Windows Motor Cable Snapped

[Ekapol]

Thanks so much for the offer Geoff. I also have a backup set of 1/16" galvanized -- after too many trips to my favorite hardware store -- ready to be mailed out to anybody that want to tackle this job. Give me a shout ok? This is not for the fainted heart but could be done and as Ian said the satisfaction of completing it is quite, well..., very rewarding. We are talking just window rolling up and down anyway, how happy could one be

I did it

You will need a 1/16", 6 feet long cable. It is much easier to have a longer cable, crimp the ferrule right at the center, wind it to the gear 2 - 3 loops for each direction. I started with 3 loops then at the end it became a little too short. With the cable slider in the center of the bow (center rail) I found that it doesn't take too much to slide it all the way up or down and 2 loops should do it. Make a tight winding here, no slacking at all. With the motor still open, crimp and cut it to fit the center slider. You will want the sqeeze the spring to get 3/4" more when fitting the end of the cable to the rail slider. It took me almost an hour the 1st try trying to give it a little more length by really compressing the spring mechanism, when the window regulator was in the door, and the cable was too short but I got in in the slider at last -- Ian I know how you felt mate.

2nd time with correct tension and length, from cable test fitting outside the car, it took me three minutes trying to get it in there. Pretty tricky cause the groove side of the slider will face away from you. "Use the force, Luke".

A little thicker cable should have no problem with appropriate ferrules but it might be quite tight when you want to install it into the plastic slider.


3rd try, I found that the window still stuck at 1/3 from the bottom hence putting a lot of load to the motor. So I took the motor out again. There are 2 x 10 mm bolts at the bottom of the right slider that you can play with, 1 x 10 mm on the inside. Left side has just 2 bolts, one inside the door and one on the outside. With plenty of silicon grease, I adjusted these rails until the window slide down very smoothly all the way by itself once you drop the window from the top position.

Lithium grease for inside the motor. Silicon grease for the rail. That's what I use.

The right rail on mine needs some "give" at the bottom or it will be too tight. With "loose" tension in the bolts, the right side might drop down further than the left side of the window when the window is all the way down, and that will make it harder for the motor to lift the window up. I just simply add a plastic cable tie at the bottom of the right rail to make the "stop point" for preventing the right side dropping down too low.

That's it, my marathon therapy session..

[TheBard]

Great news Ekapol

Congratulations on having a working window once more. As we've both said now, for something as simple as winding a window, the satisfaction is in knowing how complex the job really was.

Glad it all worked out well, looks like another Elan problem has been utterly mastered!

All the best,
Ian

p.s. of course, you know the next problem is just around the corner...

[Ekapol]

Dear Ian,

I couldn't have done it without your help.
Now I can do it with semi-blindfolded from working in the dark -- now I know pretty much everything in the door like the back of my scraping knuckles...

p.s. of course, you know the next problem is just around the corner...

[Ekapol]

OK, since the last episode, my window motor worked well for quite a good period of time then the lid kept popping out. Apparently the screw the hold the center of the motor didn't do a good job and some how push the lid open. I redid the same procedures few times

Tried epoxy it back, tried duct tape

Got the Tap and Die set ready for making the new screw thread but there must be other alternatives out there.

Searched on Ebay for "Peugeot 405 rear power window regulator", ordered a brand new one for around $60. From what I heard from Darren, they might look similar but not compatible. The motor should be the same from the picture I saw. Shouldn't be too bad than redoing the cables from scratch few round right? A brand new motor is all I need since the torque from the one I have is somewhat lacking. At this point, I was quite ready to empty my wallet for whatever they asked for a new Lotus motor.

Item showed up. Of course that Peugeot has a bigger door than our pride and joy. Very similar but quite different.





You might notice that the length of the bows are different.

- The distance from the motor to the bow is different on one side too. So I reused one of the black pipe from my old bow.
- Slider is different too. I reused mine (was recently replaced)
- I remade the end cable stop on just one side with a ferrule, another side I left it as is, too lazy after having made too many of them before -- picture previously posted in this thread.



- Notice that Peugeot uses shorter screws. Ours are longer and has molded plastic covering it. I whacked them all out and replaced with our longer screws. Tap it back. Surprisingly not too bad at all, quite easy



- Umm... some how the longer arm broke off from the motor

[Ekapol]

The operation went smoothly, now I could take the whole door panel out in around 15 minutes. It is easier to insert the whole bow assembly from the left hole (speaker hole) with the upside in first then rotate the whole thing counter-clockwise to have the upper screw line up in place. Also, you might want to take the round rubber cap (
~ 1.5") out and that will make it much easier to plug the power back to the motor.

Hope this helps. Hope my right motor last another 15 years or so

[GeoffSmith]

Ekapol, I salute you.

Not only for the window work and excellent photos but also because if I put that sort of stuff on that sort of carpet, I'd have the whole lot inserted in a space a lot smaller and tighter than your door ......... sideways.

Presumably you broke the arm of the old motor and not the new one.

Geoff

[Doug]

so, Ekapol, you are saying that it appear a transplant is a viable operation?!

I hope so -- sorry that motor has been bad, but I salute you for quickly earning all your Elan scraped knuckles!

let us know how durable it is, and if all goes well then you have just discovered a good "cure" for the window blues in the future.

-D

[Ekapol]

Cheers all.

Geoff: Yes, I broke the old motor's arm cause the plastic piece was pretty stubborn, I whacked it a little harder. For that longer arm, I should have supported the arm itself not the motor body.

No problem with the new motor, the screws came off pretty easily.

Doug: At this point, my window motor is working very strong, like a brand new one, well .. it is It's the same motor and I didn't have to open it or anything, just have to swap out the hardware/fastener parts. I think this is the way to do it. I also replaced the well nut and some screws and that got rid off another squeak noise from the right door.

[TheBard]

Nice one Ekapol, good photos too!

I also replaced the well nut and some screws and that got rid off another squeak noise from the right door.

So do you start on the left door now?

Cheers,
Ian

[Ekapol]

No, Ian.
I'm now on a long vacation from anything with a spool of cable or should I sign up for a rehab instead

[Ekapol]

God I'm God

[GeoffSmith]

God you're good as well.

[Farran]

Hi,

Just stripped out the motor from the passangers side and found that the cable is a mess. Some of the strands from the cable have broken and damaged/broken the white plastic cable guides which guide the cable on to the rollers, the bits with the springs on. I have already bought the 1.5mm cable to replace it but does anyone have these plastic cable guides that they don't need or a complete damaged unit that they no longer need?

Hope someone can help.

Farran

[Farran]

Hi,

Things don't get any better. The innner sheath for the cable has been drawn into the motor and it's a mess.

Have a look at the picture. Now I also need the black cables to get this motor back together.

Farran

[dapinky]

Hi,

Just stripped out the motor from the passangers side and found that the cable is a mess. Some of the strands from the cable have broken and damaged/broken the white plastic cable guides which guide the cable on to the rollers, the bits with the springs on. I have already bought the 1.5mm cable to replace it but does anyone have these plastic cable guides that they don't need or a complete damaged unit that they no longer need?

Hope someone can help.

Farran

The cable guides are in the 'parts sale' at £1 each.

Part numbers:-
A100B6210S - Slider-Window Regulator RH
A100B6211S - Slider-Window Regulator LH


Although the 'personal' sales are now over, they can still be ordered on the internet from HERE

[Farran]

Thanks for the reply but it isn't the slider parts that I'm after. The parts that I need are the round white sleeves which fit over the black outer cable and also hold the compression spring in place against the metal frame just before the white pulleys.
I am sure that these parts are not available from Lotus as you have to dismantle the complete window mechanism to get them out and i think that my only chance is that someone has a broken unit that they no longer require and I could cannibalise for the parts I need.

In a previous posting it mentions using a Peugeot 405 rear window mechanism. Can someone give me the actual part no?

[dapinky]

The parts that I need are the round white sleeves which fit over the black outer cable and also hold the compression spring in place against the metal frame just before the white pulleys.

Oops, sorry, I misread your post , Now I've read it properly, I see from an earlier picture what bits you need. I'm sorry, I know nothing on this subject (never taken mine apart)......

.......but others do.
Ekapol?

[GeoffSmith]

Just a reminder of what I said earlier - I have a quantity of stainless cable that should do the job for the price of postage.

[Ekapol]

Hi,
The innner sheath for the cable has been drawn into the motor and it's a mess.

Have a look at the picture. Now I also need the black cables to get this motor back together.

Farran

Yikes!! I got goosebump just looking at that motor guts picture again. Nostalgic moment.

I think I have the part you mentioned. Please PM me your address.

[Ekapol]

Hi Farran,

I read it again. You don't need the inner shealth. A new cable should do the job just fine. The plastic piece I reused my old one. I am not sure if the Peugeot one would fit. I will try to search for you if I still have them.

The best way is to get a new motor from Peugeot, similar to this item on Ebay. Please check and make sure you get the motor for the side that is broken. The one below is for right hand side of the car (passenger side Federal Elan).

Peugeot 405 rear power window regulator Item number: 180052090382