Some help with a window issue please

[Elanlover]

Well, like so many of you I have now experienced the non-moving window problem. I've been working on it this afternoon and I'm a bit stuck and hoping someone can help out a bit. Here's the problem.

The window was moving was moving without any issues then suddenly decided to only go down half way. After the window was moved up and down a few times there was a bit of a cracking noice (fortunatley not the glass) and the window now won't move at all. Its stuck in the fully up position.

I've followed the avaiulable writeups to remove the door facing and get access to the inside. I can see the speaker and 2 other black panels. I've removed the speaker (changing this weekend anyway) and the middle black panel. Sure enough, there were a few pieces of white plastic floating around in the bottom of the door. But, I can't seem to get access to anything inside the door.

Do I need to remove more of the door as in the next full panel? Seems like a heck of a job to go that far Any suggestions as to how I get access to the broken parts? The passenger side rolls down slowly too I'll probably work on that side as well.

Thanks all!

[Foo]

I've been digging about in my passenger side door today. I'm amazed at how much divving about is necessary just to get at the door innards. It's poorly designed.

I think you'll need to remove the door glass to get a better idea of where the fault lies.

To remove the door glass:

1. Remove the plastic interior door panel (done)
2. Remove the speaker housing (done)
3. Remove both black door interior covers (nearly done)
4. Remove interior window wiper seal and interior trim top (the 2 bits at the top of the door... you'll have to drill out some pop rivets)
5. Remove the rubber 'up stop' bobbins which are attached to the bottom of the window. They're just round rubber wheel-like things that you can unscrew. If you're unlucky, the fixing on the back of the glass has come loose and is spinning freely. I had to drill mine out in the end.


Now it gets more complicated.

Now you've got the panels off, you will be able to see 3 metal runners that allow the window to move up and down in the door housing.

Locate the middle window runner. There'll be a white plastic slider attached to the glass that runs up and down this runner. If you tuck your hand round the back of it, you'll find a 'U' shaped plastic clip bit that can be detached and left hanging down.

Once that's detached, you can flex the window/door to 'unhook' the glass from the plastic slider. This'll all make more sense once you see it.

Once it's unhooked, you can pull the door glass up and out of the top of the door. You may need to loosen the side mirror fixings so that the glass can get past, and you might also have to slacken off the top of one of the window runners to allow enough to get the glass through.

If you have a copy of the service notes, there's a section in there that covers (most of) this process.

[tweetdriver63]

Blair, from the sound of it, you're probably going to find the bits of white plastic are pieces of the center slider. Could also be from one of the pulleys on the regulator too, but probably the slider. That's what mine was, and it did just what you're describing.

Fortunately for me, my window had been of the slow/stopping intermittently type, so when the slider broke, I already had the door mostly apart, and I also had purchased a new slider and butterfly clip in case they were causing the problem. As it turned out, I had to replace both of them, and it was nice that I had the new ones sitting right their on my work bench.

That's a pretty good set of instructions Foo has posted for you.

[Elanlover]

Thanks for the write up Foo. Its detailed enough that I was shuddering the entire time I was reading it

The good news is that I seem to have caught a break for change. I was able to get the window to wind down enough for me to see the regulator et al. Its clearly the sl;ider that's broken in the center rail (I see 3 rails, 2 at the ends and one in the middle). Now, I was clairvoyant enough to order a handful of butterfly clips and sliders from Dave Bean but the one I pulled from the car seems to be slightly different than the one I received. Pics below.

The ones I received (and i did order both right and left side sliders) seems to be more detailed on the side that fits upo against the rail. The other side has a minor difference that would seem to be insignificant. So, let's all play that game where you have to spot the differences in two pictures

To me, the new slider seems to have more "stuff" around the left side, top and bottom "tabs" (for lack of a better word). I also put a caliper to them and the new one seems to be a bit wider and i don't think that's due to the breakage.

Is there a different part number for the center slider (are there even slider like this on the side rails? - I didn't think there was)? Does the slider fit into the channel/rail or on top? If on top then it doesn't seem to want to fit snugly in any way (just dangles) and I already know it will jut out too much for the window to close.

Thanks everyone!

[tweetdriver63]

I noticed the same thing with mine. I figured it was a redesigned part to make it stronger.

As far as how it goes on, there's a really good write-up about that. I think it's somewhere in the Wiki, but I'm not sure. It's one of the regulator repair subjects. It has good pics with it, too.

Oops, sorry. Not in the Wiki, it's this thread. The last two pages have the info you're looking for.

Anyway, you have to bend back the stop tab at the end of the rail and slide the slider on, then bend the tab back. Be careful doing it so that you don't bend the raik itself. I found it pretty easy. I just used pliers to bend the tab back slightly, then when I bent it back, I found that it doesn't have to be bent all the way back, just enough to prevent the slider coming off the end of the rail.

[Elanlover]

Ok, obviously, the "bow" had to come out which i did and the rest became quite simple. As with most things Lotus, its 1 hour to remove said parts, 5 minutes to fix them and anohter hour to reinstall. Sems to me that, over time, dirt gets on the rail (or in the grease on the rail) and this is what cuases the who mechanism to start to gain friction. this in turn stresses the plastic bits and eventually they snap.

Just about to put the bow back in and test (after cleaning and lubricating the rail) then install new speakers, reasemble all parts and have a beer. Thanks everyone!

[surfboardfiller]

I've been digging about in my passenger side door today. I'm amazed at how much divving about is necessary just to get at the door innards. It's poorly designed.

I think you'll need to remove the door glass to get a better idea of where the fault lies.

To remove the door glass:

1. Remove the plastic interior door panel (done)
2. Remove the speaker housing (done)
3. Remove both black door interior covers (nearly done)
4. Remove interior window wiper seal and interior trim top (the 2 bits at the top of the door... you'll have to drill out some pop rivets)
5. Remove the rubber 'up stop' bobbins which are attached to the bottom of the window. They're just round rubber wheel-like things that you can unscrew. If you're unlucky, the fixing on the back of the glass has come loose and is spinning freely. I had to drill mine out in the end.


Now it gets more complicated.

Now you've got the panels off, you will be able to see 3 metal runners that allow the window to move up and down in the door housing.

Locate the middle window runner. There'll be a white plastic slider attached to the glass that runs up and down this runner. If you tuck your hand round the back of it, you'll find a 'U' shaped plastic clip bit that can be detached and left hanging down.

Once that's detached, you can flex the window/door to 'unhook' the glass from the plastic slider. This'll all make more sense once you see it.

Once it's unhooked, you can pull the door glass up and out of the top of the door. You may need to loosen the side mirror fixings so that the glass can get past, and you might also have to slacken off the top of one of the window runners to allow enough to get the glass through.

If you have a copy of the service notes, there's a section in there that covers (most of) this process.

You don't need to take the glass out to remove the Regulator Assembly, just detach it from the butterfly clip and use a piece of wood in the back of the door to prop the window up.
Leave the upstop bobbins and leave the weather seal, you can save a lot of time and hassle this way.
Just un bolt the regulator - central rail and motor, rotate the Regulator assembly and remove it through the speaker hole.

Work on a bench and with a vice comfortably etc

[bobbrown]

To remove the door glass:

1. Remove the plastic interior door panel (done)
2. Remove the speaker housing (done)
3. Remove both black door interior covers (nearly done)
4. Remove interior window wiper seal and interior trim top (the 2 bits at the top of the door... you'll have to drill out some pop rivets)
5. Remove the rubber 'up stop' bobbins which are attached to the bottom of the window. They're just round rubber wheel-like things that you can unscrew. If you're unlucky, the fixing on the back of the glass has come loose and is spinning freely. I had to drill mine out in the end.

Why the need to remove the window wiper seal?
When I did mine it was just a case of remove the door card, speaker and plastic covers, the bobbind and the plastic clip on the lifting clamp and just lift out the glass.

Bob

[Specky]

The window rail carriers some times foul the seal..

It just depends on how the guide rails have been set up...

TTFN

[surfboardfiller]

The window rail carriers some times foul the seal..

It just depends on how the guide rails have been set up...

TTFN

They don't if you leave the glass in the door.

[Specky]

To remove the door glass

TTFN

[surfboardfiller]

To remove the door glass

TTFN

You Engineers don't understand what doing it the easy way means, you just like taking stuff apart.

[Specky]

Yep...

TTFN