Stuck windows

[Mr. Land Yacht]

Hey mangs, both my driver and rear driver side windows are stuck on my 97 Town Car. When I got the button I can hear the motor but the window doesn't move. I also hear crunching when the motor is engaged, which alarms me.

Ideas?

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Busted window regulators. Super common on '92+ cars. I've done three out of the four on the '97. The passenger side is currently jammed up anyway, so I'll be four out of four when I get to it.

I strongly suggest either getting the regulators with the motors or replacing the bushings inside of the motors. They're little nylon things that will disintegrate into a crumbly mess this late in the game. I had to do those when I fixed the rear window regulators. I thought all was good but then the windows stopped working, again.

Assuming yours have never been replaced before, you will need a drift and drill since the regulators and motor brackets are held in place with pop rivets, save for two bolts near the top. When I did my repairs, I used short bolts, lock washers, and nuts since someday I'll be back in there, but hopefully not soon.

[mcninetyone]

I agree, it's either the motors or the regulators. The problem with the regulators is that they just seem to fall apart. The problem with the motors is usually those worthless bushings. Not much you can do if it's the regulator except replacing it. If it's the motor you can clean it out and then replace those plastic bushings with ball bearings or nuts. That will keep that from happening again unless the whole motor goes out. Whatever it is, it's an easy fix!

[sly]

+1 the cable is held by PLASTIC on the section that holds the window. Piss poor design because of that failure point. I've replaced the regulators in my front doors on my 93 3 times each. One set of regulators only lasted 3-6 months. As a side note, lube up the felts when you replace the regulator with some silicone spray lube. It will help not break the new regulator.

[Mr. Land Yacht]

Thanks very much mangs.

[Mr. Land Yacht]

I haven't fixed this just yet(I have a wife, 4 kids under 6 and a FT job)but when I do I have a question...
Is there a motor and regulator out there that's made better so that this doesn't keep happening?

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I haven't fixed this just yet(I have a wife, 4 kids under 6 and a FT job)but when I do I have a question...
Is there a motor and regulator out there that's made better so that this doesn't keep happening?

Usually the motors are pretty robust until the nylon bushings wear out. The regulator's cable design is the largest inherent flaw to the setup and that's what usually causes all the problems. Essentially all of the regulators on the market will do the same thing eventually in the future. I'm using AC Delco brand regulators in mine, but most people run with the Dorman ones since they're readily available at most auto part stores.

[gadget73]

If you lube the window mechanism so it moves easily, it helps make it last longer. The cables are a bit wimpy to begin with but when the glass doesn't move free it puts more load on them.