Power Window Problems

Bill Carden

Registered User
Does anyone know where I can find some info for working on the power windows? My driver's side glass keeps sticking, and has fallen out of the track twice ( a real pain at 75 mph). Thanks!
 
Does yours stick at about halfway down, go real slow for a few inches and then pick back up to normal speed? That's what mine is doing. Almost like the curve in the window is pressing against something until it goes down more and the pressure is off. Previous owner said that Ford claims everything works fine, and had no explanation for it. Pass. side if fine.
 
Power windows

Mine goes down about half way, then stops. It will go back up (usually) with difficulty until it is near the top, then goes the rest of the way just fine
 
What year is yours? I'm looking at TSB's for the 91's and there are a couple of mentions about the windows:

TSB's

Look at #29 & 92, also 34


Sounds like a slider inside the track on yours may have broken and the peg on the lifting arm is popping in and out, but I'm not familiar with the TBird PW's. Surely it's about the same as others. You would be able to see it if you watched it with the door panel off. I'm going to try shooting some lubricant in mine to see if that helps, but I'm not sure that's the problem.
 
Have you checked the condition of the track?
The lower half (of usually the rear track), will tend to rust and swell, thereby causing the window to stick. I've had to replace mine twice on the drivers side and once on the passenger side.
I've also had to replace the power window motors on both sides because they just get tired over time and can't handle the weight of the window. If it is the motors, save yourself some aggravation and buy only new, not remanufactured.
 
Power windows

My SC is a '95, but I would like to find out where the TSBs are so I can have a look. The motors seem to be fine, because the glass goes up pretty quickly when it's not stuck. It seems like the track is a good place to look; I'll pull the inner panel off (again) and try to get a better understanding of what's going on in there. Any source for pictures/diagrams would be appreciated!
 
HOLY COW HAVE I GOT YOU GUYS COVERED ON THIS ONE. It's a long post, but trust me, read this. This is all from experience.

#1 The rear window track rots out quite easily. I paid $35.00 for a new one from the dealer. Two bolts hold this in, it's pretty easy to change.

#2. The inner and outer weather strips were "felt" coated from the factory. Inspect them...if the felt is gone, you will have nothing left but rubber. In essence, you have a big giant squeege that causes the window to drag when you put it down. I replaced both of mine and it cost me about $200.00 (Ouch.)

#3 Spray silicone lube on the front track where it goes down inside the door. You will need a straw on the aeresol can to do this, but use plenty. This is easily done with the glass out and eliminated that halfway down slowing you guys mentioned.

#4 Do not take your window to a glass shop to have the clips glued back on. I have done this numerous times at 20 bucks a pop only to have it fail again. The tried clear urethane glue and also a two part black gook they needed to heat to use. Use JB WELD STEEL!

I mixed up some JB weld and glued the clips on (I made sure that they were very clean first) . I assembled it, then put the window up and left it for 2 days. It's just like new now, and the JB weld has never let me down.
 
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Power windows

Thanks for the help with the window problems! I will get some fresh JB Weld today, and attack those glass tracks.
 
Thanks for the advice from me too. I'll give it a shot and see what happens. My window's getting slower and slower. Don't want to burn out the motor.
 
It's not the tracks!

Well, I dis-assembled the door, and the tracks are fine. It looks like one of the bars that lifts the glass is bent (one half of the "scissors" type bars). I'm not sure if both of these are supposed to be perfectly straight, so I'll take apart the other door tomorrow and check it out. I'm still looking for any info about how these things work...
 
Hey bill. While you have it all apart, pull the out side window seal off (it just lifts up and out) and see if it helps. The big gear part turned by the motor is called the regulator. Feel around on it for any broken teeth and lube it with some white grease. You could also lube the sliders with white grease to help them out.
The window seal when it looses the felt can really cause a lot of drag.
Hope this helps.
 
Power window probs (a bit long)

I have taken it apart again, and have traced the problem to the regulator gear. It seems, after looking at the other (functioning) window mechanism, that the gear has somehow come loose from the scissors bar attached to it. It hasn't come off, but it is no longer solidly attached, and flops back and forth on the gear. This keeps the window from raising evenly, and causes the binding I'm experiencing. I will try to re-attach it; anybody know what it should cost to replace the mechanism? Thanks to all!
 
TbirdSCFan said:
Hey bill. While you have it all apart, pull the out side window seal off (it just lifts up and out) and see if it helps. The big gear part turned by the motor is called the regulator. Feel around on it for any broken teeth and lube it with some white grease. You could also lube the sliders with white grease to help them out.
The window seal when it looses the felt can really cause a lot of drag.
Hope this helps.


Other Bill jumping in. I had mine apart, and I was thinking something like that, but didn't think to check the felt. That is just what it seems like though. Almost like the window is rubbing on rubber, and it's getting worse. Greased everything I could find. Ran the window up and down trying to figure it out...until I killed the battery :rolleyes: I'm thinking this is it. Especially since it's the driver's side only, which makes sense, since it would've gotten used more and worn the felt. I'll check that next.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions!
 
You are a genius! That's it. The "felt" on the inside is worn off and it's kind of squeegie'ing the window when rolled down. You can see it bunch up. That also explains why it only does it on the way down and not on the way up. I'll have to see if you can put one on the door panel side, anyone know off hand? I'll have to take the panel off again and see. Now I need to find one of these and get it on there.

Big Thanks!
 
Everytime I washed my car or it was wet, the window worked great. When it was dry, it would drag. That is how I traced the problem to the felt being gone.
Once you have the door panel off, the inside weather strip just lifts off.
The outer one is a bit more tricky. There is a small screw that goes from the inside of the door into the outer weatherstrip. Remove the screw and it too lifts off. Be carefull with this one, it bends easily and it's game over if you bend it.
The new "outer one" had updated clips to go on the door. It seems better.

Part #'s are
E9SZ-6321453-A 69.57
F0SZ-6321457-A 51.35

Rear window track, drivers
F2SZ-63222A01-A 30.12
From my dealer.
 
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A bit old, but fits here;

I've a window question which fits in this thread. It seems my drivers side window, and every once in a while the passenger to a lesser extent, will "hop" as its being rolled up when nearing the final few inches. The drivers side front section will actually stop momentarily about 2 inches down from the top of the door frame, leaving the back side to hop out of the frame until the entire window is forced up by the motor. Thus far this has not worsened, but I can see the back side of the window coming out of the door from from whatever holds it.

Anyone had this happen and have an idea to the problems origin?
 
Yes...I have a fix for this too....my Ranger has given me this trouble.
The rubber seals are drying out. I use silicone spray lubricant (aerosol can) with a straw for precise application.
Remove the door panel from the car. This is fairly simple.
Remove the inner trim rubber that sits along the window. It just lifts off gently.
If you still have the plastic covering the door, you will have to remove it.....Duct tape will put these back on, but I just remove mine....I don't notice any more road noise with or without it. These things are a pain in the a** to try and re-use.

With your window up, grab a flashlight and look around in there. You should see the front and rear window tracks (vertical) where the window travels up and down in.
Give them a good soaker of silicone spray. Put the straw in between the two pcs of rubber and spray. Start at the top and let it run down inside.
Operate the window a few times to distribute the lubricant.
I usually do this to the whole seal around the whole window.
Silicine spray is clear, and not really messey, though it smells a little.

This should have you fixed up.

P.S. Upon reading this again it sounds like maybe your glass has come unglued from the retaining clips that bolt onto the window regulator.

If this is the case, remove the door skin and put the window down about halfway. There are two 11mm nuts that you will be able to access through the holes in the sheet metal of the inner door. Tilt the back of the glass up and you can pull the glass right out of the door. Careful if you have tinted windows.
Clean the clips up really good with a knife or screwdriver. They must be clean! Use a good shop light to verify. You should see on the glass where the clips were....mark this with a sharpie or other permanent marker. Scuff the area with emery cloth to give the new adhesive somthing to stick to.
Ford uses a urethane......It fails......auto glass shops use a black heated type glue....it's better but it too fails. I mixed up JB weld as an experiment. I applied some to the glass and clips. I put the clips on the glass, gently installed the window, then put it all the way up and left it for 24 hours. That was a year and a half ago and it's still holding great!!!
Don't forget to lube the tracks with silicone spray to keep the glass sliding smoothly in the tracks and replace the weather stripping if the felt has worn off.

Later
Rick

Ciao.
 
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With some of these problems you guys will find that the 3 white cyclender looking plastic things that goes in the gear of the motor. Easy to take out, if they are broke or distorted at all this will cause your window to move fast and slow or pulsesate on the way down. Last time I went to bone yard I picked up a bunch of good ones or they now sell them in the help sections at the auto parts stores. Some of my windows were doing this and I lubed everything and still it was slow so I poped out the motor to find that the plastic things were broke. It worked like a new car after that.
 
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