Mike8675309
Registered User
Last fall my drivers side window motor failed in somewhat typical fasion. Where the motor is still running but the glass isn't. So I took a couple hours and was going to replace the motor pegs with some from an old motor I had. So I pull the motor out, open up the gear assembly and look. The pegs are all there. I grab the gear and try to turn it with my hand and it dosn't budge. I turn the key on and plug the motor in and press the button and the motor moves. WTH?
So I put the motor back together and into the door and now it rolls up my window.? So I button up the door and pull the car out of the garage. Two days later I go to roll the window down and it doesn't come down and the motor sounds like it is running. With no time before winter I just figure I won't use the window.
Last weekend I finally had some time to take a look at what was going on. So I pulled the door panel off and pulled the motor out thinking maybe the gear in the door stripped? Pulled the motor out and tested, key on the gear still turns when running it. But hmmm, that gear looks like some galling on it. So I put a vice grip on the gear and run the motor and what do I know, that gear is really two pieces and one of them is spinning on the shaft.
Now this was a new window motor, but I can't remember where I got it from. I think NAPA. In the past I had received Dorman motors from RockAuto. Luckily I still had an old tired motor that had a good gear and I canabalized the gear from the motor. This gear didn't appear to be 2 pieces.
So the point of this post is a word of warning, some of these window motors may have two piece gears and may not work in place but look like they work when testing. Note this motor had an snap ring retaining the gear to the shaft. The dorman unit I had used an e-clip.
Here is what the assembled gear looks like. Note the signs of galling on the surface under the gear teeth.
IMG_20140705_173906 by mike8675309, on Flickr
Here you can see that this is really two pieces.
Power window motor gear by mike8675309, on Flickr
And here is the problem. They essentially used a round facing on the gear teeth and the coupling below is a hexagonal opening.
Power window gear assembly by mike8675309, on Flickr
It looks like all that they did was press the two parts together during assembly. Eventually the clearance opened up during use and allowed the toothed gear to spin on the shaft.
Power window Gear detail by mike8675309, on Flickr
IMG_20140705_174056 by mike8675309, on Flickr
So I put the motor back together and into the door and now it rolls up my window.? So I button up the door and pull the car out of the garage. Two days later I go to roll the window down and it doesn't come down and the motor sounds like it is running. With no time before winter I just figure I won't use the window.
Last weekend I finally had some time to take a look at what was going on. So I pulled the door panel off and pulled the motor out thinking maybe the gear in the door stripped? Pulled the motor out and tested, key on the gear still turns when running it. But hmmm, that gear looks like some galling on it. So I put a vice grip on the gear and run the motor and what do I know, that gear is really two pieces and one of them is spinning on the shaft.
Now this was a new window motor, but I can't remember where I got it from. I think NAPA. In the past I had received Dorman motors from RockAuto. Luckily I still had an old tired motor that had a good gear and I canabalized the gear from the motor. This gear didn't appear to be 2 pieces.
So the point of this post is a word of warning, some of these window motors may have two piece gears and may not work in place but look like they work when testing. Note this motor had an snap ring retaining the gear to the shaft. The dorman unit I had used an e-clip.
Here is what the assembled gear looks like. Note the signs of galling on the surface under the gear teeth.
IMG_20140705_173906 by mike8675309, on Flickr
Here you can see that this is really two pieces.
Power window motor gear by mike8675309, on Flickr
And here is the problem. They essentially used a round facing on the gear teeth and the coupling below is a hexagonal opening.
Power window gear assembly by mike8675309, on Flickr
It looks like all that they did was press the two parts together during assembly. Eventually the clearance opened up during use and allowed the toothed gear to spin on the shaft.
Power window Gear detail by mike8675309, on Flickr
IMG_20140705_174056 by mike8675309, on Flickr