Window regulator

[rendoll911]

This is about the mischevious Ti window regulator. I'm Just trying to find out how successful you guys were with your repairs.

[rendoll911]

Oh yeah, i forgot about you lucky ones who haven't had any problems with their windows... :rolleyes: wellll you can just get out of this thread because i don't want jinx you!

[Phil Marx]

First time, driver's side, I replaced the regulator and clips and the missing rubber piece in the channel guide rail and straightened the guide rail. Second time, passenger's side, I bent the arms back into shape and replaced the clips. I think I'm only allowed to vote once so I used the first scenario.

-Phil

[durnadupa]

When I first got my ti, that was one of the first things I fixed. Also the control arm, actuators, balljoints, etc.... But I know a guy who is a mechanic at a BMW dealership so I went to him he took it in and fixed all that. But even though he did fix it and window does work tehre is still sometimes pauses in between. Like itll go up, pause, go up again... You know what i mean?

[rendoll911]

Like itll go up, pause, go up again... You know what i mean?

yeah my passenger side window is the one the broke but the driver side window does that same pausing crap..

[robcarync]

my driver window did that pause crap...

then today it fell into my door panel while i was driving home in 20 degree weather...

im cold now...

anyway...i didnt vote yet cause im not sure what will become of it...

[robcarync]

road block...i dont have a t-20 torx screw driver...must wait until tomorrow or monday to get one from auto zone...why do i try and fix things at 2:22 am?

[1996 328ti]

Be careful with those screws. They are different lengths. If you install them the wrong one screw will interfere with the regulator and bend it. BTDT.
Also be gentle when you pull the door panel off. You don't wan't to pull the plastic parts that secure the panel to the door.

[durnadupa]

When I got my regulator fixed the door panels were really loose to begin with, some clips were broken... the guy that I brought my car too fixed them and basically glued the door panels back on. Kinda sucks doesnt it? So if anything goes wrong inside of their now, I am royally screwed.

[robcarync]

yeah im getting there...door panel off no problem...there was only 1 screw i removed from the door panel though...no plastic parts broken upon removal of panel...

found the back window track in the bottom of the door panel(IE: no track to begin with!) i expected something to happen sometime because i noticed that when i shut my door i could hear the window rattling for the last few months...now i know it was because the glass was just chillin with no track...took me and my father a while to figure out what it was since we didnt know where it came from. we managed to find where it was mounted and put it back together...

the window was jammed up and i had to remove the whole regulator from the panel because the arms were kind of in the up position and were wedged against the window (tearing my window tint). one arm was bent...but since i had no parts on me..i just straightened it out...one of the plastic clips were broken somewhat...

so i ended up straightening the control arm...one slider track had NO grease at all and it stuck all the time...

now both tracks are lubed up...im ordering some of the slider pieces from bavauto and i will replace the bad ones. but right now the window is in both tracks...newly straightened control arm...one bad slider...and tons of grease stuck on my window...

one possible problem though...i notice that when i put the window up...it seems that the window kinda hits the top of the door frame, and then the motor still wants to go a little bit more...causing some tension there...i dont think it is suposed to do that...

one possible explanation was this random 13mm bolt in the middle of the regulator...i took it off thinking it was bolting it to the door panel..but found out it was just attached to some little disk behind it...is this used to adjust something? could i have put it on in the wrong position?

http://www.ohiomotorcycle.com/understeer/images/tech/windows-12.jpg

the bolt that has the circle disk around it...on the right side...to the left of the motor...what does that do?

[1996 328ti]

The window needs to relearn where to stop, I think.
Also glue the rubber guide otherwise it will only get loose again.

[robcarync]

ahh i see the torx screw i didnt undo...cracked the plastic part it was screwed into but some all purpose epoxy will fix that...

my problem wasnt just the rubber...the whole metal track that was suposed to hold the rubber came off of the bracket it is suposed to be bolted too and it was rattling around.

the window seems to run smoothly now...assuming that the window just needs to relearn where to stop at. also...when i let the window all the way down...abot 1/4 inch sticks up from the door frame...i havent attactched the door panel yet so im sure the trim will hide it...

other than that...all is well guys! thanks!

[jonchino]

where can i get the rear track for the driversside..the track broke off from the plate that had the screw on it.....

i thought i was the onlyone with these problems....

[robcarync]

passenger side window fell this time...YES!!!!

the plastic clips are butchered...gotta get new ones...regulator seems to bend...the track needs grease...

and of course i cant get the clips on a sunday...i just put the old broken clips in...rolled the window all the way up and put everything back together...window doesnt go up or down...but at least it is in track and out of the door panel

[JedzE36/5]

anyone else have to drill out the rivets that were attached the regulator? PITA!

[Phil Marx]

Of course you all must know you're discussing this issue/repair on a "Poll" thread. If you check the archives you'll find lots of answers to your questions here:
http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2484&page=3

Most of us have BTDT.

-Phil

Admin note: My original thought was to have all polls in one place. I guess that wasn't such a good idea.:no:

[Silver00spike]

Do our cars use unique regulators, or do we share one?

[JedzE36/5]

i think when i replaced mine i got it from a coupe

[1996 328ti]

Do our cars use unique regulators, or do we share one?We share the sedan regulators and that is probably why they fail. Our windows are bigger than the sedan.

[Silver00spike]

so I'm getting different answers now.. Jedz, was it the same size? same mounting point? what about you 328ti?

[1996 328ti]

so I'm getting different answers now.. Jedz, was it the same size? same mounting point? what about you 328ti?
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partxref.do?part=51331977609&showus=on&showeur=&series=E36

It shares the regulator with the sedan. There should be no confusion.
Part Cross-reference

Part 51331977609 (ELECTR.WINDOW LIFTER FRONT LEFT) was found on the following E36 vehicles:

E36 318i SEDAN, M44, AUTO (CC03) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M42, AUTO (CA63) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M42, AUTO (CC83) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M44, AUTO (CD83) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M42, MANUAL (CA53) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M44, MANUAL (CC93) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M42, MANUAL (CC73) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M44, MANUAL (CD73) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318ti COMPACT, M44, AUTO (CG83) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318ti COMPACT, M42, AUTO (CG63) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318ti COMPACT, M44, MANUAL (CG73) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318ti COMPACT, M42, MANUAL (CG53) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 320i SEDAN, M50, AUTO (CB23) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 320i SEDAN, M50, MANUAL (CB13) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 325i SEDAN, M50, AUTO (CB43) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 325i SEDAN, M50, MANUAL (CB33) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 328i SEDAN, M52, AUTO (CD23) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 328i SEDAN, M52, AUTO (CD43) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 328i SEDAN, M52, MANUAL (CD13) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 328i SEDAN, M52, MANUAL (CD33) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 M3 SEDAN, S52, AUTO (CD03) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 M3 SEDAN, S52, MANUAL (CD93) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT

[Silver00spike]

OK, thanks for clearing that up. Now wonder I couldn't find a "318ti" regulator

[Slynke]

My driver's side went.. I tried to bend it back myself, but couldn't get it JUST right (window kept sliding off the track), so I took it to the dealership.. payed like $150 for them to bend it back and put new clips in.

Three days later it went again. Took it back to Reeves (all repairs are under their warrenty, so if it goes again, it's free) and talked to my buddy this time (hopefully trying to get the best deal possible). This time they came back and said it needed to be replaced. Best he could do for me was charge the cost of this repair and credit the first one. Ended up costing about $375 or something in the end..

However, I think I have found the true cause. The peice of weather stripping under the mirror as seen here:

http://xs54.xs.to/pics/05453/window.jpg

Well, that overtime slowly bends inwards towards the window track. The window would then try to come up, catch the OUTside of the stripping, instead of the inside, and become jammed up against the actual body panel on the door. The electric motor would continue trying to push, causing the bracket to bend.

[Silver00spike]

My driver's side went.. I tried to bend it back myself, but couldn't get it JUST right (window kept sliding off the track), so I took it to the dealership.. payed like $150 for them to bend it back and put new clips in.

Three days later it went again. Took it back to Reeves (all repairs are under their warrenty, so if it goes again, it's free) and talked to my buddy this time (hopefully trying to get the best deal possible). This time they came back and said it needed to be replaced. Best he could do for me was charge the cost of this repair and credit the first one. Ended up costing about $375 or something in the end..

However, I think I have found the true cause. The peice of weather stripping under the mirror as seen here:

--image removed--

Well, that overtime slowly bends inwards towards the window track. The window would then try to come up, catch the OUTside of the stripping, instead of the inside, and become jammed up against the actual body panel on the door. The electric motor would continue trying to push, causing the bracket to bend.
thats very interesting, I'm gonna check mine out

[1996 328ti]

What usually happens is the rubber guide on the rear track gets loose.
I have found mine in the bottom of the door.

[halobeamin]

i recently took my door apart to fix this same problem...
driver's side door.. originally the window would go down an inch or so and stop

well i took the panel and cushioning off the door, and looked at the regulator
.. when i went to try the window with the regulator exposed, the arm closest to the engine would almost literally make a U-bend, due to the fact that the propietary bracket was bent in, so the slider in the middle could not easily go through it (got stuck in the middle)..

so i call up bmw of fairfax and ask for JUST THAT BRACKET

they don't sell it like that. they sell the whole regulator for 110$.

i told them thankyou, and today or perhaps sunday i will attempt to remove that bracket and use a vice grip and spacer to bend it back straight...

hopefully this works.. i'd rather put my car money this 2 weeks towards a tire and springs than towards a window repair

[JedzE36/5]

it should work... for a while. i bent mine back and it eventually bent again. as is the case with metal, it got weaker every time it bent. my solution? i went to the junkyard and bought a good condition regulator from a wrecked 328i.

[dartman]

The window fell in my daughters ti, and the problem was that the rear track had broken, I re-riveted the piece that bolts to the door frame and straightened out the arms that became bent when this broke and it works like a charm. It was however a biatch to get the track lined up and get thebolt back in

[antnec]

I've noticed that if I take the door panel off at least once a year. I do it in the spring where I clean the tracks and then lube them and I haven't had a problem since.

I've been doing this every year since I learned that once the regulator is bent back doesn't mean its fixed for good. But cleaning and re-lubing works, at least for me. Before doing this I bent that regulator back at least a 1/2 dozen times.

anthony
97ti sport
263,2xx miles

[3DGE]

I hope the people who had the car before me fixed it, this dosent sound fun...

[momorugger]

My passenger window fell into my door in 2 degree weather while travelling at approx. 85 mins. It was pretty traumatizing. I replaced both the regulator and clips, but now the actual button thing has been pushed through the center console, waiting for that to come in, but it was an easy enough repair.

[Mallard]

had my drivers side bust in the rain.. 20 miles from my house :lol:

drove with one hand pressed up against the windo all the way home

selotaped black dustbin bag over the hole when i got home .... how ghetto can u get

new clips and a training class later(the BMW tech at the dealer,.. yup i went dealer as it was litterally just after i got the ti,... didnt know how to get the door card off) i had a fully functioning window again,.. and tyhey only charged me for a half hour instead of the full one as i did most of the work myself :lol:

[brucetodd]

Yeah, I've pretty much done everything on that list. Happened on the driver side. First I took it in and they replaced the clips. Then it fell off a week later, but this time it jammed, and bent the regulator. I wanted them to just bend it back but they wouldn't do it. It just so happens that every time something goes wrong with my car I'm short on cash. They finally talk me into the regulator. Two months later it happens again. This time it is severely tweaked. At this point I take off the door panel off my self and bend it back to almost straight. Put everything back together, and don't touch it. I let a friend drive my car and they use the window. After I said not to. This happened during a ice storm. What an amazing coincidence. I park it all winter. Then I took it out in spring, and I heard a clunking noise when I accelerate. Drive Shaft U Joints and Carrier Bearing. I broke down and took it to the BMW dealer. They said the problem with my window was in the window seal around the door, and in the guides, also replaced the regulator and clips. 1600 dollars later I have my car back with no problems so far. Sorry for it being so long, but I can't make that stuff up.

Bruce

[Vazquezp]

yea i have all but paid to get it fixed i'm waiting for some cash to come in.... but i need a regulator replaced i bent the $Hi* out if it. its up now but i can't use my window which sucks @$$ cuz summer is coming. and thats when you roll with the windows down to check out the girls!!!

[Mothman]

Well FYI to any LA Cali drivers that have issues with there Window coming off it's tracks and you need help getting your window back up, Send me an e-mail I give you my number and you are near Cali State Long Beach University, I have the tools in my car and from start to finish I can fix your window in 15mins. I have fixed mine so many times it's not even funny, but regular pro at it now. I even carry extra clips in case I need them.

[Laxpunk2006]

Driver side- Replaced clips which bought me about 2-3 months time. At which point the regulator bent so bad it had to replaced.

Passenger side- Replacing the clips was useless. Replaced regulator. At this time I realized the motor burnt out as well. Replaced motor. Now something is acting up with the switch not wanting to work at times. :frown:

At least my (driver's side) window works right.

[mili9152]

***Revival of 6 year old dead thread!***

I just bought my '95 318ti yesterday and guess what happened last night when I was driving to San Francisco...regulator broke:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16886096/WP_000622.jpg

I just JB welded it tonight. I'm surprised to see this arm is welded in place! Has this break happened to anyone else?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16886096/WP_000623.jpg