Windows

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 8:22 pm

I got to fixing my windows yesterday and today - and you should all know that I'm referring to how hard they are (in my case, were) to crank.

They get like this for some or all of the following reasons:
1. The regulator (the mechanism that cranks it up and down) gets stiff from lack of lubrication. Over 15 years of use, the original grease does wear pretty thin. This particularily affects the gear teeth which are the only highly stressed parts.
2. The equalizer bar that controls the angle of the window as it travels up and down needs to be adjusted to keep the window straight and moving parallel to the tracks.
3. The rubber tracks themselves are sticky and causing alot of friction with the window. I think this is actually the least of your worries when dealing with a bad window.

Yesterday I took the drivers side front window out and for the first time closely inspected the mechanism. The regulator gears were pretty worn out and lacking grease. There was also alot of friction with the plastic rollers that roll in the tracks to move the window. I found that the rollers were just slipping in the tracks rather than rolling. I used some degreaser on these for lack of a real penetrant like Liquid Wrench or WD-40. Then I greased the tracks and put oil (Krown Rust Control rustproofing, it is good at creeping into places) on them. I also liberally greased the big gear sector that is where most of the grunt work takes place. Over years of having forced a bad regulator with no grease to move the window up and down, the teeth on the big gear were badly worn, but still having a functional tooth profile.

I took the rubber window track out and cleaned it with soap and water and put it back in and sprayed silicone lube on it to keep the friction down. While it was out, I put the window back in and adjusted the equalizer bar to make it straight. This allowed me to see clearly where is is in relation to the door. With the track in, you're always guessing because the tracks force it to be centered when in fact it may be adjusted wrong and forcing it to one side when cranked. It's hard because there is play in the mechanism and the window will go to one side or the other depending on how you crank it. I found the best results by applying downwards force on the window while cranking upwards, and centered it in this position.

The result - it is noticeably better, but not quite as good as the windows on newer cars like my friend's 1991 Tercel. I thought it was because the rollers really ought to roll rather than slide. Today I did much the same thing to my passenger side front window, with similar results. The gears looked worse on this one. The rear windows are the best because they weren't used as much, and are still quite easy to crank.

I would call this job a success in that it has significantly improved things. While testing the window at first, I was skeptical about the difference because I was really paying attention to how hard it was to turn, but the next day when I went to crank it without being mentally prepared, it really did feel fine. The difference between the drivers side when it was fixed and the passenger side before it was fixed was really pronounced when I had to close both of them one after the other. The way they are now, I would be comfortable putting power windows in knowing that I won't just be power windowing a bad mechanism and making it worse.

Thereminator · Post by **Thereminator** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 9:03 pm

AC,can you adjust and lube the window hardware by just removeing the inner panel? :unsure:

takza · Post by **takza** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 5:43 am

Biggest problem with the panel is the clip that holds the window crank...after that it's fairly easy. Need to be careful of the clips that hold the panel so they don't get messed up.

I use a combination of gear oil and axle grease to lube inside...plus some WD40 on the inside latch mechanism and the vertical window tracks.

Best bet for the window tracks might be to clean them and use a dry lube...teflon or moly?

Good idea to tighten any loose screws also?

I just did the driver's side window...though they are all used a lot. Helped a lot..but the windows in the back doors stick pretty well yet....pass side OK.

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 11:26 am

A really small flathead screwdriver works well for those window crank clips. I don't have any trouble at all with those, probably from lots of experience taking them off and thanks to the very thin flathead screwdriver I'm lucky enough to have. The book recommends to use a cloth, by pulling an edge of it tight and wiggling it into the gap from side to side. That should work pretty well also. I always put the clips back on the window crank so that the open end is facing away from the crank, that makes it easier to get off the next time. Factory installation is always the reverse, probably to make it harder to remove.