Help/advice please

[Alan Surrey]

I am replacing the window regulator because it is properly broken.
The old one is out and the new ready to go in. The weather on my drive is good and I'm on the case.
But.
The window seems stiff. In its present state of disassembly, I can lift and lower the glass by grasping its lower edge and pulling or shoving. I had expected it might drift downward under its own weight and that it would need a little bit of force to lift it. However it needs quite a pull to move it downwards if it is within 100mm/4 inches of being closed and to move it upwards, a shove of perhaps 30 lb force/15 kg/150Newtons is necessary. This seems to me to be a lot for a little window regulator mechanism.
Please would anyone with experience of window regulators advise. Is this right and if not, what should I do about it? I have tried silicon oil on the channels through which the glass slides but it made little difference.
2008 QPV.
All advice welcome.

 

[mowlas]

When my rear passenger window regulator broke (it was the failure of the white plastic part that retains the end of the cable) the default position was for the window to go down and stay down. I’d equate that with there being very low natural resistance when the window goes down.

I didn’t replace the whole regulator but just the plastic part - however it was complicated and had ti take the whole mechanism out and put it back in. I will have a look at the instructions I followed to remind myself of the set-up to theorise about possible causes of the stiffness.

Have you got the new regulator fully in place ? I was not sure how you were testing the stiffness?

It may be that when all the system is in place, there is resistive tension in both directions, which is then alleviated when it is working so that that regulator can move the window up and down in a controlled and steady motion.

Also, if it is the rear window, remember the window never goes fully down. But sure you know that!

 

[Alan Surrey]

Thanks Mowlas.
It was the white plastic bit that failed in mine too, taking with it the last 100mm or so of the cables when it chewed them up.
I tried a £47 repair kit from Turkey, but the cables were the wrong length. I now have a pair of assemblies, one for the drivers door and one for the passenger door from Germany.
Right now, there is no regulator mechanism in the door - no motor, no steel uprights, no pully wheels - just a big gap. So I can reach in and grasp the glass to move it up and down. It needs what I regard as a lot of force to move it either way. More to move it up.

 

[Alan Surrey]

It looks like this:

 

[Zep]

I’ve not done one on a QPV, but it does sound pretty stiff. This is perhaps what caused your problem in the first place.

Some silicone spray lube in the runners around the window may alleviate things.

 

[mowlas]

That definitely doesn't sound right. With the entire regulator system removed, the glass should fall down (even shatter) if not taped up to the top of the window frame. This was from the instructions I was using from the US forum.. and my experience was the same...

"Tape your window up. It WILL fall if you don't. (and probably shatter)..."



If you have already applied silicone lubricant to the rubber seals and channels, then my mind goes to a blockage or warping in the channels - as the window depth fits so snugly in the channels, it would not have to be a lot of blockaging or warping. With the window fully down, can you freely slide say a plastic credit card freely up and down without resistance or blocks (pressing both forwards and backwards in the channel)? Perhaps some corrosion in the window frames themselves is causing the channels to be restricted?



It sounds like the resistance happens with the window is in the upper part of the channels, so if the channels have an issue, likely to be on the upper parts.

 

[Alan Surrey]

Thanks Zep. I tried cleaning the window guides (toothbrush) They seemed free from grott. Then silicon oil. Still stiff though.

 

[Oneball]

Get something strong and thin and wrap a wet cloth round it and run it up and down the inside of the channel to clean any dirt out.

 

[Oneball]

Ah you’ve already had a clean.

I wonder if the vertical guides have moved???

 

[Alan Surrey]

Thanks Mowlas. I'll take some more photos.

 

[Oneball]

Part 12

 

[azapa]

Something sounds out of alignment. Loosen the guide bolts and see. Their holes are usually ovaled. Be careful it will probably drop straight down.

 

[mowlas]

Thanks Mowlas. I'll take some more photos.

Just added a picture to my reply above...

 

[Alan Surrey]

Good thought about the vertical guides.
Could this guide have moved

Such that it no longer aligns with the runner above the door capping?

The difficulty is that I really can't see (or feel) how the lower guide is fixed in position.
But it is the case that when the glass rises to the point where its front edge just emerges above the door capping, near my finger tip in the photo, the stiffness, already quite significant, increases substantially.

 

[Alan Surrey]

Azapa, Where ae the guide bolts located please?

 

[Alan Surrey]

Ah. Mrs Surrey has my supper for me right now. I'll wash my hands, eat and post again shortly. I have had some success - noticeably less friction after a more robust clean out of the guides, but still nowhere near what I would expect. All advice appreciated.

 

[mowlas]

The metal plate holding the mirror and facing onto the guide may have corroded internally to slightly push it in. Or it could be that you need to put the internal window cover back in for the guide to work properly.

 

[Alan Surrey]

Ah. Thank you. The metal plate holding the mirror. I'll check that and also see if I can get to the upper mount of part 12, the guide for the front edge of the glass.

 

[Alan Surrey]

It seems a lifetime ago now that I used this handy prying tool made of fibre reinforced plastic to remove the door card.

Today it turned out to be handy for heavy duty cleaning of the channels too. It got quite a lot of gritty stuff from this corner:

But this section seemed ok:

I did the rear corner too, but that seemed ok:

Eventually, I used it on all the channels and now the glass travels more easily, but still nothing like as easily as I think it should. The glass will not drop under its own weight. No need for 3 lengths of gaffer tape to hold it up !

 

[Wack61]

The glass will not drop under its own weight. No need for 3 lengths of gaffer tape to hold it up !

Now you've typed that i would definitely be using 3 lengths of gaffer tape on it