Oh no! My window broke!
10/4/10, 03:37 PM
#1
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Window wont go down
The driver's side window in my 04 will not rule down anymore. When I try all I hear is a clicking sound. the window is not jammed and pressing the bottom does not seem to make it move at all. All I hear is the clicking sound. The other window works fine along with the other electrical equipment. Can anyone help me? =)
Last edited by Ford Ferret; 10/4/10 at 04:20 PM.
10/4/10, 04:51 PM
#3
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if its clicking, the motor is still good...sounds exactly like what happened to my mark VII, and a buddies too...there are three plastic rollers in the drive gear- no idea what they are for, as the only way they can disengage is when they break- and the window stalls at the stops up and down, so its not a safety feature- my take on it is its a planned obsolescence idea, the plastic deteriorates, rollers break, gotta go see Ford...
if you take off the door panels(talking Mark VII here- but bet mustang is similar) there are 3 dimples at the bottom of the door, about where the lift motor is located...drill out the dimples to 3/8" put a deepwell socket (think its 1/4 or 6mm) and extension in the holes, bolts are right there, motor comes right out...take the housing apart, its full of grease and busted plastic rollers- remove the busted crap, clean it up, drop 3 1/4-20 nuts back over the pins where the rollers were, pack it with vaseline, put it back together and it wont break again (but the motor will eventually die- usually due to worn/stuck brushes...hold the button on while slamming the door firmly- usually youll get one or two more uses out of it...) parts stores sell snap in plugs for undercoating to plug the drilled holes- door panel covers them when it goes back on...
if you take off the door panels(talking Mark VII here- but bet mustang is similar) there are 3 dimples at the bottom of the door, about where the lift motor is located...drill out the dimples to 3/8" put a deepwell socket (think its 1/4 or 6mm) and extension in the holes, bolts are right there, motor comes right out...take the housing apart, its full of grease and busted plastic rollers- remove the busted crap, clean it up, drop 3 1/4-20 nuts back over the pins where the rollers were, pack it with vaseline, put it back together and it wont break again (but the motor will eventually die- usually due to worn/stuck brushes...hold the button on while slamming the door firmly- usually youll get one or two more uses out of it...) parts stores sell snap in plugs for undercoating to plug the drilled holes- door panel covers them when it goes back on...
10/5/10, 12:15 PM
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this has happened to me multiple times. usually by letting it be for a day or so, it was fine. in my cases i think it was because one side of the car was way too hot and the motors just didnt wanna work. go figure
10/5/10, 05:23 PM
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Yeah i usually let it sit for a day and its fine. its only happened to me in Norcal during a heat wave. every other time I've been in Socal's ridiculous heat for it.
I actually think it was George (1Bullitt) who tested it on his car by parking the oppsite direction and the door that wouldnt work was always the one that was more in the sun
I actually think it was George (1Bullitt) who tested it on his car by parking the oppsite direction and the door that wouldnt work was always the one that was more in the sun
10/5/10, 10:20 PM
#9
Legacy TMS Member
Information for yas all:
The three plastic pins (not rollers) inside the gear assembly are strain reliefs. When the outer gear is continued to be torqued, and the inner gear is jammed by the window being up or down... well, without those pins it could be not-nice(tm).
Eventually, though, the stress and age takes its toll and the pins deform/break apart. This is when the clicking is heard as the worm gear driving outer gears are spun about the rest of the gear assembly, then catch again. Whats really notable is the nylon gears themselves are fine, it's the softer plastic inside them that goes first. And they do sell just the pins, but the entire gear assembly is cheap enough.
Worse, when those pins go, the gears will actually jam "lower/higher" than they're intended and bind the entire assembly, as the plastic bits bind and unbind in odd configurations in their little pockets. This is where the Beat-the-door-until-it-works method comes into play, followed by Unmercifully-slamming-the-door-with-ungodly-violence methods, until all too soon the motor is so tired of having to play that game and won't work at all, or the gears are so worn out they won't connect anymore... just click about as the plastic shuffles about in the pockets.
So replace the gears at the first sign of trouble, and the motor may survive for many more years.
In case that helps anyone.
The three plastic pins (not rollers) inside the gear assembly are strain reliefs. When the outer gear is continued to be torqued, and the inner gear is jammed by the window being up or down... well, without those pins it could be not-nice(tm).
Eventually, though, the stress and age takes its toll and the pins deform/break apart. This is when the clicking is heard as the worm gear driving outer gears are spun about the rest of the gear assembly, then catch again. Whats really notable is the nylon gears themselves are fine, it's the softer plastic inside them that goes first. And they do sell just the pins, but the entire gear assembly is cheap enough.
Worse, when those pins go, the gears will actually jam "lower/higher" than they're intended and bind the entire assembly, as the plastic bits bind and unbind in odd configurations in their little pockets. This is where the Beat-the-door-until-it-works method comes into play, followed by Unmercifully-slamming-the-door-with-ungodly-violence methods, until all too soon the motor is so tired of having to play that game and won't work at all, or the gears are so worn out they won't connect anymore... just click about as the plastic shuffles about in the pockets.
So replace the gears at the first sign of trouble, and the motor may survive for many more years.
In case that helps anyone.
10/5/10, 11:08 PM
#10
legacy Tms Member
Information for yas all:
The three plastic pins (not rollers) inside the gear assembly are strain reliefs. When the outer gear is continued to be torqued, and the inner gear is jammed by the window being up or down... well, without those pins it could be not-nice(tm).
Eventually, though, the stress and age takes its toll and the pins deform/break apart. This is when the clicking is heard as the worm gear driving outer gears are spun about the rest of the gear assembly, then catch again. Whats really notable is the nylon gears themselves are fine, it's the softer plastic inside them that goes first. And they do sell just the pins, but the entire gear assembly is cheap enough.
Worse, when those pins go, the gears will actually jam "lower/higher" than they're intended and bind the entire assembly, as the plastic bits bind and unbind in odd configurations in their little pockets. This is where the Beat-the-door-until-it-works method comes into play, followed by Unmercifully-slamming-the-door-with-ungodly-violence methods, until all too soon the motor is so tired of having to play that game and won't work at all, or the gears are so worn out they won't connect anymore... just click about as the plastic shuffles about in the pockets.
So replace the gears at the first sign of trouble, and the motor may survive for many more years.
In case that helps anyone.
The three plastic pins (not rollers) inside the gear assembly are strain reliefs. When the outer gear is continued to be torqued, and the inner gear is jammed by the window being up or down... well, without those pins it could be not-nice(tm).
Eventually, though, the stress and age takes its toll and the pins deform/break apart. This is when the clicking is heard as the worm gear driving outer gears are spun about the rest of the gear assembly, then catch again. Whats really notable is the nylon gears themselves are fine, it's the softer plastic inside them that goes first. And they do sell just the pins, but the entire gear assembly is cheap enough.
Worse, when those pins go, the gears will actually jam "lower/higher" than they're intended and bind the entire assembly, as the plastic bits bind and unbind in odd configurations in their little pockets. This is where the Beat-the-door-until-it-works method comes into play, followed by Unmercifully-slamming-the-door-with-ungodly-violence methods, until all too soon the motor is so tired of having to play that game and won't work at all, or the gears are so worn out they won't connect anymore... just click about as the plastic shuffles about in the pockets.
So replace the gears at the first sign of trouble, and the motor may survive for many more years.
In case that helps anyone.
10/6/10, 12:29 AM
#11
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If it's the plastic bushings, have heard of using similar diameter aluminum rod cut to proper length as a more durable replacement. Just have to be more vigilant in not holding the window switches too long when raising/lowering the windows.
10/6/10, 07:48 PM
#12
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Yeah, the older designs have metal cores in them, but the principle is the same. The '66 motors for my TBird had all metal gears (I think... it's been sooo long), with little springs instead where the pins go. But except for materials, overall, this design hasn't changed in 60 years for Ford window motors.
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