need help with power windows

I have a 91 SC with window trouble. Neither window will work on its own. The driver's side will work if you help it with your hand. Both motors run. I am guessing ther is a worn gear in the regulator somewhere. I took off the door panel and noticed the regulator is rivited in so I stopped due to time. Is there something that can be repaired or does the regulator have to be replaced?

it is repairable

I had a guy at the local firestone repair it, took all of 30 min. so like $30 later and a couple screws it was all better. I don't personaly know what he did, but it seemed he just secured something back together that had came loose.

I don't think it's your regulator.
There is a track that the window slides on near the rear of the inside of your door. I have had to replace both sides on mine. They tend to rust out and prevent the window from going up or down. Or your window motors may be getting weak. (If it is the motor, do not buy remanufactured, only a new motor.)

Most times the the culprit turns out to be an easily replaceable component of the motor. There are plastic gears in there that stay locked in place by three nylon "bushings". Sometimes the gears get stripped and more often the nylon bushings disintegrate. They come together as a "gear kit" for about $20-$30. Just remove the three bolts holding the motor to the door, unplug it, and take it out through the speaker hole. Pry open the cover enough so that it can swivel aside, and inspect the inside for broken pieces.

not sayin that this is your problem too.. but i had the same problem and it was a corroded positive wire at my battery, i replaced both wires(posi and negi) and they SHOT up.

just my $.02

As the last post indicated if both your motors run chances are very high the plastic gears are stripped. Mine were like and when I opened it up it look like a mouth full of teeth had been spit into it.

where can I get the rebuild kit for $20-$30?

joe's on the right track.

I don't know if there's a kit.. but what you could do is take the motor out. Remove the gear case cover; shake out all the white crumbly cam parts and clean the housing. Go up to the hardware store and search around for a section of wooden dowel rod or hunk of plastic (PVC?), and cut/form/shape the pieces to fit into the holes. Yet another household use for a Dremel/Wizard.

Ford kit p/n

Here's the part # for the Ford kit: DOAZ-62234A24-B Gear Kit. It is NOT T-Bird specific, but everything in the kit works except the cover and the large gear. The three motors that I have fixed only needed the 3 plastic dowel pieces, but I also replaced the small steel gear that comes in the kit along with the new lube. The kit runs about $25.

Mike

Rick you read my mind. I fixed my nephews with aluminum. Wood dowels WILL NOT HOLD UP. I'm not that proud, in that the safety is gone. I believe the plastic ones are designed to crumble if a childs hand is caught between the glass and window opening. I have replaced these things for years with HELP brand kits, but the source seems to have dried up around here. Last time I was quoted $29 for a kit. I am on the look out for some nice plastic dowel around .460-480 of an inch in diameter. My pass side is chewed up right now and the drivers side glass is loose again. I got some 3500 psi Epoxy that says it's for glass for the drivers window.

These kind of things are why Ford's stock is in the tank. My 1983 T-Bird had this power window failure problem. At least that T-Bird had the glass rivoted to the clips that bolted to the regulator. A $25,000 car that the power windows fail all the time.


Jerry

i know exactly what your problem is......same thing happened to me. Buy some strong epoxy glue, clean out all the broken parts of that plastic gear within the window motor. just carefully squirt the epoxy into that cavity. let it dry and it will work wonderfully. epoxy will last along time, much longer than any little plastic gear.

I have had used the rollers out of an old wheel bearing and I have also used valve stem caps from the tires and also spray heads off of an old paint can. I saw the help kit at Autozone the other day I did not check the price tho. It is a very easy fix just use some grease on the gear not in the cavity where the caps are as it will allow the caps to slip