Window Regulator Replacement 4000 series

[Andrew Finney <afinney@tamsconsultants.com>]

** Confidential **

A few people have asked me to repost this message.

_______________________________________________ 
Well, I did it. I replaced the cable in my window regulator for
$10 and saved $400. My UrQ window would only go up, not
down after a lound twang noise. I knew that the cable had
broken. Not wanting to spend $400 to replace the motor/cable
assembly I bought 2 Shimano Deraileur cables and one $0.99
package of 1/16 inch double barreled wire crimps. Here goes
the procedure. Remove the door panel. Remove the window
regulator. 3-10mm bolts at the top, one at the bottom. Remove
the motor, 3-10mm bolts which is attached approximately
where the hand crank on a manual window would be. Remove
the window glass. 2-10mm bolts. Window will need to be
below it's midpoint of travel to see them. Otherwise it's a PITA.
Remove the wire to the motor. Don't cut it, there's a connection
just inside the left side of the car, under the driver's side lower
dash panel. Who knows where it is on the other side of the car
and I don't want to find out. The wire comes through the rubber
boot between the door and the car body and connects just
inside. Remove here and pull the wire out through the boot. 

Remove the 6 or so screws that hold the front cover to the
motor assembly. It's the round part of the window motor, not
the rectangular part. Be carefull. The wire inside will want to
unwind. Draw yourself a picture of how the two cables enter
the assembly. You'll need to put them back the right way.
Note where all the parts come from as you remove the spool of
cable inside. Cut the wires where you need to, to remove them
from the track assembly. To remove the wire and window
runner drill out the rivet that holds the plastic pulley wheel.
Now slide the runner off the track. Remove the little black clip
(note the position) and you'll be able to take the wire
completely off the runner. Make sure you don't throw away the
dead wire, you'll need to measure exactly where that little
crimpy thing is in relation to the wire ends. Now comes the fun
part.

The shimano cables come with a little crimped thing on the
end. Measure the distance on the old cable between the end
crimp and the mid length crimp, the one on the runner. Mark
off the same distance on the new cable. Do this for both
cables. What you're going to do is replace one cable with two.
Now, this is where I made a mistake the first time. Thread the
new cable through the funny plastic pieces at the end near the
motor assembly, thread it through the cable housing, thru the
black metal clips at either end of the window slider assembly
(forgot those) and get ready to crimp. First you will need a
replacement for the drilled rivet on the pulley wheel. Use a fat,
short bolt and washers. You must FILE the bolt head, or what
ever side of the bolt that is facing the pulley wheel. File it level
or even below the edge of the aluminum window track.
Remember, shorter is better here. Believe me, otherwise the
window won't go all the way up because it will hit the bolt head
and jam. Now take the cables and thread them through the
1/16 inch crimp thingey you bought. Thread them through the
same hole from opposite directions. Make sure you line up the
crimp with the length marks you made earlier. There will be a
lot of extra cable on either side. Now bend each cable back
through the other barrel of the crimpey thing. Pull the cables
through as tight as you can. Now crimp the crimpey thing with
a hammer or pliers. Remember to get it to be somewhat
square in shape because it has to fit into the slot in the back
of the window runner. Now stuff the whole crimped mess into
the little slot and replace the black metal clip remembering of
course how it came off. 

Now comes the pain and despair. Remembering which cable
came from which side of the plastic cable wheel in the motor
housing, put the cable into the slot on the back side of the
plastic wheel and start winding the cable up. You'll see that as
you have it taught the spring on the cable housing helps to
keep the cable taught. Now wind up all the slack. With one
hand compress the spring, with the other slip the wheel back
onto the drive hub, making sure not to tear and mangle the
funny rubber cushions. You're 50% done. Now wind up the
slack on the other cable as much as you can. Get an
assistant, I didn't have one. The object is to get the cable as
taught as possible. With one hand using pliers pull the
remaining cable while compressing one or both of the springs.
Now with a third hand crimp vicegrips on the cable just as it
comes into the housing to hold it taught. Now quickly, before
the vicegrips slip, wind up the remaining cable and push the
crimp into the slot on the top of the plastic wheel. Ta dah.
You're mostly done. Now put it together with lots of grease and
test the thing by connecting only the power to the motor and
running the window. 

Executive summary. 

Major PITA job. Almost not worth the money if you make a
mistake or two and have to repeat the steps. Attempt only if
you are mechanically minded. Have fun.

Andrew Finney
1983 UrQ.