Power Window stuck in down position

[T3 Pilot]

Checked the other threads on stuck windows but could not find any specific info on removing the regulator for repair when the glass is at the bottom of the door.

The challenge is that in order to remove the regulator the glass needs to be able to move upward to expose the two 10 mm bolts in order to unfasten them and separate the glass from the window regulator.

What techniques/tips are there to work around this problem?

I already tested the switch and motor assembly and they are good, it is the regulator that is stuck.
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1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[T3 Pilot]

New regulator on order.

So it looks like I will have to cut the lower cable in order to manually lift the glass to the service position at the top where I can unfasten the regulator from the glass.
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1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[Butcher]

You were able to find regulators? I had to repair the regulators as well as the motors on a clients 91, boy it was a challenge but it worked when I was done.

It probably would not hurt to look into the motors to do a preemptive strike. I searched and found a few threads about repairing the motors.

[bluebus86]

can you remove the motor and rotate the cable by hand? maybe while assisting the window upwards?


good luck
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[T3 Pilot]

New Regulators aftermarket, free shipping

https://www.autopartsway.com/partlist.cfm?volkswag...enum1/tabs
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1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[davideric9]

Van-Cafe has top of the line new regulators. And they stand behind their products.
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1987 Syncro Westfalia, stock (bought 1994)
1986 Syncro Westfalia SVX, 3 knob (bought 2008)
1987 Westfalia (bought 2010)
1988 Wolfsburg GL (bought 2012)

[T3 Pilot]

I like Van Cafe too,

The window needs to be operational ASAP so autopartsway will have a new aftermarket regulator here tomorrow free shipping, good price.

My post was to enquire if anyone had a tip/trick to raise the window to the service position in order to unfasten it from the nonfunctional regulator.

Motor was unfastened from regulator and tested good. You cannot move the cable by hand. The cable run is fully intact and taut, plastic corners in place. There is an internal failure of the regulator.

Here is how you remove a stuck fully lowered front power window on a stock Vanagon:
Unfasten the top/bottom bolts holding the vertical metal regulator rail to the door.
Unfasten the three nuts which hold the regulator/motor assembly to the door. Push it in and manipulate into place in the hole where you have a clear view of the lower cable where it exits the regulator mechanism. Using two quick clamps secure it to the door.
Take a new fine tooth hacksaw blade in hand saw through the square plastic sleeve that the cable runs through on its way out of the housing. You are sawing through the plastic and will feel when the blade catches on the metal cable. Pro tips: avoid hitting the inside of the door panel with the saw blade. Reverse the blade so that it cuts while you pull for better control.
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1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[davideric9]

Once you removed the screws holding everything in place, do you think you could have opened the cable winder portion of the regulator and created some slack to try to move the window? Could you have gotten access to the 5 screws on the back of the cable winder portion?
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1987 Syncro Westfalia, stock (bought 1994)
1986 Syncro Westfalia SVX, 3 knob (bought 2008)
1987 Westfalia (bought 2010)
1988 Wolfsburg GL (bought 2012)

[T3 Pilot]

No way to open the gearbox, the screws are all facing the wrong way. Once removed we opened it and saw the stripped worm gear....
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1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[DuncanS]

OK, I read all the posts, but still don't know how to do it. I'm thinking of drilling a couple of holes in the metal inner liner where there bolts are that hold the glass to the regulator. My plan is to measure down from the hole that's already at the top the distance the window goes down and let 'er rip. This all gets covered back up with the plastic and double stick tape anyway so what difference does it make?

Has anyone done this and can guide me so I don't wind up with a 8 x 10 hole in the metal looking for the bolts? Figure if worse comes to worse, I can remove the panel in the driver's side and get a better measurement because if I remember correctly, you have to lower the fully raised window about an inch to get the bolt and hole to line up.

I do not want to destroy the regulator as these are hard to come by and I need the spare I have for another project.

[16CVs]

I rebuild regulators and WIndow Motors, and like the cobblers kids my regulator failed in the down position. I tried everything I could to get at the lower bolts and ended up driling 2 holes in the lower part of the door just where the door panel covers. I use 1/2" hole saw. I just looked and felt in side the door and estimated where I needed to be. I was close enough to be able to get a 1/4 drive socket in and loosen the window from the regulator.
Don't cut the cable as that makes the regulator useless. I can rebuild anything as long as the cable is not cut.
All window regulators are not equal, The only one I would trust is from Van Cafe/RMW. theirs have been tweaked to overcome the inherent failure rate of these aftermarket regulators. They may all look the same but beleive me they are not. While I will not go into what is being done to make them better, you will find out in short order when it fails.
But why buy an Offshore re pop when I can make yours as good as new for a fraction of the price.
Look me up and find my Classified ad a nd read my feedback. Calls are always welocome if you have a question.
Good luck with your hole drilling, I believe I have a picture in my galleryfrom when I drilled mine.
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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.

[Steve M.]

Just wondering if you removed the motor could you be able to move the window?

Just replaced the driver side a few daze ago, but everything was working so no problems for me. Installed the Van-Cafe regulator and motor. Compared to the passenger side it's like toast popping!
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[DuncanS]

This is actually pretty interesting that someone who is incredibly familiar with regulators and motors had the same problem as I did and both of us came up with the right solution.

So I'll post these for anyone who has this issue as it's easier to get the window up or out that it is to snake the regulator out of it's mouse hole. I am baffled by how the original German designer calculated that the regulator could come and go through such a small hole and then committed to big bucks tooling for the inner door panel. I wonder if the motor and regulator had to be "tweaked" slightly to allow it to happen. NO extra room.

Any way, I did pull the driver's side panel away enough at the top so I could peak in and see how far down the window had to drop for the hole to line up with the bolt. 1" So I measured the total window distance travel--~20" and measured down 19" from the existing hole. But where, from front to back. By aligning a stick against the vent window pillar I was able to make a Sharpie mark in line with that on the bottom of the door line. Ditto for the back edge. Then I measured the upper bolt access hole from both front and back and transferred that to the tin at the bottom. When peeking at the driver's side, I noted that the hole is for the front bolt and by lowering the window a tad more found that the bolts are 4" apart. So 4" back from the first mark I made a second, I didn't have a metal cutting hole saw so did the postage stamp removal method and cleaned up the uglies with a rotary file chucked in the drill.

And low and behold, you can see the bolt right in the center of the hole.

And the second hole with the two bolts successfully removed. That's a 10" woofer magnet harvested from a failed item and it held the bolts in the socket for a safe removal without dropping them. After the bolts were out, I removed the regulator slide bolts both at the top and the underside of the door and removed the glass. My scrapers were in desperate shape and the wind wing window needs a mod too so that's why the glass came out, but if it's only the regulator, then it can stay in place.

Proof that the system worked.

After about ten minutes of tugging and removing the plastic cap that covers the door holder-opener thingy, out it came. Now the fun part. I had checked power and continuity to the motor itself, so know it's really the motor. Pulled the cover off the gear box and the two mounting bolts, but can't withdraw the motor so will have to find a thread or YouTube that explains it all.

For anyone with this problem, Here is the easy out--pun intended. The front hole needs to be 2 ½" forward of the panel securing snap hole, and the other 1 ½" behind the snap hole.

I love it when Samba can help others--It's what we're all about--and bragging rights for having figured it out too, of course.

Now I'll remove the vent window and get rid of the pin in the shaft that prevents the window from opening past 90º. One of the really great parts of the Vanagon is to be able to open these windows to 135º or at a 45º angle aiming forward and scooping that delicious cool air to rush in on a hot summer day. My '90 had that, but apparently someone thought that was a bad idea so in '91 they put in stop pins. Fixed the driver's side years ago, which is the most important as you can easily open it fully while driving. For the right side, I have a toy pool cue about three feet long with a rubber tip that allows me to move the passenger's side wing (if it's unlatched) which is a fine thing. The stick also allows me to collapse the spring on my dash cover hold-up and scrape things on the floor closer to me so I can pick them up. Sandwich that fell off the dash or whatever.