Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications General Mods Howto : Fixing a window regulator.

I did this about 5 months ago, so I dont remember bolt sizes real well, and things of that nature. Sorry

Things you should know.

1) Its already broken.
2) When the window goes down, the wheel goes counter clockwise.
3) If you break anything, dont worry, its already broken.

Im going to try to explain this to the best of my ability, I should have taken pictures, but im not going to take apart my window regulator, just to rebuild it.


Thing you need:

1 Unit of 2 part epoxy (24 hours) or JB-weld
6 feet of small cable, try to match the diamater of the origional, but a size or two smaller works.
4 Metal Cable Ends (the kind you cramp) (get 8 just incase)
1 Hacksaw (to cut the cable retainers to fit)

If your over 21:
6 beers (also known as a 6 beer project)


I will explain this from the driver side window regulator.

-------------
Ok, when you take your door pannel off, unhook everything, and peal that foam plastic stuff off, you got a lot of metal and stuff.. Get your window to roll down about half way, notice the red plastic guide thats on the metal track with 2 bolts?, remove the bolts, its pretty hard to get in there, thats why you put the window down 1/2 way to get better access.Remove the 2 bolts, take a 10mm socket and from the reverse side, press it on the black retainers to pop them out. Be careful, dont break your window by forcing to hard, or let it fall off the red guide. Once the 2 black retainers are removed, pull the door trim, and gently pull the window out of the door. Set the glass in the back seat, where it will be safe!

NOW! Notice the 3 bolts in a triangular position, thats the motor assembly + wire spool housing. Unbolt the 3 bolts, and completely remove the bolt farthest to the left, now, dont rotate it to take it out yet.

Now the metal bar inside the door, that the guide slides up and down on, take the 1 upper right bolt out, and loosen the 3 remaing bolts, 1 on top, 2 on bottem, and remove the assembly as a piece.

Once it is out, clear a space to work on, and lay the regulator on the desk with the red guide facing up, but closest to your torso, and the motor assembly farthest away, so the motor is actually pointing down, and the black plastic on the motor is facing upwards.

remove the plastic, there is a blue wheel inside. Notice the blue wheel hase a notch in it that goes all the way through, with a little square hole. thats the side of the wheel that faces up, once you remove the wheel the opposing side only has the notch that ends 1/2 way through.

remove the cable, throw it all away, its not worth trying to measure, this takes educated guessing because each window regulaor is different (rear, and front, driver / passanger)

You have 2 black plastic tubes with metal on the inside. These pieces are responsable for the cable to go through, the shortest one went on the right, and longest to the left. Keep this in mind.

On the right plastic "tube" there is a white plastic piece that is most likely broken, its about 1 inch in length and about 1/4 in diamater on the narrowest part, and about 7/16 inch in diamater at the bottem, There is a spring that surrounds it. This piece slides onto the metal tube, the top portion that goes into the plastic hub for the regulator. On the bottem of this "tube" there is a miniture one, that goes onto the side that a wheel rotates like a pully and assits the cable.

Glue these pieces with epoxy or JB if damaged.

Do the same for the left hand side.

LET THEM DRY 24 HOURS!

Now. the red guide, has 2 holes in the top, if you flip it over you see 1 goes to the left and 1 to the right. Cut your cable in 2 pieces (3 foot each - even ), and crimp the metal cable ends on the cables. Run them through the red piece from the top, and guide 1 through the left and 1 throught he pully / out the outlet to the right.

Once your pieces are dry, put the right side together, and run the cable through.

The right one assembles like this :

To pully To regulator hub
=[]====================================[]:::::::::


Dont forget the spring, now, slide the red guide all the way down to the left! Your working on the right side, this would mean the window is up. Rest an heavy object on the red guide to hold it in place. Put the blue plastic wheel on the regulator with the notch DEAD CENTER at the top. Hold the black plastic housing just below the notch, but the screw holed adjasent to there corespoding places. Mark the housing with a sharpee or whiteout. Then pull the cable over the mark, and crimp a cable end on it (NOT TIGHT TO WHERE IT CANT SLIDE w/o FORCE!!) then cut the excess but leave about 2 inches just incase. Place this in the bottem hole in the regulator hub. and make sure the spring is still on. place the black plastic housing on,and pull the srping back a little and slide the plastic shaft in. The spring should put tension on the plastic hub..

HUB Plastic To Hub To Pully
)))))**=[]================================[]=

** = Compressed spring

Once you get the proper postion. Remove the hub and crimp the cable and cut the excess off. Roll the cable on the blue wheel clockwise, until the red guide is in the right AKA down position. Place the object on this guide to hold it. Now put the blue wheel on the motor, and measure / fit the left side.

Once both sides are done, roll the wheel / quide to about 1/2 way down, so make it easier to get the window in.

You have to take the wheel off the motor to turn it aka roll it, or it wont move. It takes patience and time.

Place the housing over the wheel, put the cable ends in, and screw it down.

Walk out to your car, put the unit back in the door, plug it up, and test it..

I have rebuilt 2 with this method, and it works, it just takes trial / error, and time.

Is this so you can roll down the back windows all the way?

I dont have kids, and dont really care enough about them to feel safe in the backseat of my car, and want my rear windows to roll down all the way.

I plan to install Power Windows soon....