Repairing an automotive window "regulator" mechanism........

[AGCB97]

......and of course screwed it up........I drilled the larger hole from the wrong end!
Okay, how can I save this part?

I resemble those remarks!
Aaron

 

[jwmelvin]

Hehe I too thought “I would do that” when you mention drilling the wrong end. Great work on this and thanks for sharing. It looks like a well-done fix.

 

[John O]

Did you make extras, there may be a market for them.

 

[cathead]

Excellent repair!!

 

[brino]

Did you make extras, there may be a market for them.

hmmmm.....maybe I should have made a few spares for myself, there are two per door and four doors.

-brino

 

[John O]

If you make spares it only guarantees the others won't break

 

[SLK001]

Now THAT saved you some real bucks! Try pricing a replacement (I bet you'd have to buy the entire mechanism).

 

[RandyWilson]

Thanks Mike!

I really don't want to spend several hundred dollars for a new window mechanism for a 2004 vehicle.
I also don't really want to shovel out a donor vehicle at a scrap yard, or steal a part from another door on this vehicle and have that window unusable.....

Besides, a guy with a shop full of tools should be able to do anything.....right?

-brino

Power Window Regulator For 2000-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Front Left with Motor | eBay

2000 Grand Cherokee. 2001-2004 Grand Cherokee. Notes With plastic bracket; Hole style; Regulator attaches directly to window glass with locator pin and hole Interchange part number 741556, 55363287AE, CH1350122.

www.ebay.com

The #1 killer of window regulators is sticky window operation.

 

[Winegrower]

That’s just mean to post a $28 eBay offering.

Disregard this, Brino.

I notice I will spend two fun shop days to save $25. In fact, it is still a big win to save anything at all, because normally it’s all outgo anyway.

 

[RJSakowski]

I went to the local store on Saturday to pick up a few groceries we needed.
It had just started snowing hard but I wanted to get things we needed for meals that day.

It was snowing hard enough on the way there that it was building up on the side windows, so one at a time I lowered them about half way and raised them again just to create a section of windows that I could see thru. Three windows went fine, but one (of course the drivers door) got stuck down. When I stopped at the store I tried pulling the glass up as I hit the button but it would not go higher than about four inches from the top frame.

I gave up on the window and got the groceries. By the time I came out there was already a 1-1/2 inch pile of snow on the arm rest inside that door. I drove home and got a tarp tied over the vehicle. Once the snow let up a little I moved it under some cover......

The garage (or really my workshop!) is too full of tools/machines to get a vehicle in, so I did my usual; roll a 2x2 into one edge of a tarp and screw that just above the work-shop roll-up door. I can then pull the vehicle up close and get in at least partially (depending on which vehicle and which tarp) under some cover. This allows me to open the roll-up door so I can move back and forth for tools without getting too wet.

So while @Mickri was planting an apple tree, this is where I was:

View attachment 357903

The vehicle is a 2004 Jeep Cherokee.
I got the "window regulator" part out of the door on Saturday:
View attachment 357904

and immediately saw the spool where the cable winds was messed-up:
View attachment 357905

Not only was the piece of cable near one end out of the groove, the entire spool was "over-wound" with the now double-high wraps rubbing against the housing.

I did manage to pull the spool out, get it re-wrapped properly and reinstalled.....but no pictures as I didn't have enough hands.
I thought I was done..........but I was wrong!

During re-assemble while routing the cable I found a plastic guide was broken.
There is one of these guides at each end, they guide the cable onto the pulley, but also hold the black sheathing.

Front side:
View attachment 357906

Back side:
View attachment 357907

Here are shots of the good and bad guides:

View attachment 357909

View attachment 357910


View attachment 357911

The broken one had tipped enough that the cable had cut into the "nozzle" end.
I now believe that the broken guide caused the cable to wind wrong on the spool.

I briefly thought about 3D-printing a replacement part, but quickly realized that PLA (most of my filament in stock ) is not likely strong enough for the task. The cable is kept taught by the springs near the spool, and that's a lot of force. Also I know PLA gets soft when hot....so surviving the summer in a black vehicle was questionable. The PLA visor mounts we printed for my son's car did not last the summer.

So I thought about building a replacement in aluminum.....

more to come......

-brino

I had the same thing happen with an Audi Quattro. I ordered a new regulator as the cable was pretty much trashed.