Window Adjustments

[DakotaZ]

Took my driver side door apart this winter to treat the inside with Por15. I did have abit of a problem with rolling my window all the way down and then getting it back up before. Well now it's even worse. Does anyone know of a trick to properly adjust the window requlator and guides to fix this problem? Thanks

[Doehring]

DakotaZ,

do you still have that little black rubber roller on the inner left(outside) front ? This is often broken and than you have a problem to lift the window properly into the chrome frame.

Rolf

[Si|v3r72]

Sorry Dakota, I don't really have an answer. I did the same thing over the winter and ended up with the same problem.

BTW, what is POR15? Did I forget to do something?

[DakotaZ]

Yes I bought a new roller and installed it, the old one was broke. Por15 is a preservative to prevent rust. If you had your window out and saw some rust then it is definately worth putting this stuff on. Sure i a pain not to have a window operate properly.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[EScanlon]

I searched various archives and here are a couple pieces I wrote there:

First, addressing a basic overview of the window mechanism:

The chrome moulding that forms the outer part of the window frame is the exposed part of the channel that the window pane rides in. The lower portion of that moulding is bolted to the back edge of the door by the door latch mechanism. The window is always in this groove and this could be part of your problem.

The window actuator scissor has 3 rollers, two face away from the passenger compartment and enter separate tracks on the lower part of the window glass holder, the other roller faces towards the inside (you) and is what determines the angle of the window inside the opening. This track for the roller guide mounts horizontally about midway up the door.

The last component is the front sash, this is the guide in the front part of the door for the nylon guide attached to the front of the window pane.

If one of the window roller guides has fallen off its track, the easiest way to get it back into position is to raise the window to about the midway position, then with the door panel off, get your fingers in there and help the roller back into it's track. You might want to examine this track and the roller bearing since the guide forms a "C" around the roller and for it to slip out indicates that the guide or the roller may be broken, chipped. Yes it is possible for the roller to just roll out of the guide, but then that means that the window was not installed properly, or that the back part of the window has fallen out of the guide allowing the roller to move past it's maximum extension point.

Next, presuming you need to disassemble and re-align:

Remove the regulator assembly. That's the gear and scissor mechanism that the window crank operates. This will allow you to operate the window pane within the opening without the regulator getting in the way.

Once it's out of the way, slide the window glass up and down inside the frame and tracks. You should be able to determine if the window will go up and down smoothly and effortlessly (of course barring the weight of the pane and gravity). If it passes this test, then you know that the window frame and sashes are set up properly. You can now direct your attention to the regulator.

If on the other hand you find that it sticks either on the way down or on the way up, address the problem. Is the window roller (the little barrel shapped roller) pressing on the window pane properly? Is it guiding the pane into the upper part of the frame or not? How about the lower front sash? Is the front nylon guide on the window pane sliding through the sash smoothly? Is it bent? Will lubrication take care of it or do you need to remove it?

I recently had the same problem with a passenger side window. I finally disassembled the whole assembly and discovered that my lower sash was just slightly bent and was causing the nylon guide to bind, causing me to exert a ton of pressure on the handle to get it to go up and down. After replacing the sash, the window goes up and down like new.

Check the Window Frame, is it straight? There are some gentle curves to it, that's to allow the glass, which isn't flat itself, to slide up and down inside the frame. But other than the gentle curves is the frame itself straight, i.e. no twists, no sharp bends nothing that would stop the glass from going up and down?

If all these check, then last couple items: Are the roller guides on the window pane frame straight and unbent or undamaged? These little guides are what the wheels on the scissor assembly of the window regulator ride in and exert the pressure to raise and lower the pane. If there are kinks, gunk, or other obstructions they will cause you problems. Check the roller wheels, are they able to rotate freely? If they are binding or sticking, clean them out and make sure they operate without wobbling on their axles. If they have a lot of play on the axle on which they are mounted, i.e wobble on the axle, they will probably jam as you exert pressure on the wheel through that axle.

Next, check the regulator gear and spline arm. Any teeth missing? Is the gear portion of the spline arm straight and making proper contact on the gear that the crank handle actuates? Is there a spring on the scissor assembly? If so, it's there to help exert pressure upwards on the glass to help neutralize the effect of the weight of the pane on the assembly, if it's broken or missing, then raising the glass is going to be extremely difficult.

You shouldn't have to apply grease to the upper portion of the window frame "fuzzy channels" This part of the window comes into contact with passengers, believe me your girlfriend will kill you if you get grease on her $90 blouse. She will probably do more than $90 in damage to you and / or your car.

The only place for grease on the window assemblies is on the front sash, where the nylon guide slides through, the gear / spline contact area, the swivel point for the scissor, and the two roller guides that fit in to the window pane frame guides. Other than that, no grease, oil or other lubricant other than the "fuzziness" of the gasket.

If the fuzzy gaskets in the upper part of the frame have lost their "fuzzy" stuff, then they'll act just like rubber stops on glass, which is basically what they are. Replace them. There is no other way of restoring those items.

That pretty much sums it up, I'm also looking for another article I wrote that describes how to do the adjustments.

Hope this helps.

Enrique Scanlon

[EScanlon]

Here's the posting I wrote regarding how to adjust the window on the 240. Hope this helps.

The window roller is required to push the glass inward as it reaches the top of it's travel. The inside door panel and the fuzzy strip attached to it, push the window outwards. Between these two and the window frame and front sash the whole thing is maintained in the center of the window frame.

The fuzzy gasket in the top part of your window frame should be FUZZY, no grease, no bare rubber spots. Grease here will just get all over your shirt sleeve. Bare rubber will just prevent the window from rolling up and down smoothly. The inner fuzzy strip mounted to the panel is what presses against the window to push it out, if it's missing or caked solid with dirt / grease / gunk it will just impede the sliding of the pane. The outer gasket on the chrome trim is to seal the window from rain once the window is closed, it is the roller which locates the window in the center of the frame.

That you have to loosen the front sash and the rear guide channel (there is no rear sash) tells me that you don't have these adjusted right, or that your frame is bent or that it's misaligned.

The adjustment for the window is straight forward. You DO have to have the glass bumper roller installed or it will be a b*tch.

1. Loosen the installation nuts for the front sash and rear guide channel.

2. Roll the window up and down and check the alignment of the rear edge of the glass with the door frame.

3. If the glass angles too far to the rear, move the rear guide channel upward. If it angles too far to the front, move it downward. As a general rule, the rear guide channel bolts will both be at the same location within their respective slotted holes to each other, i.e. front bolt won't be higher or lower than the rear bolt in relation to the bolt hole in the metal door frame.

4. When the glass is parallel with the window frame, adjust the front sash so it is parallel with the front edge of the window. You can just look down from above and ensure that the nylon guide mounted on the bottom channel of the window pane is going to go up and down the front sash smoothly.

If your regulator is not allowing you to crank up the window after this, check to make sure that the spring on the regulator isn't broken. Without this spring it is literally impossible to raise the window.

The sheer weight of the pane is too much for the angle / gearing in the regulator. The gear within the mechanism will just work its way out of the teeth on the arm. The spring is what helps you counter the weight of the window pane against gravity.

Enrique Scanlon

[DakotaZ]

Thanks EScanlon; I printed your posts and referred to them a couple of times while adjusting my window. It's still a little tight but works. My front track is slightly bent. I did straighten it a bit. So now my door is treated with Por15 and it has new felt window channel strips. bumber roller, outside and inside door strips, along with new rubber on the front and back of the window door frame and on the bottom of door. Next winter I'll tackle the passenger door.