Window Regulator Repair (long)

[Steinbru@vnet.ibm.com]

Ref:  note from afinney Tue, 17 Jun 1997 13:07:52 -0500
Ref:  Window Regulator Replacement 4000 series


How to get the track free from the window in the
5000???  Anybody done this?  No bolts as in the CGT!

Upon tracking down Andrew's excellent guide to
rebuilding window regulators and having success on
the CGT, I was emboldened to attack the miserable
driver side window on the 5ks.  The mechanism is
much the same, and sure enough the cable has
snapped and entwined itself in the pulley.  An
additional feature is that this has snapped off
one of the spring holder/guide tubes.  Oh well,
off to the junk, er, salvage yard.

>From my work on the CGT, I'll add a few tips to
Andrew's description.  Before you remove the
rivet, start a "divet" in the center of the (frame
side) "rivet" with a 5/16 bit (a 3/8 might have
been a bit better -heh heh).  Then stop and drill
completely through the center with a 7/32 (or a #7
if you have one).  This hole will be tapped to
take a 1/4-20 truss head machine screw.  It's
probably easier to tap while the rivet is still
mounted --I did it after and the rivet is hard to
hold without skinning it up.  This is what will
hold the pulley to the frame when you remount it
after re-stringing the cable.  Now reuse the 5/16"
bit to continue drilling out the rivet.  Take care
to just free up the rivet, you'll want to leave
all of the shoulder and a little of the smaller
diameter where it passed through the frame.  If
you don't have a tap, they are only a couple of
bucks at the hardware store and you can turn it
with a small adjustable wrench if you don't have a
tap wrench (half turn in, then a quarter out to
break the chip, and use some oil).

To re-string the cable, I found it best to get
about eight feet of 1/16" aircraft cable (rather
than the bicycle equivalent).  This is 10-20 cents
a foot at my local hardware stores.  While you are
there, pick up a couple of cable stops and a
double cable ferrule, another fifty cents or so
(the smaller the better --I noticed some variation
in them even though all were for 1/16 cable).


Now disassemble the cable drive as described by
Andrew.  I noticed that the long plastic liners in
the cable sheath were broken at a bend in the
sheath.  I withdrew both parts and swapped them so
that the break was in a different place --hey,
they worked for 250,000 miles (and I didn't have
anything to replace them with --search around).
Clean up all the bits of cable strand and dirty
lubricant.  Keep track of the little rubber
"shoes" that go in the inner face of the drive
spool.  Also make sure your cable ferrule is short
enough to fit into the slot in the back of the
slider --don't worry about how fat it is, but do
file it down to length if necessary!  This is
important to do now.

Now build the cable.  Crimp one cable stop on the
end of your eight foot wire --hard to believe
you'll use almost all of it isn't it?  Crush this
just flat enough (beyond the initial crimp) that
it will fit into the retaining slot on the inner
face of the spool.  Don't flatten them too much,
or they'll be too wide!  Also, don't hit the other
side or the cable will loosen up!  If it gets too
wide, file it down.  Now thread the other end
through the spring and spring guide, the lower
cable sheath, and the cable retaining clip
(re-install them).  And, REALLY IMPORTANT, slip
the double ferrule on the cable so you can crimp
it in position later!!  Otherwise you'll get a lot
of practice dis/and/re/assembling this part!  Now
continue threading the cable end around the
loosely remounted pulley, through the lower cable
clip, sheath, guide, and the other cable stop.
Now the fun part.  I think this is only possible
with a helper.

Wind the cable into the grooves on the spool (from
the inner face to the outer).  Hold this in place
while your helper lines up all the aforementioned
parts (guides, sheaths, etc) on the guide bar.
Make sure the little rubbery "feet" are properly
in the spool.  Notice how the legs on the spool
will line up between the feet.  Put the spool on
the drive and get it fully seated (don't let the
cable unwind).  You have three choices of
position, you want the one where the lower cable
is aimed toward its exit, and the upper is
reasonably pointed towards the other (used) exit.
(There are a couple of unused ones.)  This
position will allow you and your helper to stretch
the upper cable end so as to compress the two
guide tube springs about 1/2 to 2/3 of their free
length.  This pre-tensions the cable.  Now, while
helper is holding the springs compressed, and you
are not letting the cable get free with one hand,
locate the upper cable stop to where it will just
slip into its retaining slot.  Crimp it here.  If
you're really really good, you won't have to rig
everything up again --but don't count on it!
Anyway, complete the crimp (making sure both stops
fit in their slots on the spool), rewind all the
junk that sprang free, compress the springs, and
slip the upper stop into its slot.  Voila'
--you're 2/3's done.

You'll notice that the window slide has NOT been
placed back on its guide rail.  This is because
the ferrule which will be crimped on and set into
the slot on the back of the slide must be located
in the center of the cable.  Rather than try to
measure my badly mangled and severed cable, I used
my battery charger to run the cable "up and down"
a couple of times, using a bit of masking tape to
figure out where the middle of the cable was.
There should be about three inches of "extra"
travel up and down from center.  Now crimp the
ferrule onto the cable at the center point and
make sure it fits into the slot, flattening it
slightly if necessary.  (Remember, you got the
length right before you started this!)  Now, sad
but true, you must set the cable free one more
time so you can put the slide onto the guide rail.
You'll also remove the pulley.  Don't forget to put
the retaining clip back on the slider --you did
pay attention to how it came off didn't you?  Now,
finally, you can tighten the pulley in place,
rewind the cable, get everything lined up, and put
the upper cable stop in its place in the spool for
the last time.  Lube everything up with a light
coat of medium white lithium grease (I used
Lubriplate), put the cover back on the drive
spool, give all one last test, and reinstall it in
the car.

You just saved yourself about five hundred bucks.
And, since the A/C is probably not working, you
can breath easy again!!!
--Gary


----------------------------- Note follows ------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 1997 13:07:52 -0500
From: afinney@tamsconsultants.com
Subject: Window Regulator Replacement 4000 series

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.=20

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.=20

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.=20

Executive summary.=20

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.