Electric Window Mechanism Removal

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Dan the 480 Man
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Electric Window Mechanism Removal

Post by Dan the 480 Man » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:54 pm

After a broken window mechanism and 2 repairs, i decided to get a new one (new to me, i'm not rich :lol:)

To access it, you'll need to remove the doorcard. If you don't know how to do that, see this thread: Doorcard Removal.

Tools you'll need to remove the mechanism are:

-10mm Socket/Ratchet. An extender bar may be handy!
-10mm Spanner
-Possibly a Torx bit size 25.
Fablon, or some other type of sticky backed plastic + cling film.

**All images open in a new bigger window once clicked!**

1) Ok, so after you've removed the door card, you'll be faced with this:

Image

2) You'll need to undo the window from the mechanism itself. I found it easier to get the window to it's lowest position, which in my case was about the height of the two large holes at the top of the door. You can see one bolt which has to be undone, but the other is hiding behind the door skin-this is where you'll need your spanner. Undo both bolts. It's possible you may drop the bolts, but they should land in the bottom of the door.

Image Image

3) Once the window is unbolted, proceed to unbolt the 3 nuts and 1 top bolt holding the mechanism to the door skin. The 3 nuts down the bottom are inbetween the two lower cutouts, and the top bolt is between the two upper cutouts.

Image Image

4) With these undone, you should be able to put your hand through the bottom left hole and wriggle the mechanism free (make sure you unplug the connection). You will have to slide the mech to the right and push it up a little to get the slider to pop over the central locking wire. Once over that, lower the mech. and slide it out of the bottom right hole.

Image Image Image

5) *Optional*. Being the cautious person i am, i took my new mech and removed the plate covering up the barrell where the cable winds around. This is where i used my 25 Torx bit. I just gave it a little grease inside and rand some oil over the runners, just for that extra bit of lubrication ;).

Image

6) *Worth Checking*. Each mech i have come across has always had a crack on the corner of the runner. You can't see it in my pic, but it is there. So i just dropped a tiny bit of industrial Super Glue to keep it a little stronger. Whilst it's drying, go make yourself a Ham & Cheese sarnie. If you want, you can microwave it for a minute on full, to melt it all together. Lovely! However, on this occasion, i opted not to.

Image Image

7) Once the glue has dried you can then proceed to put the mech back into the door. Put it in the way it came out (obviously). Once you have it in in the correct position (check by lining up the 3 nuts at the bottom, and the bolt at the top), just screw the top bolt in (as in the bolt at the top on it's own). That way you can manouvre the whole unit to get the 3 nuts at the bottom lined up easier.

Image

8 ) Just 'nip' all the nuts/bolt up. Then, connect the plug back on and turn on the ignition. Get the slider that the window bolts to down next to the electrical connections like so:

Image

Then push your window down by hand until the window holes match the slider holes. Pop your socket on to the extender bar and just screw by hand until they are fully home. Once they are home tighten up with the socket.

9) Do a quick check, just make sure the whole unit is working ok, then tighten the nuts/bolt that are holding the mech to the skin and voila. One working window...until the next time...:lol:

And if you're like me...

To carry out some of the above, you will have to break the sellophane factory seals. That didn't bither me, but the sticky aftermath did! So out with the white spirit, t-cut and wax, and hey presto-shiny doors that no one will ever see! (I done the drivers door too...man, i need a job..but until you have an OCD, you'll never know :nuts:)

Image Image Image


**Additional Info** (Added April 16th 2008)

After re-reading this post, and despite the fact i'm no longer an owner, i've left some important info out.

To get to the mechanism, you'll need to remove the transparent plastic 'stuff' over the holes. This stops water running into the interior i found at a later date, so it's probably best you cover these up again.

I bought some 'Fablon' from B & Q, which is quite strong stuff. I roughly cut out the shapes it had to cover, and stuck them on. I then tided them up with a scalple.

The main hole (which the door-pocket & speaker sits in) needs to be recessed. I don't have a picture, but once the Fablon is in place, you need to cut the centre out in the same shape as the hole itself. There needs to be about 2cm overlap on the inner part all the way round. In the picture, you can see the cutout in the Fablon for the speaker, but this was before i realised it needed to be all cut out!

Image Image Image

Then i took a long bit of cling film and pressed it against the reverse of the overlap, so it was pressed against the sticky reverse of the Fablon. i pressed it on the reverse all the way around, but made sure it was quite baggy in the centre. This is so that hole stays watertight but so the door pocket and speaker don't rip the cling film. This stops the water running down the inside of the doorskin, then running behind the doorcard, and into the car.
Last edited by Dan the 480 Man on Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:01 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Roo
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Post by Roo » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:54 pm

Excellent how-to. :D
If, in step 6, you dont have a cracked mechanism, can you still have the ham and cheese sarnie?

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Post by stu chacks » Thu Jul 12, 2007 12:42 pm


Nice post Dan. There's a job any long suffering 480 owner has done more than once! That plastic bit that always snaps is another great 480 design (not!). Remember seeing a post where the new non o/e ones on fleabay use metal clip instead (but cost £125!).

Good chance to waxoyl the doorpan and ensure the drainholes clear while it's out too.

Hmm, ham and chesney.... :drool:

Stu.

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Post by piper1st » Thu Jul 12, 2007 2:05 pm

Another hand guide ... cheers Dan.
Roo wrote: If, in step 6, you dont have a cracked mechanism, can you still have the ham and cheese sarnie?
good choice ... have you ever tried that Patak's aubergine pickle on it too? it's mighty fine! :D

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Electric Window Mechanism Removal Guide

Post by mmcare00 » Wed May 21, 2008 9:23 am

Thanks very much for such an easy to follow and useful guide. I've now replaced both sides on my '92 ES and am enjoying having windows that go up and down as they are supposed to (as opposed to being jammed shut). Ah the simple pleasures :hopping:

It's worth pointing out that the windows don't need to come out to do this job - I was worried at first that I'd have to work out how to do this, but in the end it is all possible with the glass in situ.

Excellent guide! Thanks!!

Martin
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Post by 480 Tatey » Wed May 21, 2008 2:24 pm

This is a good guide i agree, i had a go on the celeb got the new regulator in, but some plum taped the little plugs up that connect to the press switch(one inside the armrest)! Took me an hour to figure out why it wasnt working, but all working now!!!! :lol:
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Re: Electric Window Mechanism Removal

Post by ryancaptain » Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:42 pm

I'm happy to report at last I have successfully repaired a winder mechanism.
I have been staring at a broken unit for many months convinced there is a way to repair it. After many unsuccessful attempts I came up with a fairly simple solution and I am happy to report the repaired unit has been functioning, without a hitch for about a month, so I consider it a success. I will let you know if it fails in the future.

Here's how I did it.
I drilled out the broken plastic lug (the one that always goes) through the metal back plate using a 5mm drill bit.
I purchased some 15mm long aluminium pop rivets from my local spares shop (standard 10mm rivets are not long enough).
I also purchased from my local hobby shop a piece of aluminium tube, internal diameter 5mm which cost me £1.20.
I de-tensioned the window cable by lifting it off the plastic pulley, then I cut off a piece of the aluminium tube about 15mm long and positioned it with some tweezers where the plastic lug used to be, over the hole I had drilled and then slipped the pop rivet (loaded into my rivet gun) through the hole from the other side of the back plate into the piece of tube, which I was still holding in place with the tweezers (quite fiddly this).
As I compressed the rivet the aluminium tube expanded and by the time the rivet "popped" I had a nice sturdy metal lug where the old cr@ppy plastic one used to be. It was quite easy to ease the cable back over the pulley, but care must be taken not to damage the pulley which is also made of cr@ppy plastic.
The new lug was a little tight against the metal runner, but I plugged the unit into its power socket before reinstalling it on the car and ran it up and down a few times and it was soon moving freely.
Before the re-installation I really soaked the felt window runners with silicone grease to soften them up as they had become dry and stiff and were offering resistance to the window. After aboat three applications of silicone I could manually move the window up and down quite easily and I then re-installed the winder which now works the window effortlessly.
Oh joy!

Mick

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