Window regulator

[gstroe]

Hi guys, Coupe GT '86, passenger door window won't budge. I had the same on the driver's door and it was the wire, cut between the frame and the door itself due to too many open/close, guess can be called normal wear and tear after all these years. Passenger side the wires are OK, there is a connector under the dash just besides the computer, have disconnected it and measured the voltage, there is voltage on the connector coming from the switch and it changes polarity as I depress it in both directions (as if to lower and raise the window). I took the door panel off, there is a very, very slight click when I depress the button but nothing happens, the window won't move. Any way I can check the motor or it's shot or is there something else that could cause this problem? many thanks George

[Popflyz13]

My problem was a plastic insert that is part of the spring shock absorber on the regulator's black cable sleeve. I started a write-up (below) on how to fix the problem without buying a new regulator. If your cable spool is jammed like mine was, its going to be a chore, especially if your window is up because the hex screws securing the glass to the regulator are not easily accessable. You might get a helper to apply some down-force on the glass when you toggle the switch to force the glass to a better position to remove the screws and the offending regulator.

Wayne

Cables
In the normal operation of a window, the window switch activates the regulator motor and spins the spool inside the regulator housing. It draws the cable through the cable sleeves and pulls the dolly up and down the rail. The cable sleeves are attached to the regulator rail at the top and bottom of the rail with a clip but they are not physically attached to the motor/spool housing. Instead, the cable guides are isolated from motor/spool housing by a plastic insert and spring that acts as a shock absorber when the widow strikes the top of the doorframe or when the regulator dolly hits the bottom of the regulator rail. When this happens, the pressure on the plastic insert is enormous, especially when the window is closed and drawn tight. Over time, the part of the insert that retains the spring can separate from the part that slides in and out of the spool housing. The spring then rams the broken part up and over the cable sleeve; allowing the cable sleeve to slip inside the spring. The intruding cable sleeve then pushes the sliding part of the plastic insert deep inside the spool housing and freezes the mechanism by jamming the spool. Alternatively, the collapse of the shock absorber can slacken the cable and allow it to jump the roller guides. Binding results and can lead to a complete cable failure which, in turn, could cause the glass to drop inside the door.

Solution
If the plastic insert on the cable guide is broken, it is possible to replace it. First, you need to find an unbroken plastic insert. If you have a surplus regulator that can be cannibalized, look to see if it has a good plastic insert in either of the two cable guide shock absorbers. If you are lucky and one is intact, remove the bad one from the regulator you are trying to fix. I used a Dremmel with a cut-off wheel to split the plastic and to get it off the cable. Be careful not to damage the cable! Removal of the good insert from the surplus regulator is easy – cut the cable! Installing it on the target regulator is a bit more complicated. The regulator cable is attached at both ends to the spool and the lug at the cable-end cannot be removed. This prevents the installation of the plastic insert from the end of the cable. The next step is only for the brave of heart! Take the Dremmel and carefully cut a slot down the entire length of the good insert. The idea is to use the slot as a way to slip the insert onto the destination cable. You will need to slip the cable off the nearest roller guide to get enough slack to install the insert. Once it’s in, compress the springs against the spool housing to get the slack needed to put the cable back on the roller guide. I used heavy string wrapped around the housing to retain each spring until the cable was back on the roller. Once I cut the string from the housing, I was done!

[gstroe]

Thank you very much Wayne, I will print this and then go and check the entire system on my car to see if this is the problem I'm having.

George