# Bad Roter making windows not work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** toyota, camry\ **Created:** [January 6, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546 "2013-01-06T01:27:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BecksBuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@BecksBuzz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BecksBuzz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/1 "2013-01-06T01:27:01Z")
We have a 91 totota camry w/ 187,000k whose roter has failed. Before the failure our power windows were tempermental(if they wouldn’t go down you had to close the door a couple of times then they would work.) If the roter/cap are replaced will that fix the window issue? What would we expect a roter repair w/labor to cost? Thanks for information. Best, Becksbuzz ---
**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/2 "2013-01-06T01:49:11Z")
A failing distributor rotor would not cause your power windows to fail, any more than digging a hole in your yard could cause your roof to leak. Think about it… they are entirely separate systems. Symptoms of a bad distributor rotor would be a rough idle, poor performance, your engine missing on one or more cylinders, or possibly not starting at all. If you are even slightly mechanically inclined, you can probably change it yourself in about 15 minutes. Other than that I would expect a maximum of one hour labor plus maybe $10 for the part at an honest garage. If you have to slam the door a couple times to make your windows work, I would be looking for a loose connection in the door or wiring that goes to the door. ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/3 "2013-01-08T00:26:07Z")
No the failed rotor will not affect the windows, but a bad muffler might. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/4 "2013-01-08T00:30:07Z")
If the rotor failed, your engine would not run, is that the case with you? ---
**Author:** ![Stoveguyy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Stoveguyy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Stoveguyy)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/5 "2013-01-08T01:05:40Z")
I think he means window regulator? ---
**Author:** ![RemcoW](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/remcow/32/2471_2.png) [@RemcoW](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RemcoW)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/6 "2013-01-08T01:37:09Z")
You can probably replace that rotor and cap yourself. All you have to do is pull each wire off the old cap and put them in the same position on the new cap. The rotor usually just pulls up to remove it. It usually has a flat spot on the rotor shaft so the new one just pops right on. Five minutes worth of work. Cheap. The window, that’s a different story but like already mentioned: probably just a bad contact. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/7 "2013-01-08T02:22:32Z")
I have to agree with those that suspect a problem with the terms. To the OP: by “roter” do you mean a part of the window system that opens the wnidow when the button is pressed, or do you mean an engine part? If you mean a window part, which ia what I suspect, than I strongly suspect that you have a broken wire in the harness where the harness goes between the unibody and the door…exactly as I had in my own 1991 Camry. Breaking into the harness and repairing this takes a multimeter with pin probes, a schematic, and some insulated wire splices, harness tie, and wire wrap. It also takes some tools and an “exploded view” drawing to remove the door panel to access the wiring. An automotive electric shop can fix this for probably about $200. This is a very common problem on aging cars. ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/8 "2013-01-08T04:03:18Z")
Well, the OP said he had to close the door a couple of times. this could mean a bad ground in the wiring somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/9 "2013-01-08T06:33:12Z")
Lf the OP meant window regulator why would he have said “rotor/cap” ? ---
**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/10 "2013-01-08T07:56:13Z")
It hardly matters… I doubt we’ll hear from the OP again. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/11 "2013-01-08T22:14:27Z")
He didn’t say “rotor”…he said “roter”. I guess we’ll never really know. I suspect that Oblivion is right. He’s left the building. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/12 "2013-01-09T00:11:01Z")
I had to read it twice. As a software engineer…I read it very quickly… And read it as… Bad “Router” making “MS Windows” not working. Then read it again correctly. ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 8:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/13 "2013-01-10T08:37:21Z")
A bad router could make Make MS Windows fail, you are right. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/14 "2013-01-10T22:08:35Z")
Huh? ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/15 "2013-01-11T01:17:30Z")
I can’t even find roter in the dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 1:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-roter-making-windows-not-work/76546/16 "2013-01-11T01:47:35Z")
I can’t even find my dictionary!