First, we will have a chat about how the track system works on car windows. There will be slight variations between car makes and models, however, the principle is always the same. Your glass is always connected at the bottom to something called a window regulator. There are two types of window regulator, a wired pulley type and a double arm type.
The wired pulley type is a system where the glass is attached to a wire (similar to the type of wire used in bicycle brakes cables) with a nylon peg or similar fixing. There are variations in design, but remember the principle is always the same. This wire is connected at both its ends to a cog which when wound will pull the cable in either direction and thus pulling the window down or pushing it up into the closed position. Cable pulley regulators are mostly found on power window variants.
The double arm type is a complicated looking mess but do not let that frighten you. The easiest way to describe how this regulator works is to ask you to picture how a scissor jack lifts a car. It works in the exact same way. A set of jaws or arms widen or close mimicking the action of scissors. As this happens the attached window is pushed up or pulled down. This type of regulator is commonly found on both power and non-power windows.
So that deals with how the window opens and closes, but what about how it stays on - track. Well on both sides of the glass there is a runner channel or track which the glass runs up and down in. Nothing more to it. So, lets look at some common problems and how to repair them.
Sometimes the glass will just drop right into the door. You can hear the power motor whirring and you know the innards of the system are operating but the glass remains down. This is an easy fix. What has happened here is that the glass has somehow worked itself off of the regulator (remember the nylon peg we mentioned? they have a bad habit of coming loose or shearing). These pegs are really cheap, usually only 瞿1-瞿2 and are really easy to fit. They will clip onto the bottom of the glass somehow and then onto the regulator, normally with a little 10mm or 12mm bolt.
What if your window is going down fine but just wont come back up without tilting out of the track? Firstly, look at the side of the window, that is the edge that is exposing itself that normally wouldn't. If it has a little hole drilled into it then you have a missing or broken side peg. Again, this is going to cost 瞿1-瞿2 and is made from nylon and it simply clips or pops onto the side of the window using that tiny bored hole. Once you clip the new peg on, just push the glass back into the rubber and things will be back to normal.
If you don't see a little hole then your window does not use the side peg, which is common for most cars. This means you have a regulator fault. There are 3 common things that can go wrong to cause a regulator to run a window off -track. The first is loose nuts and bolts. If you take the door panel off you will see a number of bolts, usually about 8 or 10. Make sure every one of them are tight. It is amazing how many wonky windows I have repaired by simply tightening the bolts that hold the regulator in place.
Secondly, check carefully that all the bolts are holding the regulator in place. It is common for one of the regulator arms to rip the bolt right through the door skin. The only way to fix this properly is a new door skin, but if cash is a problem it is easily repaired by using an appropriate washer to make up for the oversized hole caused by the tearing of the metal.
Thirdly, the regulator arms are twisted or the central rivet is loose. This is by far the most common fault and only happens on the dual arm style regulators. (it is not common for pulley type regulator to have an off -track problem, normally they will suffer from snapped cables or worn out motors, but that will not give you an off -track symptom). Sadly, if you have twisted arms or loose rivets the easiest way to repair this is to replace the entire regulator. Prices for regulators vary wildly, however, if you are having problems sourcing one within your budget, then I strongly recommend going to your scrap or breakers yard to get one. I have had great success using regulators from breakers yards. Typical cost will be about 瞿30-40.
Once you have your replacement regulator, it is simply a case of removing the nylon peg from the window to break it free from the old regulator then taking out the 8 or so bolts holding the regulator in place. You will need to ensure the arms of the reg are closed and lined up to remove it from the door, otherwise there will be very little space to get it out through the spaces in the door skin. Take note of how you remove the old regulator as it is the same process in reverse to fit the new one. Job done.
No comments:
Post a Comment