Date:         Fri, 17 Sep 1999 23:00:36 EDT
Reply-To:     PaoloD1455@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Paolo Damiani <PaoloD1455@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Driver's Side Electric Window
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

In a message dated 9/17/99 9:53:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
Allen.McCarter@QUANTUM.COM writes:

> I have a 1990 Carat.  The driver's side electric window is "kaput".  I took
>  the door panel off and found a dangling plastic part, which was attached to
>  a steel cable.  I guess the steel cable was part of a pulley system that
>  raised and lowered the window.  Something broke and I not sure where that
>  piece was originally attached to.

Just happened to me. I have an 89 Carat. The design of this system is
somewhat disappointing. The nylon top "pulley channel" simply tore, the cable
pulled through it, and the window dropped four inches.

>  1.      Can someone teach me how to start to fix my window?

You will need a new regulator. The guys at the Bus Depot said it was a dealer
only part. I went for the aftermarket version sold by Ken Wilford at
Vanagain. It's more conventional than the cable system, (looks kind of like
the hand crank system but with a motor on the end), but requires you to
relocate your motor to the top of the door. I went with this on the premise
that it should be more reliable.

>  2.      Will it be an easy fix?

Not bad. It takes some patience to "thread" the assembly into the door. It
requires the removal of the track and motor. Five bolt or nuts for the
regulator and track depending on the motor. Then two more bolts which mount
the window to the track.

>  3.      What parts do I need?

I don't know if you can only get the regulator. If your motor's OK, it might
save you some bucks, but maybe not, if the regulator is a dealer only part.
The unit I bought contains all the mechanicals and the motor as one assembly.
I feel that the stock regulator is doomed to failure.

>  4.      Other than the dealer, where can I get Vanagon parts at a
reasonable
>  cost?

As stated above, Vanagain has the nondealer part. About 150 USD. Other parts
are available from Ken or the Bus Depot. There are other list friendly
vendors which might make more sense to use depending on your location, but
these guys have been great for me (I'm in Jersey, above water and dry thank
God!!)

>  5.      Are special tools required to fix the window mechanism?

No. patience and the appropriate socket or wrench (I think it's a 10 mm for
the bolts).

>  6.      Where can I get a schematic of the door showing how the electric
>  window is assembled?

Both the Haynes and Bentley books have this, but it's not essential. Just
mark all the connections you remove from the harness so you'll know which
goes with which. You'll probably need a bunch of cable ties to re-secure the
harness out of the way of the window's "trajectory" in the door (VERY
IMPORTANT). I snipped all the original ties to get the harness out of the way
for the installation. Don't forget to replace the vapor barrier. I
"fabricated" a new one out of Contact Paper.

Good luck,

Paolo
89 Carat E'spec'd 152K