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For those with Window Problems...

65K views 47 replies 22 participants last post by  jamephan 
#1 ·
I just wanted to thank anyone who posted about repairing the window motor by simply cleaning it out and to let everyone else know that, for me, that method worked.

It took about an hour, but it saved me the cost of the new window motor and possibly the installation.

I took the door panel off and apart using the directions and instructions on the site and in a post, and then removed the cap from the motor. I then removed the internal part, cleaned off all the carbon residue and put everything back together. Before this, my window would not work most of the time... and banging the door sometimes resulted in the use of the window for a bit...

Now the window works again every time.

Thanks everyone!

CK

Update: After a few weeks the problems have resurfaced...
Here is a great HOW TO article written by SmoothZ for taking everything apart and getting at the motor.

http://www.350z-tech.com/forums/index.php?...c=37708&hl=
 
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#27 ·
QUOTE (island03z @ Sep 2 2009, 01:53 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=582911
Someone needs to build a brushless motor that will work with this...the problem in the window is the brushes wear down and the carbon gets into everything
I had a 1988 300ZX prior to my 350 - I was the second owner and the original owner had every single service receipt - even things like "I hear wind noise" and the dealer would touch up the weatherstripping or whatever (they must have LOVED her!) Anyway, I sold that car in '03 with 165,000 miles on it. Both window motors were original and worked. That is 16 years. Nothing wrong with those motors and I am sure they had brushes. I firmly believe that some of the window motors in the earlier 350's were just plain garbage; my driver side failed at 2 years although the passenger side is still the original.
And what I really wish is that Nissan had designed the reset button so you did not have to remove the door liner - I have had that problem twice on the passenger side, and for now, I am just putting up with it backing down on auto-up by avoiding use of the auto up function. Still, annoying!! :banghead:
 
#28 ·
I do this maintenance yesterday, cleaned with WD40, air compressor and a brush.
The hard part was to reensamble window motor. and there was noticeable speed on operation.

I suggest to do a proper clean and re-regrease on rails.
There is a faulty rail that marks the window every time when operate and i put a soft pad on the top of the front rail.

I´m glad that this community help us to get most of our nissan and to save a lot of money.
 
#30 ·
Time to buy a new one. It's typically around $130 from any major auto parts store. Mine came with a limited lifetime warranty. I kept the receipt. Window works like a charm now.
 
#31 ·
Window issue

Hey guys, brand new to the forum... I am a new owner of a 2004 350z, my issue im having is that my passenger side window is now rolling up or down... I click on the drivers side button to roll down the passenger side and i hear clicks but nothing happens... im not very hands on or technical when it comes to fixing automotive stuff so basic terminology when answering this issue would be much appreciated, Im thinking maybe taking the door panel off and possibly just doing what everyone else has been saying works which is to clean the motor or something like that... any suggestions
 
#32 ·
You can do that but your motor is gone IMO. What you could do is I'd buy a new one and replace it and then see if you can clean up the old one to have a spare for when the new one breaks :)

I just replaced both the passenger and driver motors in my own Z after the passenger failed.
 
#33 ·
Hey.

Both my drivers and passenger side windows both stopped working today - same issue as above with lots of clicking but no action up or down. Problem is, both windows were completely down when they stopped working. So, spent a few hours tonight pulling the drivers door to pieces, pulled the top off the motor and manually cranked the motor to get the window in some sort of 'up' position, and going to do the passenger side tomorrow.

Aust350Z - How much were the replacement motors for both doors and where did you get them from? I'm assuming you did the install yourself?? Before today I felt like the door was a bit of mystery to me but now I feel like i know it back to front after spending so much time with it in pieces!!!

Scott.
 
#35 · (Edited)
Hey,

The first time I did it it took over 2.5 hours to do the drivers side door. This was in a totally cramped environment (my garage is quite small), no prior knowledge of pulling doors / electric motors apart and a massively clueless assistant (my wife). After the 2 or 3 times we've pulled them apart and put them back together again Abby and I can now get the job done in well under an hour! :)

If you have literally ZERO mechanical 'experience' then it may be best to have someone who is confident taking things apart and putting them back together to give you a hand - however it is reasonably straight forward. If you have any issues or questions post them up here and I'll have a crack at answering them.

To answer my own question from above for anyone who's interested - looks like I'll most likely be getting my replacement motors from West Covina Nissan through eBay if shipping to Australia isn't prohibitively expensive....Nissan Australia wants ~$700AUD each for the window motors so ~$1400AUD all up! Rediculous!!!

Scott
 
#36 ·
Door Window has no function

HeyGuys,
I have a 2003 350Z and the driverside window just went out. It was intermitten at first which suggested a bad connection in the wire harness, but after reading all the trouble of everyone's motor going out, I am not so sure now. What I do need though is anyone got a diagram on how to get the window/door disassembled with the window in the up position? I got all the inside panel bolts out and shes real tight still. I do not understand why someone doesnt design a friggin door so as to get to the motor without taken the whole friggin door apart!!!! Anyway, can anyone help me out, it would be greatly appreciated?
Thanks
Oh yeah, which wires on the back of the switch module/harness directly drives the driver's side window....
Thanks again...
 
#37 ·
Keep trying. IIRC, my window was in the up position when I took everything apart. Just watch what you're doing closely so you know how everything comes apart and goes back together.
 
#38 ·
ibldem - I don't think I understand your question. Is your window in the up position right now or down? If you need to disassemble your door and keep the window up then just use some duct tape to tape the window in position for when you pull the door apart?

Update for my situation - I've ordered 2 new motors from a US based Nissan dealer - $380AUD all up including shipping. Way better than the $1400 that Nissan AU quoted. Waiting for them to come in the mail!

Scott.
 
#39 ·
Hello, newly registered to this forum but have learned from it in the past.

My lady's Z driver window is doing the occasional no-go-down stuff. I found, similar to what I have seen here: that if I push down on the window about a quarter inch, to take out the slack in the system - the window will operate.
Because the window is not dropping far enough, which is probably too much drag in the regulator cables and slides, some switch in the system is not closing. Pushing down on the window causes this switch to close.
When it is working, it works great. That tells me my motor is OK.
The sticky regulator (replaced 2-3 years ago) could be cleaned and re-lubed (What kind of lube should I use?)
Or do I need to replace one or the other? Which has the switch? (Duh, the one with the wires...)
How far down is the window really supposed to drop?
Thanks.
John
 
#40 ·
Well, I did another exploratory surgery yesterday.
Decided the regulator was not 'broken' and is as well lubed better than I would get it if I were to replace all of the existing lube.
Pulled out the motor and disassembled it for clean-up. Quite a bit of carbon dust, and the armature was somewhat blackened. Blocked the worm-hole and blew off the brush assembly. Polished the armature with a strip of emery cloth, making it shine.
After reassembly, it is working like a charm.
Before the clean-up, I had moved things enough I had to reset the stop position. I could not get it to set correctly. The window kept wanting to stop 4-5 " down, could not even get it to go all the way up anymore. (This is the point where exploration became surgery.) After the cleanup, it set easily on the first try.

The window still does no more than 1-2 mm's drop when the door switch is released, but it is enough to clear the roof overhang. Gravity is just not pulling hard enough on it. Again I ask, How far down is the window really supposed to drop?

I have now entered this into the phone calendar to repeat the clean-up on a yearly schedule. This Z window is so easy to pull, and I still have some un-broken panel clips left, so we are OK.

John
 
#41 ·
Hi powdrhound/John,

Today I took apart my entire driver's side door assembly to try and fix the problem with my window. I'm basically having the exact same issue. (Although my window rolls up and down without issue, when I open the door the window does not crack like it should! Assuming this is a combination of the motor loosening up the cables and gravity doing it's thing, the problem should be elementary to resolve, note that I can hear the motor work when I depress the switch used when the door is closed/open to trigger the window).

To answer your question: According to the factory repair manual, the window should drop 10mm upon opening the door. The manual I'm using is for a 2006 350Z. I'm not sure if there is a difference between the 03-05 and 07-09s.

Steps I took:

1) Removed the door finisher
2) Removed the entire window from the door.
3) Removed the panel with the regulator and motor installed on it.
4) Cleaned all the window tracks in the door with some Lexol Vinylex(This stuff is great for keeping rubber, plastics, and vinyl clean, moist and supple)
5) Cleaned the railings for the regulator.
6) Lubricated all the railings and window tracks with a dry lubricant. Note you should not use heavy duty greases! A dry lubricant is best so dust/dirt does not stick to it. WD40 is too thin for this application, you WILL burn your motor out if you use this due to insufficient lubcrication and added friction. This stuff is really best used for initial cleanings and removing sticky bolts and such. I used a combination of liquid wrench dry lubricant and Finish Line bike chain grease(Also a dry lubcricant almost like a pasty wax when it drys). I would have preferred to use Silicon based grease since this looks to be what the factory is using, but I didn't have any on hand.
7) Cleaned the window.
8) Re-installed the regulator/motor panel.
9) Re-installed the window.
10) Tested and did final adjustments on the window bolts.
11) Re-installed the door finisher.

I spent about 2.5 hours(start to finish) and Although I was able to resolve some of the creeks my window was making and a few other problems I noticed while I was taking the door apart. The window is still not dropping the 10mm it's supposed to. The door rolls up a little faster now and it's much quieter.

I believe the root cause might be the felt pads that help guide the window on it's tracks and prevent wobbling when opening/closing the door. One of them appears to be adjustable(The one mounted on the regulator panel). I'm going to try cleaning it and adjusting it. I also forgot about the window position reset switch procedure. I'll try that as well. Worst case scenario my regulator cabling just might have stretched over time and that could be the issue. Either way this is going to take more time to do in depth troubleshooting than I had time for today. Perhaps tomorrow I can make some more progress.

Good luck!
-Icer
 
#42 ·
Follow-up to my last post.

I did more work on my window motor/regulator on Sunday(25th).

I discovered that the root cause of the binding was due to the steel cable winding through the regulator guide tubes and pulleys. There's 5 points where the cable makes 90+ degree turns. Four of these points are running through pulleys, however the 5th is just a plastic corner with a guide groove cut into it, this corner causes much of the friction on the cable. However the majority of the friction is caused by the guide tubing. Any dirt or dust that accumulates on the cable gets pushed through these tubes and collects inside of them. I've found the best way to deal with this is cleaning the cable and guide tubing using a strong solvent that will remove any grease/debris on the cable without damaging the plastic tubing(Mass air flow sensor cleaner works great and I'm sure carb. cleaner will do the trick as well). Then follow up with some liquid graphite in all the guide tubing. Do NOT use grease on the cable! If you plan on cleaning and re-greasing the guide rails that house the window mount platforms, be sure to keep it off the cable!

Tips:
1) For ease of cleaning the tubing and cable/rails. Remove the window motor from the main regulator plate and then remount the main pulley housing. This will allow you to slide the window mount plates up and down their tracks by hand for a thorough cleaning/re-greasing. It will also give you a good idea of how much friction you are dealing with and where it's centralized.

2) I bought some white lithium based grease for the slide rails/tracks(Can be found at just about any auto parts store). This grease is actually recommended for window regulators, but it's fairly thick. Be extremely careful not to get it on the cable near the guide tubes. I think using Silicone grease is probably still the better option.

3) While you're cleaning your regulator. I recommend pulling the electric motor apart and cleaning up the brushes and armature. Lightly sand the copper contacts on the armature where the brushes make contact. It also wouldn't hurt to add a little grease on the worm screw and back of the motor shaft where it meets up with the bushing inside the motor housing. (I think it's odd that this motor doesn't have any bearings installed around either end of the shaft). Note that it's a little tricky re-installing the armature. The brushes will need to be held back while you reinsert the armature. There's small holes where you can insert a needle to prevent the brushes from pushing back out. Push one of the brushes in their housing while looking down in the holes. You will see the spring arm moving in there, insert a needle or toothpick between the housing and spring arm. This will keep the brush in place until after you re-install the motor armature. If anyone knows of an easier way or doing this, please let me know.

That about covers it!
-Icer
 
#44 ·
I used that part # and it burnt out 2 months later...

I've read that the regulator has an adjustable guider and I'm betting that it is pushing too hard on the glass, but there is no way to know that is the case, or if I just got a bad motor. I will put in a warranty claim and adjust the regulator guide upon the next install. But after reading all of the "my window's ******" threads idk what to expect.

When I bought the car the problem was intermittent, I thought no big deal, I can replace a window motor (I'm a motorcycle mechanic) but the intermittent problems came back shortly after replacement, and to say the least I am a bit wary of a new motor alone doing any better...

If anyone has had similar issues I'm open to suggestions.

Problems:

Sporadic auto-down after auto up function.
Slow upward movement.
Down all the way - no back up unless panel removed and I assist with a pull.

Now it's fully non-functional just like the last motor. Something wonky with the regulator? Switch is clicking and doing it's thing but I've got no movement at all anymore.
 
#47 ·
I was lucky when my drivers side motor failed after I'd had the car for about 6 weeks but luckily i got it replaced under warranty. Two years ago my passenger motor started to fail and there was no way i was paying the price that my Nissan Stealership wanted. I'd read about everyone stripping their motors only to find that a few weeks later they failed again.
The way that i fixed mine (like i said 2 years ago and still perfect) was to replace the brushes as it seemed to me that these are the weak link in these motors. There are a couple of places where you can buy replacement brushes and for no more than $15 which to me seems like a bargain when faced with bills of over a hundred bucks. One of the places is Maplins, the other is Radioshack. They can also be bought from Eurton Electric Company part number; 22217140 and cost @$7/pair. Reedy Serrated Brushes. Part number; 767 and cost @ $8 pair. There is a small amount of adjustment that needs to be made with a Swiss file but other than that they fit like a glove and I've had no trouble since. I hope this is of some help.
 
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