Power Window finally failed

[AmuletOfNight]

I guess my right side front power window finally failed today. My brother was driving the car and he said it went down about halfway before "slipping", and now the motor turns without moving the window. I've removed the door panel and I see that the motor works, albeit it makes a horrible grinding noise. It moves some sort of weird metal cable around. Any idea on what failed?

[85crownHPP]

Sounds like you need a new regulator.

The horrible grinding sound is indicative of the cable or one of it's guides breaking, the cable slipping out of place, or other failure making the cable bind up and make that crunchy/grindy noise when it tries to turn the seized up cable spool. If it was just making a softer wub-wub-wub noise, it may have been just the spacer/bushings inside the motor gone bad, but you can typically 'help' the window all the way up or down in that case.

Unless it's been replaced before, your regulator is probably riveted to the door panel (and to the glass), so make sure you are up for if before you dive in!

[AmuletOfNight]

Sounds like you need a new regulator.

The horrible grinding sound is indicative of the cable or one of it's guides breaking, the cable slipping out of place, or other failure making the cable bind up and make that crunchy/grindy noise when it tries to turn the seized up cable spool. If it was just making a softer wub-wub-wub noise, it may have been just the spacer/bushings inside the motor gone bad, but you can typically 'help' the window all the way up or down in that case.

Unless it's been replaced before, your regulator is probably riveted to the door panel (and to the glass), so make sure you are up for if before you dive in!

Oh boy...so the motor is okay, the motor turns A-okay! It is the cable/regulator housing. I pulled the regulator housing apart and sure enough, the cable had slipped out and I'm not exactly sure how it goes in. My guess is that the regulator was on it's way out anyways. It IS riveted to the door, and I can't make heads or tails on where the cables go (I'm clueless when it comes to power windows.). Am I going to need a professional for this?!

[85crownHPP]

No need to worry about where the cables go, you'll want to just replace the whole thing.

Removal involves pounding out the rivet pins with a hammer and tiny punch, then drilling out the heads with a good, sharp 1/4" bit. Yup, you have to indirectly pound on the window glass... unless you get lucky enough that the existing rivet shafts broke off beneath the head. Otherwise it's about 100x more challenging to drill them out with the shaft tip poking out... Once that's done, it's pretty easy. Some regulators even come with new short nuts&bolts to use in place of the rivets, and some come with a new motor so you will have a spare for it and the LR.

PS, don't over tighten the the window glass (if you use nuts n bolts) just sung is more than enough. I know because I got a safety-glass shower installing one once...


I found a pretty sweet how-to online, no affiliation. Its a different door, but the process is the same.

http://www.angelfire.com/tn/troupers/window.html

[AmuletOfNight]

No need to worry about where the cables go, you'll want to just replace the whole thing.

Removal involves pounding out the rivet pins with a hammer and tiny punch, then drilling out the heads with a good, sharp 1/4" bit. Yup, you have to indirectly pound on the window glass... unless you get lucky enough that the existing rivet shafts broke off beneath the head. Otherwise it's about 100x more challenging to drill them out with the shaft tip poking out... Once that's done, it's pretty easy. Some regulators even come with new short nuts&bolts to use in place of the rivets, and some come with a new motor so you will have a spare for it and the LR.

PS, don't over tighten the the window glass (if you use nuts n bolts) just sung is more than enough. I know because I got a safety-glass shower installing one once...


I found a pretty sweet how-to online, no affiliation. Its a different door, but the process is the same.

http://www.angelfire.com/tn/troupers/window.html

I'm not familiar with rivets and such, I think I'll be taking it to our local mechanic. I'm sure he'll enjoy the fact that the window motor is already separated from the regulator.

[mcninetyone]

Those regulators are real easy to replace!! No need to be affraid of the rivets.
And I would do it myself before paying $200 to have it replaced. Thats what the power window shop around here gets.
But whether you do it yourself or pay to have it done. I would check the motor just incase those bushings are anything less than perfect.
This would be the best time to do this.

[rezwrrd]

I just did mine last week. Took me the better part of a morning, but if I'd used a decent drill it would have been quicker. I didn't punch out the rivets in the window glass because I was afraid of glass shards getting all over my soon-to-be in-laws' garage. Four rivets to drill through, so get four 1/4" nut/bolt/washer sets. Mine were 1"-1.25" long, and were more than enough without getting in the way.

I pulled the glass because the site I was following (http://jalopnik.com/5420152/crown-vi...duction-costs/) said it was easier than not. It was a bit of a bugger to get back in. There are also three (IIRC) large torx screws holding in the motor/pulley assembly. Mine came off with an allen wrench, can't remember the size.

The pulley just unbolts from the motor and the new one bolts right on. If you're a klutz like me you might bolt the cable in with the motor cable wrapped around it. There's a convenient plug on the door that's a lot easier than unbolting everything.

I did it, and I'll gladly do it again. My GMQ's rear window needs it now.

[AmuletOfNight]

So while we're talking about windows, I am very curious about my drivers side power window. It goes up and down fine, but on the way down, about halfway, there is a very large CLUNK sound. Should I be concerned about that?

[sly]

something is probably loose and need the rivet replaced or the bolt tightened.

[AmuletOfNight]

It's finally fixed, thank goodness. The door panel was off for awhile, but we got around to fixing it yesterday. Everything was going really great until we started to reassemble everything. We found out that A) The rivets that came with the regulator would not fit our rivet gun. B) The rivets we bought were not only too small, but the gun would simply bend the rivets instead of expanding them. So we have to take that gun back. We ended up giving up for the night last night when we found that out.

We got back to it today, it turns out a friend of ours has a 1/4" air powered riveter, and he let us borrow it. Everything is all back together and the window works like new.


Also this was the regulator when we took it out.

[sly]

yup. cable broke free of the carrier. Same problem I had with both front doors in the 93.
as for the rivets... meh... 1/4-20 bolts and nuts next time and save yourself the trouble.

[mcninetyone]

yup. cable broke free of the carrier. Same problem I had with both front doors in the 93.
as for the rivets... meh... 1/4-20 bolts and nuts next time and save yourself the trouble.

What he said! bolts and nuts are the way to go!!!!

[AmuletOfNight]

I don't think the rivets were all that bad (after all)! I think that as long as we have that air powered riveter, it really wouldn't save all that much time since we know what we're doing now. At least with the rivets we know for a fact that there is no possible way that bolts can loosen. I prefer it that way.

[sly]

if you have the rivet gun... yeah... but if you can't borrow it... bolts go in just as easy.