Dodge non power window question

[shadowwalker_02]

The problem I am having is that, the drivers side window will not roll up or down. When you try to roll up or down it occasionally makes a metal on metal grinding sound. I do not have power windows, there plain jane manual powered.

I have searched the dodge forums and have found many issues with power windows but not any issues with non power windows. I did take the door panel off but other than some nicks and scratches on the metal plate inside the door, i see nothing.

Does anyone know something that might solve this? Anyone had this issue before? The truck is a 2003 dodge 1500 shortbed.

I want to go back to driving my truck and not some speed bump looking mazda!

 

[diesel4me]

Most manual windows have a set of gears inside the housing where the crank goes onto the splined shaft(if your lucky it might just be the splines are stripped in the crank handle).....the crank,splines or the gears can strip after years of use,especially if you forced the window up or down in winter or it dragged on the weatherstripping...best bet is to either get that gear housing from a junkyard donor or take yours apart and put used gears in it if you dont feel like taking the whole window mechanism apart..

We used to replace the gears in them at the junkyard for customers,you have to drill a few rivets out to get the case apart,then you can put in some used ones from a donor...on cars we often used ones off a rear door,the gears were the same,and the rear windows usually get little use,so they were in nice condition...

 

[shadowwalker_02]

Yeah I was afraid of that. The splines that the handle slide onto aren't damaged, neither is the plastic hand crank.

Thanks for the reply diesel.

 

[diesel4me]

Though I haven't done it to a dodge truck,I assume the setup is similar to the many car ones I did...its not all that bad a job to drill the rivets out and put used gears in really,I used pop rivets to re-assemble them,but small nuts and bolts can be used also,its just more difficult to get the nuts on the bolts...the gears from the passenger side usually have much less use and wear on them,so if you go boneyard shopping,I'd get them from that side for that reason...a dealer may still be able to order those parts also,try one first,they may not cost all that much like you think they would...

On my trucks,I usually just bolt another DOOR on,they are usually rotted to badly to pass inspection by the time the windows wont roll up or down any more!...easier than fixing one!..