Power Window Motor Rebuild: How to

[mrshrimp]

How do you get this metal plate cover off? I mean i removed all the screws but still seems stubborn. Any advice?

[/img]

[Sodo]

No reason for it not to come off. I'd fill the screw holes with penetrating oil and also at that center dowel, give it 10 mins and pry on it.
_________________


'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[mrshrimp]

Ok great thanks for the help. Nothing causing issues along the crew holes or edge, its that center dowel you mention. Ill try your recommendation and post follow up.

Thanks!

[Sodo]

screws out, free the edge, then tap the plate in such a manner to ROTATE it on the center dowel, to loosen it. With penetrating oil on the dowell.
_________________


'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[16CVs]

On the side of the wheel house is an unused opening, I use a medium straight screwdriver and pry on the wheel house through the opening to the underside of the cover. The cover gets stuck on the center shaft as it is stepped down and is some times peened over.
Hope this helps.

Stacy
_________________
1987 Syncro Westfalia Triple knob (bastard)
1989 Syncro Tristar Triple knob "Swedish"
2013 Jetta Hybrid a true "Zwitter"
Samba member # 14980
Call anytime number 650 722 4914 .
Keep Your van running and upkept tastefully for the love of the hobby.
Don't let your van end up in an "abortions" thread.

[devesvws]

I know from a previous repair last year with my window regulator that it would be best to just buy a new one from bus depot.. so if I get the motor working again is there anything I'm going to need to do to match it to the new regulator? Is it just simply remove the old motor and attach it to the new regulator and hope it comes out easy
_________________
THE FEW THE PROUD THE ORIGINAL VW WATERBOXER -> looking for a original 91 vanagon owners manual with 1991 on the cover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmuiG2tUsP4&feature=share https://picasaweb.google.com/101290228103300323836/BostonBobFlywheelVideo#5543000332201103922

[16CVs]

Not all aftermarket window regulators are the same. Some vendors sell a bertter version. Most of the new Vaico Chinese regulators have high failure rates. I have had a few of them come across my bench and I am not too impressed. Same failures as the originals plus a few new ones.
I still feel that a rebuilt Factory unit is better than the Chinese Re Pop. Yes I am tooting my horn, but it does not matter where it comes from. A rebuilt OE part is way better than a knock off.
Check my ads if you need one.

Stacy
_________________
1987 Syncro Westfalia Triple knob (bastard)
1989 Syncro Tristar Triple knob "Swedish"
2013 Jetta Hybrid a true "Zwitter"
Samba member # 14980
Call anytime number 650 722 4914 .
Keep Your van running and upkept tastefully for the love of the hobby.
Don't let your van end up in an "abortions" thread.

[Clarey]

Thanks for all the great info!

I just bought a sweet Vanagon with frayed/split power window regulator cables. I took the assembly out of the panel and have tried rebuilding the cable with 1/16" wire rope with a stop on each end, joined by a ferrule.

This would have been a quick, cheap repair, except... since the original cable was so shredded, I don't know the exact length that the upper and lower cables should be. Can anyone help me with this?

I've tried various lengths, and by the time I've clipped, stopped, ferruled, wound it on the spool, etc, it's always a few centimeters off. I don't want the tension to be weird. Any advice will be much appreciated. This is my first repair on my new baby, and I need a win!

Meanwhile, I'll just keep my window propped up with a stick inside the door panel

[a.wmiskovich4]

Thanks for this awesome thread. I have a few comments, hints, tricks, shoulda-coulda-wouldas:

1. If after all this fancy refurbishing, your motor is still slow and has this weird habit of starting and stopping, you may have a dying thermal resistor. I'm going to try shorting what I think is the thermal resistor, the gray fuse sized component in the plastic insert. I don't think the safety feature is needed if you don't have to roll your windows up and down 3 times due to OCD, and you don't have any young offspring.

I know it must be some built in fuse or relay because after the motor stops and a few moments pass (longer if I've been messing with it a lot and the housing is warm), there's an audible (barely) click and suddenly the motor works again.

2. If you have very very very bad corrosion like I did, soak the inside in liquid wrench. a toadsticker and needle nose plyers can remove the plug on the bottom of the motor housing to drain any crud after soaking. I used a razor blade around the edges of the plastic fitting with some electronics cleaner, and gently tugged using needle nose plyers to free the plastic insert.

3. If the shaft doesn't give, use vice grips on the top of the shaft and gently tap around the edges of the motor housing with a hammer until it becomes free. Mine was so corroded that smooth green chunks of copper oxidation had developed into something you could make jewelry out of.

4. Do a test of your windings. With an ohm-meter, do the 180 degree test, measuring resistance of each copper bar to the copper bar on the opposite side, then do the side by side test measuring each copper bar to the one beside it. You're looking for inconsistent values. If this fails, and after reassembly and lubing everything up, and your motor isn't performing well, you might just buy a new or refurbished motor.

5. Like previously stated, make sure the little fingers of the bearing holders are pried open. Because I'm not so graceful, I simply used a large flathead screw driver and tapped the bearing into place, using the bearing's rounded edges to work the fingers open.

6. DON'T USE A HAMMER ON THE SHAFT TO TAP INTO PLACE. The metal is very very soft. I know this should have been obvious but I made this mistake. I couldn't get the top bearing back on the shaft because gently tapping the shaft into the motor house caused the end to mushroom. I had to use a hacksaw because I lack a lot of proper tools like a grinding wheel. Point is, it should assemble nice and easy.

Lastly,

Any suggestions for sealing this thing? For now, I'm just using thing globs of bearing grease.

[kbanshee]

Hi all
Adding to old post...but protocol looks to me like keeping infos together is the priority.

I pulled the whole kit & cabbodle out yesterday...but my breakage point is at the cable that pulls the window holder along this channel piece...mine has popped free, but I am unclear on what the repair is for this.

Thanks
Kriss

This is the section of the original post showing what I'm referring to:

[kbanshee]

So do I need to take the regulator apart to move the round ferrule that on mine is now jammed against the top plastic guide down to place in the middle of the window holder? Or can i move the wire around without opening that thing up?
_________________
"Vannie" 1991 Vanagon GL
Subaru engine conversion, wheelchair lift
Working on non-engine repairs...AC run fell down, occasional short in my wheelchair lift & Minor hydraulic leak to figure out... a bunch of cosmetic work to do...

[DuncanS]

Read through all 5 pages and was familiar as I have repaired mine as well. One issues that never seemed to get mentioned (perhaps I missed it) is the slow PS window operation after all the perfectly done rebuild.

IMO a weak point with all aspects of the T3 is marginal wire size and marginal switch contact area size. In all likelihood, slow PS windows after rebuild are electrical problems with switches and the long skinny wire runs. I relayed my PS window and the problem disappeared and took all the heavy duty load off the switches. Looking around for an express window control module to replace the relays and give me sexier operation. This is easier than relaying and so will do the DS as well to help "save" the switch.

[VicVan]

What's an express window control module?
_________________
'90 Little Blue Truck, 2WD auto, FAS GenV 2.0 NA (AVH)

[Sodo]

Google: express window control module

Express Power Window Module (PW-EXP) – Watson's StreetWorks
https://watsons-streetworks.com › Wiring › Switches › Power Window Switches
$45.00 - ‎In stock
Simply tap your switch once and the window travels all the way up or down. ...

===================

I hate the window opening all the way (by mistake).
In my world, devices work for me, not me work for the device.
I'm being an old fart refusing to have a device force me to re-learn.

I like the simple relay idea better.
Wonder how many amps the motor takes at full tilt on a cold winter day.

Hmmm ya gotta reverse the polarity to the motor but not the polarity to the relay triggers.
I guess it just takes more relays.
Maybe can use the little blue PCB relays (10A?).
_________________


'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[DuncanS]

Three SPDT relays and a pair of diodes--Will draw up the circuit diagram and post it. I added a serious (12ga ) wire direct from 30 through a fuse to the door. i like to be able to run my windows without the key on. So the heavy draw bypasses all the switch runs. Some express window modules are OK and some a pointless program. It depends on how the partial operation works. If it's too tricky, i agree--fuggedaboutit.

[kbanshee]

All right...I've gotten most of the repair figured out...a friend that I forgot was a great wrencher came by and we lifted the cable spool off the post and then carefully rotated it to get the ferrule to a functional spot. I have it back in its spot on the window lifter. The receiver spot isn't broken, but seems flared out a bit...suggestions on how I can make sure it doesn't pop out again?
Cheers
Kriss
_________________
"Vannie" 1991 Vanagon GL
Subaru engine conversion, wheelchair lift
Working on non-engine repairs...AC run fell down, occasional short in my wheelchair lift & Minor hydraulic leak to figure out... a bunch of cosmetic work to do...

[DuncanS]

Sorry about not getting the photo crisper, but it is readable.

The wires to cut from the switch are the two that go to the plug with the rounded side--not the square plug with the three wires.

[chachi]

great thread, couple hours of monkeying around, frozen motor repaired. thanks folks!
_________________
'74 transporter panel
'91 vanagon carat NAHT

[Steve M.]

Great timing to see this post as my NEW one yr. old notor decided to stop working last Tuesday when I got the Syncro out of storage @#$&+?!;'"*

Fortunately I had the New Passenger side I hadn't installed yet so the HOT MUGGY weekend was not ruined!
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[termuehlen]

A big Thank You to Stacy (Samba member 16CVs) for rebuilding my regulators and solving my mystery window problem. Here are my regulators freshly rebuilt including a new plastic mounting bracket:

The mystery is that the passenger window used to always rock in the channel near the closed position. Stacy suggested I check the tab with the rubber and fibermesh pad inside the top of the back side of the door. Turns out, that not only was the pad missing, but the entire tack welded tab was non-existent. Hard to see what you are looking at here, but there is supposed to be a metal tab at the two small tack weld dots in this picture to guide the window down into the door:

The windows now operate better than they ever have in my 15+ years of ownership.
_________________
1988 Westfalia automatic Subaru OBD1
1986 syncro tintop wbx