How-To Disassemble, Inspect, and Repair the Rear Window Regulator

WARNING: This disassembly/ repair is recommended to be done with two people minimum!
The following is a list of tools and safety equipment we used to perform this how-to. It is to be noted that all the nuts and bolts are in the standard measurement system.
• Safety Goggles/Glasses
• Rubber Gloves
• Wire Brush
• 3/8”-Drive Socket Wrench
• ½” Socket
• 5/16” Socket
• Rags
• 12-Volt Car Battery
• Phillips Screwdriver
• Flathead Screwdriver
• Moly Grease (or any high-pressure grease)
• Small Ziploc Plastic Bags
• White-out
• Micrometer
• Alligator clips

The bags are used to place any screws taken off and to help keep everything organized.

• The first thing you would want to do is to open the trunk vertically and use the necessary screw drives to take out the screws holding the back cover panel (we had 13 screw), and place said screws in a bag.


• Extend the window fully because now you can just slide the windshield off the rollers. For safety reasons, you would want to disconnect the regulator from the car battery since you would be working on electrical components.


• Unplug the cables attaching the motor to the car.


• Then you want to take the 4 screws mounting the regulator using a ½” socket wrench and a socket extension. If one of the screws is being covered by the regulator gears, you would need to move it manually.


• Please take caution on this part, because the regulator is spring loaded meaning that the gear arms can snap back and possibly hurt you or another person (that you would need to help you.) The gears arms should start off in a V-formation, in which case you need to make the arms straight so you can slide it out of the opening in the trunk door panel (normally located on the passenger side of the trunk door.)


• Now that the regulator is out, align the gears and make a marking with white-out at the alignment.


• Now you need to open the arms a little bit more to get access to the motor mount screws, which can be taken out using a 5/16” socket (keep a constant reminder that the gears are spring loaded and will spring back as soon as you disconnect the motor.)


• Disassemble the motor and clean everything. The gears and the inside of the motor can be cleaned with the wire brush.


• You also want to clean the subassemblies of the motor with the rags; making a few inspections to make sure the cleaning process was thorough.


• You can now apply Moly Grease (or any alternative high pressure grease) liberally to the motor subassemblies and regulator gears.


• In our inspection, we realized the center piece was slipping where the metal met the plastic. so we added a 5/16” washer with a thickness of 0.0076” to keep the metal pushed down against the plastic. (To find the exact amount or a close estimate, we used a micrometer.)


• Now you can reassemble the motor, mount it back on and you can test it with a separate 12-volt car battery. We hooked it up using alligator clips.


• You can put it back in through the passenger side opening in the trunk door panel and screw the 4 ½” mounting bolts back in.


• Once it is screwed back in, plug it back into the car’s terminal ports and use the key to raise the regulator to the top.


• Slide the window through the rollers like you did in the beginning steps. Turn the key counter-clockwise to roll the window down so it is supported by the car.


• Screw the cover of the panel back in place and you are done!


CLICK TO SEE VIDEO:


Check out our Introduction Post: http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29280

 

Well done! I installed power window motors in my four doors, that i scored at a local yard, from another Ford Fairmont wagon. Tried to install the power door locks, but they're in need of some TLC. The window motors were all good. Might have to get brushes some day, and clean up the armatures, but so far, they're all good!

Nice work, and thanks for the flick.

 

Great write up!

 

AWSOME tutorial !!
That looked so imtimadating , but you made it look
Very doable...
Thank's

 

I was just doing some digging into my Ford six cylinder engine's potential, and found a thread where one member on the FordSix.com site was doing Desktop Dyno evaluations for the members, like this:
http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42347

At the end of that 6 page thread, one member points out that the fellow has left the site back in 2008, but gives the link to the Software, and lo-and-behold, they have Educational Pricing! Like $60 for 10 copies, versus, $100 for a single copy!

http://proracingsim.com/educational.htm

You might get your Professor to look into that, eh?!!

 

Great write up, like the pics to go along with it makes it much easier to follow. Would this work on a 65 Impala/W?

 

Thank you so much, we really appreciate it!


Thank you to everyone for the constructive criticism!:2_thumbs_up_-_anima

 

Well the concept should be the same, because you would still have to take the regulator out to find out the problem, there might just be a few different specifications. The window regulators on a '65 Impala are just one gear as opposed to our 2 geared regulator so it'd be smaller. Also the gear is plastic so it's prone to being broken.

 

Thanks for your input. I have not gotten to that part yet, out of curiosity is the plastic gear difficult to find.

 

Shouldn't this old Ford use the three plastic safety buttons between the metal gear and the plastic one?
Maybe thats why it didn't seem tight.
In the picture it looks like there is a space for them.
My 1985 CS had them.

 

I used the method in this video to fix the side windows on my 85 Squire, the side windows and the tailgate window on my my 88 Colony Park.
I also used it to fix the headlight doors on my Fiero and my neighbors Corvette. It works for Mazda headlight doors too.
They all use the same design, maybe from the same supplier!
I don't know when Ford started using these worm drive motors, maybe as far back as Cat can remember.
The one in the tutorial looks the same.
Why build a new house when all you have is a leaky faucet?
I bought a 3' length of nylon rod for $3.50, cut it into 3/4" pieces as needed, and sanded the ends smooth.
After fixing all those vehicles I still have half of it left.
You could use wood dowel, but I don't recommend using ball bearings, marbles, or nuts.
The three buttons go in the points of the triangle inside the nylon drive gear, so that the metal gear can turn it.
The auto parts stores will sell you three plastic buttons, enough for one motor, for about $5.00 if you want.
The video is a lot longer than it needs to be, but if your motor hums and the window doesn't move, this will fix it 99% of the time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYKha5LhohE

Be sure to clean and lube everything you can reach on your old car while you have the panel off.
(If you're here, you already knew that)

 

Thanks for the suggestion, we are definitely gonna go ahead and add in some of the bearings to the gear!

 

Our Wagon UPDATE

We have recently updated what is going on with our wagon. The link below will take you to the thread that explains everything from our new brake line, up until when we get our wagon to fire after 26 years!


http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30180

 

Excellent writeup.
What does your weatherstripping on the tailgate to the window look like?
Is it just a rubber "wedge" that seals up against the window? I've got a '63 Colony Park that's missing that piece and no one makes specific repros.