spiderw31 Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 So yesterday I rolled the driver window down on the Paperweight (92 GP coupe), and it wouldn't roll back up more than a quarter of the way. Not at all nice when it is barely above freezing, and you're driving at nearly 60MPH! Anyways, I did some searching and I think I have the answer, but I want to confirm I'm on the right track (pun not intended). It was pretty obvious that voltage was getting to the motor even though the motor was not moving, as the voltage would drop every time I hit the switch with key on, engine off. I found that if I pulled the window up firmly it would move about an inch, and then the motor would be able to raise it the rest of the way (most of the time). Based on my searches, I'm thinking that either the plastic tabs on the bottom of the window are shot, or the track itself is deformed and allowing the window to slide off. Does this sound about right? If this is the case, any hints or tips regarding disassembling the door? This would be the first time I've needed to do that in a W. Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 (edited) It could be the motors going out too. Have you replaced them? I've got 255k on my original chassis, and my windows both operate up and down fine (when the motors are good.) I had to pull the panel and pull the front of the track toward the rear of the door to keep the windows from coming off track every time someone shut a door for me... As far as pulling the door panel. There are several hidden bolts. There is one really long Torx up under the main handle on the interior that latches the panel on, and two other sturdy torx screws used to fasten it on up top. You'll have to remove the lock/unlock switchplate to get access to these. Also, using a flathead screwdriver gently remove your faceplate from your door caution light, and use the tabbies to remove the assembly from the door panel. Behind there are two more screws. There are also two screws (if all screws are still there) under the trim clip where the seat belt goes down into the door. The rest are just trim screws around the edge of the door. There are pop tabs as well, buy a set at o'reillys for a few bucks and replace them while you are there if yours are any kind of worn or aged. The trickiest part is making sure you've got all the screws/bolts out from the hidden spots before yanking on the panel. If the panel seems to be catching on anything but the lower seat belt pulley and guide then there is probably one you missed. Edited November 12, 2012 by EviLette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jman093 Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 So yesterday I rolled the driver window down on the Paperweight (92 GP coupe), and it wouldn't roll back up more than a quarter of the way. Not at all nice when it is barely above freezing, and you're driving at nearly 60MPH! Anyways, I did some searching and I think I have the answer, but I want to confirm I'm on the right track (pun not intended). It was pretty obvious that voltage was getting to the motor even though the motor was not moving, as the voltage would drop every time I hit the switch with key on, engine off. I found that if I pulled the window up firmly it would move about an inch, and then the motor would be able to raise it the rest of the way (most of the time). Based on my searches, I'm thinking that either the plastic tabs on the bottom of the window are shot, or the track itself is deformed and allowing the window to slide off. Does this sound about right? If this is the case, any hints or tips regarding disassembling the door? This would be the first time I've needed to do that in a W. Thanks everyone! I'm guessing the motor is getting weak, but you might be able to help it out enough to work ok on these cold days if you lubed the regulator parts and the guides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderw31 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 I dunno if it's getting weak or not, but its definitely binding up pretty hard, as it takes a good amount of force to free up the window and get it to move again. Lube is a definite though, since there is a fair amount of squeaking as the window moves. Thanks for the disassembly tips EviLette, it's the hidden screws that cause the grief so knowing where they are makes the job much easier! I'll likely be pulling the door apart in the next couple days, and I'll see what I find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 Not a problem, spider. There was a time, years ago, that I hadn't yet figured out to bend the tracks back a little bit. I had the R&R on the door panel plus putting the window back on track down to under 15 minutes total per door. I love my old W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 there is an adjustment for the window tracks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 there is an adjustment for the window tracks Besides bending the track toward the rear of the car? O.O oops... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted November 13, 2012 Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 the track towards the hinge has an upper and lower 10mm bolt. the sheetmetal is slotted and you can usually see the outline of the paint where it was set at the factory. get it close to that original spot then when your new window motor is installed you can roll the window up and down to see if it still binds. adjust with the window rolled down a little tighten them down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderw31 Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 (edited) Ok so a quick update on this. I've been stupid busy lately and really haven't had time to take the door apart. The other day though, I had to use the window, and so of course I had to assist it back up. The window made it all the way up, but then this time it made a nasty grinding noise as soon as it was completely closed. I'm hoping to have some free time today or tomorrow to open up the door and investigate further. Edited November 23, 2012 by spiderw31 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Sounds off track to me. In the front of the window, just above the door panel itself there is a piece of metal (right by the mirror on the coupes) inside the window frame. If the window is off track just RIGHT, it will catch on that and will go up but make a horrendous screeching/grinding. I've had that happen a couple times, too. Sorry to hear you are having problems with it still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderw31 Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Ok, so I got the door apart, and the window is definitely not off the track. The gear is skipping / damaged, and it is binding up at several places as the window moves up and down. Even though the motor is clearly still functional (as in it isn't burned out), it looks as though it needs to be replaced. Bummer. Any advice / tricks to make the replacement go easier? Oh, and many thanks on the door panel removal tips Evillette... Knowing where all the screws are made it MUCH easier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderw31 Posted November 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 Ok, so to put a wrap on this one, it was indeed the window motor, and what a pain it is to replace it! Of course having massive gusts of wind trying to slam the door on you while you are workign on it didn't really help either... Since everything is riveted together, there is no unbolting of parts, just grinding and drilling. Then there is replacing all the rivets with bolts / nuts to get it back together, and grinding bolt heads down so that they clear the lift mechanism. A Dremel is definitely your friend on this project! Got the motor replaced, checked the alignment of the window tracks to be sure it wasn't binding, and got the whole thing back together, and it works properly again. The new motor is definitely slower than the old motor, but it works which properly. Ultimately, the problem was the plastic internal gear on the motor unit. The external metal gear was fine, as was the metal worm gear on the motor armature itself, but the plastic gear the worm drives lost a huge section of teeth. Game over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 snip Oh, and many thanks on the door panel removal tips Evillette... Knowing where all the screws are made it MUCH easier! Not a problem! Its one of the few things around here I actually KNOW for SURE and can help with!! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.