Power Window Motor Replacement

[rangerNY]

Hi all,

The passenger side power window on my 89 LSC has decided that it will remain forever in the open/down position. Its not the switch, I popped in a replacement to no avail. Its not the relay, since the other window is still working just fine. This leads me to believe that the motor has taken the big dirt nap.

Any ideas on how much it will cost me to get my mechanic to replace it? Even with all the door trim removed, I can't imagine getting at that thing!

- Drew
http://www.linsalata.org/lsc/index.php

[TW/92LSC/SE]

Try unplugging the connector at the pwr window motor and check for voltage at the connector with a test light while pressing the window switch,before removeing the motor. It might just be a broken wire at the door hinge area where the harness comes from the body to the door.

[sotexlscman]

Drew,

When I needed to fix my actuator in my '90 LSC, I pulled the door panel off and got to it. I noticed on the bottom that someone had cut into the door with a jigsaw or similar kind of saw into the metal. The person before me must have had the motor replaced. There was a "three-sided" cut going up over then down where the motor was. I imagine the person bent back the sheet metal and did the replacement. When he was done he just bent the metal back up and put it back together.

I don't know if you're okay with cutting into the panel, but I just wanted to let you know what someone did to my car. There might be a better way. Maybe you could find a child with small hands who is also a contortionist that could do the work. Make sure you wear a long sleeve shirt to avoid all those cuts that appear when you done working on the door. Just my 2 cents!

Good Luck!
Dean

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http://arterrata.com/mk7.jpg

[mdcluth]

Dude! Don't hack up your door. It may take a little time, but you can get it out without cutting the door.
You have to first remove the window trim and door panel. Next take the window out by drilling out the two rivets that hold it in place. Next you need to disconnect the harness at the motor. Then the window guides come out so they're not in the way when you remove the motor. Lastly, you drill out the three or four rivets holdong the motor in place and pull her out through the side. It takes a little careful wiggling, but it'll come out.
When you're in there, clean out the bottom of the door inside. Dirt always collects there, and rust follows dirt. Then coat it with some kind of undercoating, making sure that the water drain holes in the front and back of the door are still open.

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"Lincoln Moves Me"

[pro-five-oh]

There is an easier way. Once you learn it I bet its easy. I haven't done this yet, but I found the instructions from the Lincoln folks over at Yahoo E-groups.

The steps are pretty simple and straight forward. First of all get the inside door panel off and take a look at the inner door skin. Put your hand inside the door cavity and locate the Window Motor.

Feeling between the door inner panel and the motor, locate the heads of the screws that attach the motor to the Window Regulator Assy. Adjacent to these screw heads, you should notice a dimple in the door inner panel sheet metal. Dimple is about 3/32" in diameter, and about 1/16" deep. There
should be three(3) of them, one for each attaching screw.

Using a drill bit, or progressively larger drill bits, or best yet, a piloted 1/2" hole saw(the pilot is a 1/4' drill bit), drill three(3) holes big enough to clear the 5/16" socket required for the screw heads.

Use the 5/16" socket to remove the three screws attaching the window motor assy. to the regulator assy.

Trace the motor lead wire to the outside of the inner door panel, and disconnect.

Reach inside the door cavity and pull or lift the motor off of the window regulator assy. Snake it out through the opening that you are reaching in through.

Disassemble the cover from the gear case.

Remove the plastic gear assembly from the housing, and clean the grease and nylon debris out of the housing(assuming that this is the failed part of the motor). You might need to re-connect the motor, run it, and spray WD-40 inside to get all the old grease and broken gear teeth out.

Replace the failed plastic gear assembly (this includes the Metal drive gear with the correct number of teeth), and relubricate with the grease supplied in the kit.

Replace the motor assembly into the door cavity and mount it to the regulator assay. I use one of the devices that is commonly used to extract or pick up small screws or items that have fallen into hard to get at
spaces. As you push the plunger forward, the end opens up with four(4) small fingers which can grasp the small screws, and allow you to put them thru the holes and start the threads in the housing. Install and tighten
all three attaching screws.

Reconnect the electrical connection, and try the motor function.

Assuming everything works, now is a good time to relubricate the tracks and
slides that everything runs on to correct the tendency to have dry lubricant
slow down the up and down motion of the window assembly.

Remember, the only thing different on all Power Window Motors from the mid-sixties to the mid to later 1990's, is the housing which establishes right and left, the number of teeth on the output gear and the electrical connection on the wire harness end changed a few times over the year. The motor portions are all the same.

One other thing to when the motor is
out is to take the armature out of the motor and clean (emery paper) the commutator. Once both of these functions is done, you basically have a new motor.


[This message has been edited by pro-five-oh (edited September 05, 2001).]

[rangerNY]

Great tips, folks! I did get the motor/gear assembly out pretty easily using a 3/4" hole saw (1/4" pilot) on those three dimples. The 5/16" socket worked like a charm through those holes.

I gave the motor and gears a cleaning, reassmbled them, then re-connected and tried the window switch. Curiously, only one direction works (just up, not down). Before removing the motor, if one direction was working, it would have been the down side, since the window would not go up.

Has anyone seen this type of thing before?

- Drew
http://www.linsalata.org/lsc/index.php

[Lscman]

Lifetime warranty motor assy's are available in the aftermarket for about $40. Most of the brand new one's are made by the OEM and the FORD oval logo is ground off. Advance & Western Auto, for example..sells these. I would not try to revive an old motor assy. It's too much work to do twice. Both of mine were replaced long ago.

[desertresident]

Recently acquired a 1984 Bill Blass Mark VII and had motor/switch repairs on both front windows. After reading your post on methods of self-repair, I can ALMOST understand why the repair bill was high. The right window motor assembly with gears $229.44; the left window switch 16.36; labor for both was 99.75. So, almost 350.00 later, the windows now go up and down. I believe, it is 50.00 just to take the panel off to determine the cause.

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Proud new owner of 1984 Bill Blass Mark VII...Love my car!