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Thread: Window regulator TLC

  1. #1
    Member Since
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    Window regulator TLC

    I have a bad motor in my driver's side window. Near as I can figure, the motor went bad due to the impact that screwed up the driver's side door. Because the motor was frozen, my regulator was very stiff moving up and down the track, due to the fact that it hadn't been operated for the two+ years prior to my purchasing the vehicle.

    As long as I had the door apart and the regulator removed pending replacement of the motor, I decided to try lubing the regulator cables with motorcycle cable lube. For those who are old hands at the whole window thing, I apologize if I'm telling you something you already know. For those of you who haven't taken your doors apart and don't know what I'm talking about, or have never used motorcycle cable lube and lubers, I took pix of the process for a step by step primer.

    The first pic is of the entire regulator, so you have a good idea what it looks like and how it all works together.
    Window Regulator

    As you can see, the entire mechanism runs by a cable being spooled through two sheaths, and run through guides at the top and bottom of the track, raising and lowering the regulator arm on the track. When you get dust and dirt and moisture on the cables, it gets trapped inside the sheath, and this contributes to the regulator moving slowly and dragging. A good way to keep your regulators operating happily is to lube the cables where they go inside the sheaths. How do you do that?

    The first step is to find where the sheath sets into the guides at the bottom and top of the track. This is what it looks like: Cable Guide

    Pull back on the sheath until it clears the guide, and you can then pop it off like THIS. Be careful of the little GUIDE TAB that holds the cable in place. Slide the cable free of this tab, and now your cable is FREE OF THE GUIDE , which is what you need for the next step.

    If you don't have a motorcycle cable luber, they are nifty little gadgets that you affix to the cable where it meets the sheath. They allow you to squirt lube under pressure from the can directly into the sheath, thereby flushing out dirt and old lube and replacing it with fresh lube. You can pick them up at any motorcycle shop and they are a one size fits all type of contraption that you can use to lubricate any cable that goes in and out of a sheath.

    THIS is what a cable luber looks like affixed to the cable. I used Tri Flow as it has teflon in it and is penetrating so would help to dissolve some of the old deposits inside the sheaths from my regulator being stuck for so long in one position. I would imagine that you can also use the thicker cable lube/chain wax, as those are formulated not to attack the O-rings in chains and so should be compatible with the plastic in the spool and guides. It is also formulated to resist getting thrown off the chain, so it sticks where you put it, pretty much, especially in a light duty application like this.

    Once you have the luber hooked up it's a simple process to SQUIRT THE LUBE in until it comes out clean on the other end. Then you merely rethread the cable around the guide tab, pull back on the sheath until it seats itself again. Voila, you now have lubed your cables. It's really surprising at how much more smoothly and happily the regulator arm slides up and down the track after you do this.

    You can also squirt a few shots of lube into the spool itself and run the arm up and down the tracks. Wipe off the excess, which will contain a good deal of accumulated dust. Tri flow works well to clean the track, also, in prep for a reapplication of some lithium grease (I imagine the same stuff used on the door hinges would work fine, if you don't use the cable lube/chain wax.) Hope this was of use to some of you.

    Happy VX'ing,
    Weasel

  2. #2
    Member Since
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    Window regulator TLC

    WOW, nice 'how to'
    Do you think this will help prevent all of the problems I have been reading about here on window issues? I mean, your thread makes me want to tear my door panels off to see what it is all about!

    I have been lubing the tracks since I got mine in January, (Tri-flow is NOT the one to use for that), but since getting the windows tinted by Artistic Dimensions who did my headlight covers, haven't wanted to take a chance of contamination of the film.

    Anyway, good 'how to', thanks. maybe see you in May, will know for sure if I will be there this friday.

  3. #3
    Member Since
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    '99 Copper Orange Mica 1499
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    No, you're right. Triflow is ~not~ what you use for the tracks, tho it is good for cables. The rubber in the front and rear tracks (the actual guides the window moves up and down in) should be siliconed, in addition to the front track being widened to help prevent the window from binding as it moves up and down this track. I merely thought that if some other unfortunate had to dismantle their door to replace a motor or regulator or to fix the tabs on their window (or to perform the Bulldoggie spacer trick), they might want to lube those cables up as long as everything was apart because it takes all of five minutes and two of those are shaking the can of lube.

    And to answer your question, while lubing the cables might help keep the regulator from dragging, it will not fix the binding problem which (from what I've read in the wonderfully helpful posts on this site) is caused by the window tilting on the regulator arms and causing the regulator arm to come off the track due poor alignment and engineering of the orginal parts.

    Bulldoggie came up with a spacer trick that helps address alot of the alignment problems, and I have been toying around with the idea of fabricating a set of brackets that a) addresses the spacing issue and b) eliminates the need to drill holes in the door to reposition the regulator so that the hole on the regulator arm aligns with the tabs on the window. I am waiting to get my VX back from getting painted so I can measure out how these brackets need to be made.

    BTW, rowhard, I loved your how to on the headlamps and I would very much like to buy some lexan headlight cover/protectors if you can get your plastic guy to make another set. I keep meaning to PM or email you and forgetting.

  4. #4
    Member Since
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    [QUOTE=WyldWeasel
    And to answer your question, while lubing the cables might help keep the regulator from dragging, it will not fix the binding problem which (from what I've read in the wonderfully helpful posts on this site) is caused by the window tilting on the regulator arms and causing the regulator arm to come off the track due poor alignment and engineering of the orginal parts.

    Bulldoggie came up with a spacer trick that helps address alot of the alignment problems, and I have been toying around with the idea of fabricating a set of brackets that a) addresses the spacing issue and b) eliminates the need to drill holes in the door to reposition the regulator so that the hole on the regulator arm aligns with the tabs on the window. [/QUOTE]


    Adding the spacers keeps the regulator arm on the regulator track, and keeps the glass in the door guides.

    The binding is from the window mounted too far forward on the regulator arm, making too much friction in the front door guide, pulling the window glass down. (tilting)

    The BEST way to adjust the window glass rearward, would be to:
    1] Re-glue the plastic tabs on the window bottom rearward, just under a quarter inch. Still not having any future adjustability. OR glue new plastic tabs that have an adjustable slotted hole. This would be a great option for those who have had this part break. (I'm one)
    2] Have a regulator arm fabricated to be a little longer with slotted holes on the ends. That would allow forward and rearward adjustment for total adjustibility. If you look at the picture, this is extreamly difficult.
    3] Slot the four bolt holes in the inside door panel, that hold the regulator arm and track. This is very easy, and it's why I did it that way. I would rather have the adjustable window tab.


    It would be great if Isuzu made an adjustable window mount, but I'm not holding my breath for that.

    I can't tell you, HOW GREAT MY WINDOW WORKS!
    I would love for someone to come by and check for themself.

    And lubing the rubber parts with silicone spray does help keep the rubber from sticking to the glass.

  5. #5
    Member Since
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    99 Astral Silver w/ SC
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    Great guide.....now if I can figure out how to get them to do this....modified power window


  6. #6
    Member Since
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    2000, Black VX #0754
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bulldoggie
    And lubing the rubber parts with silicone spray does help keep the rubber from sticking to the glass.
    I'll have to try that. The outside trim on the driverside window gets pushed up by the glass when I roll up the window.

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