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Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:20 am

I have a 91 Multi with busted power window that I no longer want to messing with. The window have quit working repeatedly over the years for 4-5 different reasons and I am tired of fixing them. Presently there is one broken electrical wire to the the passenger door window and the guide for the driver's window is messed up. It time to make a change. I would like to remove the power window stuff from my van and swap in the manual stuff from another. Are there any interchange problems with parts from other Vanagons? Do I need to be looking at only certain model years for parts?

Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:54 am

Hello!
I´m new to this side :D . This side is really good.
I´m from sweden so I´m apologising for my spelling and other stuff :) .

If you got any question about parts that will fit over different years I got a side I use.
www.vagcat.com.
Here you could find all the parts that will fit in the door, with partsnumber.
Another good side I use is a forum
www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/
from UK.

I could buy or exchange your power window. If you want I could send you a complete set of manual winders. I got a pair of extra doors from a 87. I checked that and they should be the same as the one on your car, if I´m not making any misstakes.
Over here in sweden almost all T3 busses are gone. And I don´t think they even were sold with power windows here.
Please contact me if you got any question.
Håkan

Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:11 am

Welcome to the Samba, Hakan!

Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:29 am

you in va? i have a 91 parts van . i would swap with you

Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:20 am

On the other side of the street, I picked up some power regulators w/ motors, switches,etc.. to retrofit my 87 that has manual windows. It seems that a lot of people really don't like the power windows. Every van I have had from my bays up to my vanagons all had winders, so I just wanted to go the 'luxury' route.

Are the power windows really this big a problem for most folks?

Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:03 am

thats why i looked high and low for a carat. i found a 91 last summer with every option and oh how nice. it needs the tencentlife motor and the auto trans tweeked a bit. the bordeaux red pearl metallic respray will cost a fortune. i hope to have it gleaming and running by next year.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:44 am

Ahh, this post is music to my ears. My 88 daily driver has the power package. Knock on wood, everything works. For my 87 project, I got a set of mint doors from a manual 87 so I will be doing the backwards conversion as well! Can't wait. I'm dreading the day I have to troubleshoot the power components in my 88.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:51 am

wavanagon wrote: ...daily driver has the power package. Knock on wood, everything works... I'm dreading the day I have to troubleshoot the power (windows)...

What he said.

Mine work so SLOW when the van is first fired up; what the deal with that? Are they vacuum assist and the accumulator has built up enough vaccum yet? Seems really odd though since I had originally assumed they were full electric. Just doesn't make a lot of sense that they are slower when the van is just fired up.

But heck, the things are pretty slow regardless; also have a tooth missing in my window (always "KLUNKS" at one point)... however they are working for now. Knock on glass.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:18 am

I would say the slowness when cold is attributed to gunk built up in the switch and any springs that may be in there. Once, they are heated up slightly, the gunk releases a bit and they work better. I have the exact same scenario. I have heard of folks over on the vanagon.com mail list that have removed, disassembled, and cleaned the switches with great results. fwiw...

Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:12 pm

I think the slowness is related to the motors and associated wiring.
My 87 power package, in which I have redone Lock actuators and fixed the Passengers window wiring problem. PO also had problems and had replaced a window motor. I love the upgrades, maintenance aside.
My previous Westy was an 83 waterboxer with no air, no power steering, no power anything, except brakes.
These features sold me on the newer Van, even though they were not all working at purchase.
Slow windows, especially in cold weather are normal as far s I am concerned!

Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:54 pm

My passeger side power window is broken as well. I've looked around for a replacement motor- anyone know where I can get one?

thanks,
rg

Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:02 pm

I hated the power windows in my Suburban.had to change a motor in it once,major pain.on the kids Jetta one window is doa and another is on it's way. just more stuff to go wrong. my 85 GL has no power anything and I love it that way.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:01 pm

I hear what you are saying about the simplicity. My 74 hightop was great, manual windows, no a/c, or heat for that matter, manual steering, dual 36 dell's.. very little to ever have to worry about... -well, less to worry about anyway..

I was younger then, and disconnected the flaps from the heater boxes because there was a bad ass oil smell in the heat exchangers. In college, I would freeze my ass off in the mountains, and the 5 hour drive to school required a lot of blankets, and I couple pit stops to thaw out.. It never really crossed my mind at the time to maybe clean the heat exchangers out... lol

I don't know what it is, but ever since I got my first vanagon, I really wanted to have power windows. - Now I have no problem cranking a window, that's not it. I guess it's just the novelty of it. Kind of akin to how the Bluestar is a 'luxury' model;-)

Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:25 pm

Perhaps you want to upgrade to this method:

Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:33 pm

If you look at that clip carefully you can see him moving as he rolls it up and down.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:51 pm

Quote: Perhaps you want to upgrade to this method:

.. you mean suspenders?

Fri Mar 05, 2010 2:13 pm

See, I can use the search functions. :lol:

For the last few months, I have been driving my 87' daily... and when rolling up the passenger's side power window I've noticed that there appears to be a single "tick" at about 3/4's of the way up. This has been inconsistant and has been happening for about four months now.

Flash forward to today..

..well this morning, while on a routine Wal-Mart run, the window hit the 3/4 mark and there was the "tick" again.... and then a "POP" and the window fell down into the door. :? :? :evil:

I just went to check to see if the motor works; and it does.

Before I go tearing into the door, would anyone care to offer a diagnosis? Better yet, a remedy?

Did I break a cord of some kind... if so can they be replaced? Has anyone had this happen before?

Any experiences will be appreciated...

Thanks

Fri Mar 05, 2010 2:44 pm

Busryder wrote: See, I can use the search functions. :lol:

For the last few months, I have been driving my 87' daily... and when rolling up the passenger's side power window I've noticed that there appears to be a single "tick" at about 3/4's of the way up. This has been inconsistant and has been happening for about four months now.

Flash forward to today..

..well this morning, while on a routine Wal-Mart run, the window hit the 3/4 mark and there was the "tick" again.... and then a "POP" and the window fell down into the door. :? :? :evil:

I just went to check to see if the motor works; and it does.

Before I go tearing into the door, would anyone care to offer a diagnosis? Better yet, a remedy?

Did I break a cord of some kind... if so can they be replaced? Has anyone had this happen before?

Any experiences will be appreciated...

Thanks

The thing that usually breaks on these is a plastic guide at the bottom of the regulator assembly. Not sure if this is your problem or not. You have to remove the regulator to see it.

Fri Mar 05, 2010 2:50 pm

Thanks for the reply,

I plan to tear into it this afternoon at best, in the morning at worst...

Are there any other common possible causes?

I just know that damn cat next door is piss in by bus tonight if I do nothing. :evil:

Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:04 pm

I didn't take pictures (I sure wish I had) when I took my drivers side window apart about a couple of years ago, but will I try to describe what I ended up doing...

The window sits in a rectangular piece that is bolted to a cross piece that is attached to a track that runs vertically inside the door.

Working through the various holes you will need to unbolt the window's metal support from the piece that is attached to the vertical track.

After I disconnected the window support from the track I used a rubber ratcheting clamp on the door in order to support the window in the up position.

Unbolt the track (2 bolts - 1 top and 1 bottom) and then unbolt the motor assembly. Unplug the wiring from the motor assembly.

Now you should be able to work the whole assembly out from the inside of the door.

Once you get it out, you will see that the motor turns a "spool" inside the top of the motor assembly that moves a cable that moves the horizontal piece (that was attached to the bottom) of the window.

In my case a rivet gave way at the bottom of the vertical track allowing plastic guide to come loose and the cable to go slack and get fowled inside the spool at the top of the motor assembly.

I riveted the piece back on. Then I had to take this top section off of the motor and carefully opened it up. I had to get the cable wrapped back on the spool... it was VERY tight and it took me a while to get it right.

I used some white lithium grease on the cable and then put everything back in reverse. It has been working great ever since.

I hope this helps.