Ok I bought an 1984 Ford Country Squire. So the rear window worked great. I lowered the back hatch, window down, and then closed the hatch and went to put the window up and you just here the motor run but the window sits there. I pulled the window up by hand, but it seem to still not be 100% up so it does not seal at the top. The window goes down ok but not up. I took the back plastic panel off. I can see the inside of the window area though some cut outs in the metal. I greased the two metal rods and tried to make sure the scissor metal gears are greased a little. Still will not go up. I just hear the motor run Any ideas? I am not even sure how to get into that window area behind the metal if I need to access more of it to fix it. Thanks, Steve
If it's similar to my 1988 Colony Park, the motor has a plastic gear that has 3 plastic cylinders in it. It sounds like you need to replace the gear set. It isn't easy, but you can either "try" to reach into the middle bottom of the door to unbolt the window motor or you can do as I did and drill (3) 1/2" holes to unbolt the motor from the outside. I tried to reach in through the small openings to unbolt it, but was unable to. So instead, looking through the cut-outs in the panel, I drilled 3 holes approximately where I saw the bolts holding the motor in place. I used a 1/4" drive 5/16" socket with a long extension and unbolted the motor. Once the motor is out it is very easy to replace the gear. The gear comes as a kit and is available from NAPA, Autozone or most any parts supplier. The gear kit should run about $16-$20. EDIT: I forgot to say, I plugged the holes with flush fitting body plugs like you would use for undercoating. Since my car is black, you don't even notice them. I'll try to get a picture so you can see what I am talking about.
Ford Tailgate gear kit Thanks. Is this the gear for the tailgate window motor? (Ford 1984 LTD Country Squire) http://www.autopartsnetwork.com/82-91-rear-power-window-motor-gear-kit-cardone/adF_NI21gCorW6R3B Thanks, Steve
That's the one. Once you get the motor out it's a piece of cake to change. The kits I bought came with a new gear cover and the grease for the gear. The cover is important because it is what keeps water out of the gear and the grease is important because I would assume it is a special grease that is compatible with the plastic.
Steve, That gear that you have ordered is not the problem. I have an 85 Colony Park and my wagon was doing the same exact thing when I bought it last fall. That large gear that you posted in the picture above is probably ok. The thing that wears out on these Ford window motors are small plastic window regulator bushings that butt up against that gear. You do have to literally drill in to the bottom of your tailgate in 3 places to access the bolts to remove the window motor as stated above. It is located at the very bottom of the tailgate in the center. You will have to remove the inner plastic lining from the tailgate to be able to get your hand in there to pull the motor out. The 3 plastic bushings I am talking about wedge in around that larger gear. If you take the cover over to access the large gear you are going to find chunks in the grease surrounding the gear. The chunks will be the disintegrated old bushings. Remove the gear and save. Clean the chunky grease out of the housing thoroughly with spray degreaser or carb cleaner. You can get the bushings at AutoZone, Pep Boys, etc. They are available in the "Help!" parts section made by Dorman. The part number is 74410. They are called "window regulator gear plugs". They are clear plastic plugs that are slightly larger than a pencil eraser. They are about 6 or 7 bucks for a 3-pack. When you are done cleaning, be sure to repack it with grease. These regulator plugs will have to give a little bit when you go to put them back in around the gear, and getting it snapped back together just right can be tedious and take some real elbow grease and a few swear words. I can send you pictures if needed, let me know. I covered the drilled out holes in my tailgate using a thin piece of aluminum flashing. I was able to bend it nicely to follow the contour angle in the bottom of the tail gate. I spray painted it to match my car and secured it using some self-taping screws. If I need to get at the motor again, I can just remove this little panel. Good luck. Mike
by the way...these gear plugs are also in the window motors for all four of your front windows. If they stop working, but you can still hear the motor running...follow the same process. The regulator gear plugs that go in those motors are exactly the same as the ones used in the tailgate. The front four doors also have drill divets in them so you can see exactly where to drill to access the three window motor bolts, unlike the tailgate where you more or less have to eyeball it.
The gear is installed and everything works great now with the window. I noticed the lock goes up and down but even when locked the latch still opens the tailgate. So that is my next project I guess
Steve, My lock on the tailgate also does that. Looked at it but couldn't figure it out. Let me know if you have any luck. Mike
I have the same lock issue too. Sometimes it locks, most times it doesn't. I haven't looked at it yet, but it has to be something simple.
