem for me, but how do you guys get the retaining washer off the end of the shaft without breaking it?

Ok so I got everything apart and one side had the snapped pin. No problem, punched it out and put in a new pin. Reassembled everything and the damn motors still don't turn. I'm now thinking the relay has gone bad because I can hear it clicking but the motors aren't turning. I hot wired the motors and they both turn but just not with the relay in place. Anybody have a spare relay?

6gcelicas may have one, pm him

Upon further investigation I think the inertia switch that activates when the car is moving is stuck. Now I just have to figure out where it is. Anybody have any idea before I start tearing the car apart again and tracing wires?

Last and final update. Ok for all you Celica convertible owners out there that can't figure out why your top won't go up or down even after you pull out and check the motors, check the relay, and inertia switch. OK go into the trunk and pull the little access door off the back of the seat. Inside there is a F**K'N switched marked "MANUAL", flip it up. Now try your top.
At least one good thing came out of this. I fixed the one motor that had a sheared pin in it. Oh, and I found out that there is a freakin switch in the trunk that inactivates the top motors and you can apparently switch it while loading groceries or something into the trunk without realizing it. Thats it. Thanks for watching...

Aww man, I hate it when stupid stuff stumps you! Glad you figured it out.

Annie

My second pin sheared last fall and, since the weather is getting nice, I fixed it yesterday. It went very smoothly and I even got the broken pin out by myself. The only thing my hubby did was cut the new pin for me. I'm not really allowed to have sharp objects because I have a tendency to cut myself!

The next project is to clean my EGR. I'm hoping I can find a tutorial as great as this one.

Annie

Hi I'm busy working on the motor and pin problem (after having the cast alloy lifter arm Tig welded after it broke due to uneven lifting stress when one motor failed) - The pin doesn't go right through the motor shaft - a hole right through the shaft would seriosly weaken it. There are two short pins, one in from either side, and they only enter the shaft by 2mm. I am told that they are only 'keepers' and the major torque is taken (supposedly) by the pinion being a VERY tight fit on the shaft. I'm trying roll pins because I'm short of time, but I fear they may not last long, but knowing the problem and the ease with which the motors can be removed, I'll be prepared for it next time!
Beano (UK)

Are you sure about that? I replaced mine a few years ago, when I pushed them out it looked exactly like a roll pin. It wasn't a solid pin that was scored, it was a regular roll pin. Unless someone changed it before I got the car and put a roll pin in.

Yuo when I pulled my motors apart they had roll pins in them. I first replaced them with roll pins and the first time I held the button a seond too long they snapped.

So then I fnally replaced them eith solid pins and haven't had any issues!

From my experience, the pin goes right through the shaft. You can see straight through it in one of the pictures I posted on the first page.

Geez why am I just NOW seeing this post???? I was about to pay to have my motors fixed. Im glad Ive been too lazy to bother with it. LAZINESS HAS FINALLY PAID OFF!!!!!! now i gotta get off my lazy A$$ and fix this darn thing.....

Oh wth!? You're still here!? I didn't even know you still had your Celica haha. Good to see you're still around .

I had large objects in the trunk and slammed on my brakes. The next time I tried convertible top it would't work.
Turned out objects bumped manual-auto switch in trunk.

Hi - I too have this prob - except that in my case the big alloy lift beam snapped clean in two when the soft top lifted 'skewed'. I had to dismantle the lift mechanism and take it to my local Tig Welder (wonderful man).
Back to the motor - I have tried and tried and cannot remove the 'broken bit of pin' from the shaft. It appears that the shaft is drilled in part way from each side, and therefore accepts a short pin from each side. the shaft is only a quarter inch diameter, so a hole all the way through would weaken it - right? ARE there shafts like this? Or do ALL shafts have a hole right through? I have supported the shaft and given it some hefty whacks with a hardened drift, which I'm sure would knock any piece of broken pin out - after all, it is less than 1/8" long and can't have THAT much of a grip! I tried inserting roll pins from either side - and the repair worked - ONCE.

Next I intend grinding a flat down the side of the shaft and a groove in the pinion and forcing a tiny piece of hex key or drill bit down the slot with a little Loctite.
I'll let you know how I get on - eventually - Meanwhile - its manual!
Roger

The hole goes straight through the whole shaft, they are usually hard to get out. You'll have to put it on a flat surface without the hole covered on the bottom and either press it out or hammer it out. I've done it each way, hammering is easier. I had a set of knockout pins to put on it. The replacement one should be just as hard to get in as this one is to get out.