Diagnosis and Part Selection Advice:
How did you know this part needed replacement? Why did you choose a certain brand/part number?
Window slid down by itself when the door was shut. Couldn't raise the window electronically afterwards. It did slide up by hand with out much resistance. This problem can probably happen in reverse (won't go down). It was possible to hear the motor running and eventually the cables binding up.
The root cause of the problem stems from a $2.00 plastic part (regulator lift plate) that gets worn and cracks. The cable will attach to the part, but when pressure is applied, the cable pulls through.
Part Comments
What came in the box? Were additional nuts, bolts, sealant, etc. needed for the repair?
It's a one piece unit as shown in the picture (Includes all cables, guide rails & Motor). Double sided tape was useful to reattach the water/sound shield. Duct Tape is also good to have around.
Repair / Installation tips:
Special tools needed? Have to remove other parts to reach this one? Any left-hand threads, sharp edges, messy fluids or other pitfalls to avoid?
You'll need a Torx T27 screwdriver or socket. This is needed to remove the rails & motor. It was impossible to turn the screwdriver, so I added muscle by putting a socket & wrench on the back end of the screwdriver. Once it broke free (not much pressure, just leverage), it turned easily. I recommend using a socket w/ the right Torx bit. (I'm going to use the money I saved to buy a set for future projects).
Remove the Panel: There is a screws in the door handle, one next to the power window control and one at the front of the window control. Remove them and the power window control. The power window control has two connectors. One of them has a "lock" on it, so remember to slide the lock before trying to pull the connector out. Remove the courtesy light, it prys out easily with a flat screwdriver, and disconnect it. To remove the door panel, there are two screws (possibly hidden in the carpeting) at the base of the panel. Remove them and pull the panel out starting at the base. Once you free up the plastic hold-downs, you can lift the panel straight up (the door lock might get in the way, removing the trim around it makes the removal easier. Then the only things still holding the panel is the door handle control arm. It can be disconnected at the panel, simply disengage and turn the clip outwards. Then pull/slide the arm/bar down.
Next remove the water/sound shield. Be careful it stretches...but it can be loosened generally intact if you take your time. I removed it only on the top and sides, leaving the bottom intact. The only other thing to remove is the speaker in the door. Only one screw to remove. Loose the other two and the speak will slide out.
Time Saver: The books recommend removing the top weather stripping (inner and outer "belt moulding") and then the window. If found it was possible to do the job without removing any of those items. To do so, you will need to dis-engage the clips that hold the window to the "regulator lift plate". They pry out easily with a flatblade screwdriver. To access them through the access holes, you will want to get the window down about half way. To fully disengage the window from the lift plates, you'll need to push the window outward and pull the rail inwards slightly. Once you've done that, slide the window all the way up to it's fully closed position and tape it (duct tape works well). Everything up to the point about the duct tape needs to be done if you're removing the window or not.
Remove the Regulator: Remove/ loosen the rail bolts enough to slide them up out of their keyhole slots. I happened to have on bolt that wasn't made to slide through the hole, so just removed it. Remove the rails before loosening the motor. Tilt the top of one of the rails inward and slide it enough to slip the bottom end out of the access hole. Do the same with the other rail. To install, you'll want to put the top in first then slip the bottom ends in.
The motor is held on with screws and nuts that have rubber bushings on them. To get them out, you may want to grip the "nut" from inside the door panel with a small pair of vise-grips. Remove the three torx screws. You then need to cut a couple of plastic cable hold downs and everything can be removed as a unit.
To put everything together, put the rails in first. It's a tight fit, but you can maneuver them and get them in. I did reuse the bolts that held the original rails. You should put them in place before you position the new rails arms back, but I suspect they can be installed after wards. Then attach the motor...I reused the nuts and rubber bushings.
While you have everything open, you'll want to connect the power window control to the mating plug (Slide it on just enough to make contact). Turn the ignition key on to get power. Run the regulator lift plates up and down. Avoid going all the way up. Bring the plates back down to mid level so that you can access them through the access holes, then slide the window back down. To reattach the window to the plates, you simply push the connector pins on the window through the holes on the lift plates. The clips will spread easily and the window will snap in. You can now test the window travel. Everything should be AOK. At this point, close everything else up in the reverse order.
Total time, about 2-3 hrs. If you're more familiar with the inside of the door, you can do most of this in under an hour.
