SN95 Mustang 1994-2004 Mustangs Member Tech & Restoration Discussion

Oh no! My window broke!

Old Oct 4, 2010 | 03:37 PM
  #1  
Ford Ferret's Avatar
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From: Houston
Talking 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; Oct 4, 2010 at 04:20 PM.
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Old Oct 4, 2010 | 04:20 PM
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Blue Notch's Avatar
 
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From: Trapped in Minnesota
Try hitting the door real hard behind the bottom speaker. Your motor is probably going out. Happened to me this past summer.
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Old Oct 4, 2010 | 04:51 PM
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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...
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Old Oct 4, 2010 | 05:03 PM
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From: Trapped in Minnesota
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forum...ndow-help.html
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Old Oct 5, 2010 | 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
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Old Oct 5, 2010 | 03:13 PM
  #6  
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From: Houston
It works now!!! It is possible that it got too hot, because I live in Houston and when it did not work it was outside all day in the heat..
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Old Oct 5, 2010 | 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
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Old Oct 5, 2010 | 08:55 PM
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From: That town you drive through to get to Myrtle Beach
for me, it's only the driver side one that goes out. but not for too long
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Old Oct 5, 2010 | 10:20 PM
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From: Insane
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.
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Old Oct 5, 2010 | 11:08 PM
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Originally Posted by houtex
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.
these must be different than the mark VII...it has a metal hub with 3 metal pins/plastic rollers over, that mesh with 3 notches in the gear that goes around it. never heard them disengage at the stops- motor just stalls hard/lights even dim a bit due to the draw if the cars not running, and when the rollers broke, then it just clicked...looks like a overload type thing, but like I mentioned, on my mark anyways, they stalled full up and full down...locking them didnt seem to change that any, got the car used in '95, both busted that year/replaced with nuts, one still works...the other had to be replaced a couple yrs ago- wouldnt go up/no click- of course on a rainy day at the ATM... had to slam the door while holding switch to get it to go up- stuck/corroded brush in the motor- replaced it with another with nuts in it...not sayin its right, but it works
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Old Oct 6, 2010 | 12:29 AM
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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.
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Old Oct 6, 2010 | 07:48 PM
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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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