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Old 01-26-2008, 05:30 AM   #1
cooljess76
NOBODY F's with the Jesus
 
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Step 5: Disconnect Plastic Sliders
5a) Raise the window approximately 1/4-1/2 way, so that you can access the sliders through the cutouts on the door.

5b) Using a pair of needle-nose pliers, slide and pull off the metal "C" clips that hold the sliders onto the regulator arms.

5c) While holding the base of the window firmly with one hand, pull the regulator arm ball out of the socket on the slider(This may require some force and perhaps a tool such as a screwdriver or wrench to pry it apart).

5d) Be sure to support the window to prevent it from falling into the door or smashing your fingers. Once the sliders are unclipped, gently pull the regulator arms inward and slide the sliders out of the way.

Step 6: Remove Window
Tilt the window forward and lift it out of the of the door from the outside.

Step 7: Clean Sliders and Slider Channel
7a) Wipe all of the old tacky grease off of the sliders and channel located on the bottom of the window with a rag. Try to get ALL of it out out the crevices using the corner or edge of the rag.

7b) Apply a liberal amount of fresh grease to the sliders and slider channel(I used brown bearing grease which seems to be working fine for me, perhaps there's something better).

Step 8: Straighten the Regulator Arms
8a) Look down into the door through the gap along the top of the door at the regulator arms. You may want to raise the arms by operating the window switch, so you can get a better look.

8b) Check to see if the regulator arms are parallel with eachother(one should not be further inward or outward than the other). Both regulator arms should be SLIGHTLY curved outboard as to spring towards the sliders with a LITTLE tension. If the regulator arms are straight and parallel but are not slightly bent, don't worry, as long as they aren't actually pulling away from the sliders. Adjust as necessary by grabbing the arms with your hand and pulling inward or pushing outward until they are positioned correctly and parallel with eachother. Check again by looking down from the top of the door through the window gap.

8c) Look down from the top of the door through the window gap again and ensure that the balls on the ends of the regulator arms are parallel with eachother(you don't want them to be pointing towards or away from eachother, they should both be aimed straight outboard and parallel). If the balls are not parallel, the ends of the regulator arms are twisted and need to be straightened. Using a pair of channel-lock pliers, grip the end of the regulator arm and gently tweak it until it's straight. This might take a couple tries. Recheck your work by looking down through the window gap.

Step 9: Glue Rubber Guides Into Vertical Tracks
The vertical tracks are located in the forward and aft parts of the door. They are bow-shaped and made of flimsy sheet metal. They house the rubber guides that hold the window in place and guide the window up and down.

The felt-lined rubber guides tend to slip down the vertical tracks over time and in some cases they come completely out. Usually it's just the rear one that slips, so you might not have to mess with the forward one as it's kinda hard to access. This can result in a noisy glass crashing sound when you slam your door if the window is partially or completely down, a loose or rattling window, and it can even cause your window to bind and come off track.

9a) To fix this, simply pull the rubber guide out of the vertical track or locate it in the bottom of your door if it has completely slipped out.

9b) Run a strip of glue down the back of the rubber. Try not to get any glue on the felt inside of the guide(I used "Shoe Goo" since I had some handy, it dries rubbery and bonds to metal and rubber well).

9c) Note that one side of the rubber guide is wider than the other. Prior to re-fitting, look at the metal part of the vertical track and determine which side is wider(inboard or outboard) and install rubber guide accordingly.

9d) Press the rubber guide back into the vertical track, careful not to get glue all over yourself. This can be tricky and may require you to wiggle it into place. Be sure the rubber guide is positioned all the way to the top of the vertical track.

9e) Wipe any glue off of your hands and then run your fingers up and down the inner felt crease to ensure that the rubber guide is properly seated inside of the vertical track.

Step 10: "Tweaking" Vertical Tracks
This is probably the most important step in actually fixing the problem. It's also probably the most commonly forgotten or overlooked step. When the window comes out of the track, it twists. This causes one or both of the vertical tracks to also twist. While your repair may seem victorious, rest assured that if you skip this step you'll most certainly have troubles again later down the road!

10a) To figure out which vertical track needs to be tweaked, place the window back into the guides. Remember to tilt the window forward and install it from the exterior of the door. Line it up into the front track and slowly lower the rear of the window into the aft track while using your other hand to guide it into place from underneath. Once the window is lined up inside of both tracks, slowly and EVENLY lower the window about HALFWAY.

10b) Insert both sliders into the channel on the bottom of the window. Align the sliders with the balls on the regulator arms(you might have to operate the window switch to raise or lower the regulator arms).

10c) Press the balls into the sockets on the sliders until you feel them snap into place(Don't bother replacing the metal "C" clips yet, you might need to remove the window again shortly).

10d) Raise and lower the window a few times to check operation.

10e) THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART!!! Lower the window completely. With the window completely down, slam the door. Open the door then reach inside and feel the window where it sits in the vertical tracks. If it's still seated in the vertical tracks, raise and lower it a few more times and slam the door again even harder. Be sure to do this with the window DOWN. Repeat about a dozen or so times and if the window remains in the tracks, continue to step 11.

10f) HOWEVER, if the window pops out of it's track after you slam the door, YOU NEED TO "TWEAK" THE VERTICAL TRACK. Remove the window again. Reach into the door and grab the vertical track with your hand. GENTLY twist the vertical track that the window popped out of.

If the FORWARD part of the window popped out INWARD, twist the FORWARD vertical track CLOCKWISE(if it's the driver's side door) or COUNTER-CLOCKWISE(if it's the passenger's side door). It will be the opposite for UK members and any other members who have right-hand drive vehicles.

If the FORWARD part of the window popped out OUTWARD, twist the FORWARD vertical track COUNTER-CLOCKWISE(if it's the driver's side door) or CLOCKWISE(if it's the passenger's side door). Remember this is reversed for right-hand drive vehicles.

If the REAR part of the window popped out INWARD, twist the REAR vertical track COUNTER-CLOCKWISE(if it's the driver's side door) or CLOCKWISE(if it's the passenger's side door). Remember this is reversed for right-hand drive vehicles.

If the REAR part of the window popped out OUTWARD, twist the REAR vertical track CLOCKWISE(if it's the driver's side door) or COUNTER-CLOCKWISE(if it's the passenger's side door). Remember this is reversed for right-hand drive vehicles.

This can be aggravating, but you'll have to repeat this process until you get it right. If the window pops out on the bottom of the vertical track, you can simply roll the window up and then twist the bottom of the track. It it pops out on the top of the vertical track, then you'll have to remove the window again before you can twist the top of the vertical track.
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