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Date:         Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:12:22 -0500
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Power window disaster, help needed!
Comments: To: David M <covrambles@yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To:  <1312156112.2619.YahooMailClassic@web160813.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

I can help, I've gotten into the door a hundred times and if you search the archives I have written in detail about it.

You probably have had the 10mm bolts come out of the window glass holder, or else you are just due a whole new regulator because the cable is broken.

Just so you can get going:

you'll need a phillips head screwdriver and a 10mm wrench for most of the work, and a flat bladed screwdriver with tape around the tip to pry the panel out.

1. Take a thin blade screwdriver and and pop out the insert in the door latch handle. The plastic piece will come out and reveal a screw. Remove it.

2. Take the phillips and remove the two screws holding in the armrest if there is one.

3. Remove the screw(s?) holding on the air duct at the rear lower outside corner.

4. Remove the speaker, keep track of how the wires go.

5. Pry off the panel at the lower outside corner. Then get your hands behind it and rigoursly pop loose each fastener as you come to it.

6. Lower the panel away from the door, then unplug all wiring that links the panel to the door. Remove the panel to a safe place.

7. Remove the vapor barrier plastic and try to keep it in one piece.

8. If the window bolts have fallen out or if the window glass has otherwise come loose, you should be able to fish around the bottom of the door for the missing fasteners and replace them where they bolt the window to the bracket. Or...

9. If it turns out you can use the switch to control the motor, but the raising mechanism doesn't move, probably one of two things have happened:

a) the cable is broken. Buy a new regulator.

b) the small rivet at the bottom of the vertical metal piece has broken, and the cable is slack inside the door. You can remove the motor (email me or call me at 256 426 0558) and frame to fix it, or, as I would suggest if the repair has to wait, just cut or go buy some tapered wooden wedges that you get for shimming doors and the like and raise the window by hand and jam the wedges in with a hammer on the inside of the glass to keep the window up until you can take care of things properly.

If it's the rivet, you can replace it with a screw and nut. If it's the plastic guide that had broken or the cable has broken, you will need a new regulator frame etc. Ouch.

Been there, done all that.

Jim

On Sun, Jul 31, 2011 at 6:48 PM, David M <covrambles@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I could only use my passenger side power window since the drivers side one > sticks and I was worried about it getting stuck in the down position. I've > been using the passenger window which was operating flawlessly. But today > the glass suddenly dropped into the complete down position. You cannot see > any glass except the very top. Operating the passenger side switch I hear > the motor running when the switch is up or down but the window does not > move. I park my van outside and its the rainy season here so I am in deep > sh*t unless I can get this window back up..I've never had the door panel off > before so I have no experience with the window mechanism. > > -David (1987 Wolfsburg) >


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