Bunker82

Looks like I am up for the job that makes every 3rd gen owner smile with glee ...power window motor replacement! Wee! Can't wait for the bloodshed and violent outbursts!

Today I tried using Vader's advice and changed the brushes. That was no walk in the park for anyone contemplating that route. There is almost no room to get at those metal tabs, and of course the side with two tabs is not visible. Cutting myself doing that for a few hours, and making brushes for a few more hours resulted in my motor actually working worse than before. It was worth a try though. I did clean the tracks and lube them a bit while I was in there to no avail.

Anyway now my only option is to replace the motor. I have limited tools and would only be working in the apartment parking lot. Looking over old posts I like the somewhat unpopular method of cutting some access holes in the inner door so I can just remove the motor and not the whole motor/regulator assembly. But I did not find a definative answer on the whole falling 100lb piece of glass, or that spring that is a trip to the emergency room waiting to happen. To those who have removed the motor in the way I am thinking of, how do you do it safely?

Danno

My advise after doing a few is unless you have someone with experience helping you don't attempt it. The glass should be up to relieve pressure on the spring, that's the danger. You need to wedge the glass so it is up then drill out the rivets. They are large rivets and unless you plan on pulling the door panel every so often to tighten the bolts they supply get it riveted back. My experience is that if you have the door panel off and it's ready to go most body shops will charge as little as $25 bucks to yank the old one and install the new one. Find a guy who has a slow day and get it done. It is not a job for a parking lot.