Rear electric window problems?

[nsxxtreme]

Have an 87 blazer with an electric window. I'd like to be able open my rear tailgate.

I have purchased new rails for the window to slide on because the old ones were dust. I purchased new seals at the top of the window for the same reason.

I purchased a new cable and a remanufactured motor.

Did these things ever actually work reliably or did you have to say a prayer and hope your window opened?

So the issue I have is the motor doesn't seem to have enough power to even budge the window even an inch. It barely tries then gives up its pathetic. I can connect my cordless drill to it with the clutch setting on 6 (out of 30) and drive the window up and down all day long.

The only thing I haven't done is connect a wire straight from the battery back to the motor to see if the issue is the craptastic 80's American wiring job. Has anyone else battled their back electric window and have any suggestions?

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

Quite a few threads on this topic. Connect a battery right near the motor, and see if it flies up and down, if so, upgrade the wire to a bigger gauge, and if you do all that work, put in a relay as well. The problem is you have a relatively small gauge wire for that span, running through a switch to boot. You replace your switch as well when you did all that work? Switch could be done. Better wire, relay makes a world 'o difference.

 

[nsxxtreme]

Quite a few threads on this topic. Connect a battery right near the motor, and see if it flies up and down, if so, upgrade the wire to a bigger gauge, and if you do all that work, put in a relay as well. The problem is you have a relatively small gauge wire for that span, running through a switch to boot. You replace your switch as well when you did all that work? Switch could be done. Better wire, relay makes a world 'o difference.

No I didn't replace the switch.

I'll try running a larger guage wire. What guage is everyone having success with? I ran a + wire straight from the battery to the motor and same problem. Wasn't a large guage wire though same size as stock.

If a heavy guage wire will do it I'll be happy. but I have my doubts, that motor is pathetically weak for its size.

 

[nsxxtreme]

Ok I just went out and ran 12 guage power and ground straight from the battery back to the motor. Its a no go.

I guess I have 2 options I paid $120 for this remanufactured window motor from autopartswarehouse. I intend to return it.

I can either buy this time a NEW motor for $130 or go buy a cheap ass cordless 12V drill from harbor frieght and take it apart and strap the dang thing inside the rear door. It truely is sad because I can grab the drill with the clutch on 6 and its a fairly weak torque.

 

[KansasTwister]

sounds like a bad motor. You messed up when you fixed your seals. With a reman motor and old worn out falling off seals and some good amounts of grease my window flys up the track! You can hear it stop!


Only kidding of course, i intend to replace the seals on mine as money allows. The idea of using a drill is a good one, only thing Id worry about is sending it up too fast and blowing the window out.

 

[Fordum]

Well, the window worked originally, so it sounds like you either got the wrong motor, or a bad one.
Getting a motor that fits but is wrong seems unlikely, so its probably bad.
However, if you want to try something first.....

When they rebuild those motors, they usually put in new bushings, and brushes. The bushings are tight, and the brushes probably don't conform to the commutator yet.

Try hooking power to it with no load. Just in your hand, and let it run. See if it gets faster as things wear in.
BTW, I have not worked on one of those, but I have heard that they are wired differently from side window motors.
The side window motors have both legs of the motor coming out as wires.
You hook positive to one, and negative to the other.

Supposedly, on that motor, the two wires are for forward and reverse with both of them common to the case.
So, you hook power to one wire and ground to the case. Not one leg to each wire.

Not 100% sure of that, nor of how you hooked power to it. Just wanted to toss that in.

But, I would try running it in first before I took it back just to see.

 

[nsxxtreme]

Well, the window worked originally, so it sounds like you either got the wrong motor, or a bad one.
Getting a motor that fits but is wrong seems unlikely, so its probably bad.
However, if you want to try something first.....

When they rebuild those motors, they usually put in new bushings, and brushes. The bushings are tight, and the brushes probably don't conform to the commutator yet.

Try hooking power to it with no load. Just in your hand, and let it run. See if it gets faster as things wear in.
BTW, I have not worked on one of those, but I have heard that they are wired differently from side window motors.
The side window motors have both legs of the motor coming out as wires.
You hook positive to one, and negative to the other.

Supposedly, on that motor, the two wires are for forward and reverse with both of them common to the case.
So, you hook power to one wire and ground to the case. Not one leg to each wire.

Not 100% sure of that, nor of how you hooked power to it. Just wanted to toss that in.

But, I would try running it in first before I took it back just to see.

Yes I did all that even torn the dang thing apart shhhhhh.......

The brushes looked old for $120 it looks like they just clean up the contacts on the armature. I ran it for a while with no load and it picked up speed after a while. I even tried starting the car to give it the 2 extra volts. The thing just doesn't have enough power to budge the window. The thing sparks pretty good when you hook it up. I haven't measured the current its using. What's hard for me to imagine is that is doesn't have more power then my cordless drill with the clutch on 6 that just blows my mind. I wish I had a torque guage.

I think I'm going to go to harbor frieght see if I can pick up a hand held straight drill and strap it to the inside of the door panel. I really don't care how fast it goes up and down just that it goes up and down.

I'm a little worried to spend $130 on a new motor and wind up with the same issue. I'd have to order that from LMC and I dont know much about their return policy.

 

[nsxxtreme]

The idea of using a drill is a good one, only thing Id worry about is sending it up too fast and blowing the window out.

Most of the cordless drills have clutches in them I'd set it such that it would stop when the window reached the top.

I'm thinking something like this http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00911779000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

with a keyless chuck

sounds like a bad motor. You messed up when you fixed your seals. With a reman motor and old worn out falling off seals and some good amounts of grease my window flys up the track! You can hear it stop!

What the heck did you grease??????? The window slides up and down a track with felt liner.

 

[VitaminC]

If you do that with the drill man I wanna see pics and a build thread. Sounds like an awesome idea. I even have an old chicago tools (hf) drill motor lying around, and it does have a clutch.

I see a trend coming. From manual to rear windows hf powered... Cool idea

 

[gotblazers]

While we are on this swap. I reallllly want to swap my 91 suburbans power window over to manual but i cant find any information on the swap which either means im the first person to want to do it or its so simple noone has ever been retarded enough to ask. Either way i should be the first at something . Anybody got a good URL with some info to help me get this done?

 

[VitaminC]

While we are on this swap. I reallllly want to swap my 91 suburbans power window over to manual but i cant find any information on the swap which either means im the first person to want to do it or its so simple noone has ever been retarded enough to ask. Either way i should be the first at something . Anybody got a good URL with some info to help me get this done?

I don't have any info on that swap... I can say my drive gear or receptive gears are worn in my manual, and it is a major PITA to deal with. On top of it I'm spoiled with my gf 4runner. Hitting that switch on hers is orgasmic

 

[VitaminC]

Talking about the rear window of course

 

[lectric80]

While we are on this swap. I reallllly want to swap my 91 suburbans power window over to manual but i cant find any information on the swap which either means im the first person to want to do it or its so simple noone has ever been retarded enough to ask. Either way i should be the first at something . Anybody got a good URL with some info to help me get this done?

I will go with the part in red there. That conversion is simple enough, disconnect 4 bolts at bottom of window and slide rollers out of tracks. Slide and support the rear window all the way out. Remove regulator (3 bolts), motor, outside handle, and you are almost done. Install outside crank handle, manual regulator, then slide the window down and reconnect the tracks to the rollers and bolt it all back together. That's it for the conversion, it is really only a different regulator and outside handle.

As to the original poster, the new motors will be much stronger. It sounds like the 'rebuild' was pretty much just spraying it clean and hoping it works. I have seen this far too often, get your money back, then order a new window motor.

 

[Fordum]

Anybody got any pictures of one of these motors?
I work with small DC motors from time to time, and I might know where a stronger one is that would fit.

If there is room, a windshield wiper motor would work great. I have built anchor winches for river boats out of them.
The cool part of using one of them, is that they are two speed.
I wire up the switch, so the winch goes out real fast, back in slower with more power.

You could do that with the window. Either down fast for getting something out in a hurry, and slow up so as to not catch fingers, or have a speed selector, so if someone was reaching in you did not like, catch his arm.........

 

[nsxxtreme]

Anybody got any pictures of one of these motors?
I work with small DC motors from time to time, and I might know where a stronger one is that would fit.

If there is room, a windshield wiper motor would work great. I have built anchor winches for river boats out of them.
The cool part of using one of them, is that they are two speed.
I wire up the switch, so the winch goes out real fast, back in slower with more power.

You could do that with the window. Either down fast for getting something out in a hurry, and slow up so as to not catch fingers, or have a speed selector, so if someone was reaching in you did not like, catch his arm.........

I can take a picture the motor is rediqulously large for what it is. For as big as the motor is I would have expected the thing to roll the window up no sweat!!! The only thing I would worry about is the connector that connects to the cable. That is why I was going to use a drill with a keyless chuck to grip the cable.

I don't really care about catching someones arm. If your dumb enough to stick it in there then you deserve to get it stuck

 

[nsxxtreme]

As to the original poster, the new motors will be much stronger. It sounds like the 'rebuild' was pretty much just spraying it clean and hoping it works. I have seen this far too often, get your money back, then order a new window motor.

That's my fear though they wont be much stronger. There isn't much to "wear" out on a DC motor. The windings just produce a magnet when current is ran through them so nothing other then the contacts, brushes and bushings to wear out.

 

[Deuling]

A new motor would work fine. You just got ripped off

 

[Teck]

Did you check the ground wire on it, I have seen where the tailgate just needs a ground wire to the body to help it work right. Also seen the safety switch on the latch cause problems.

 

[nsxxtreme]

sounds like a bad motor. You messed up when you fixed your seals. With a reman motor and old worn out falling off seals and some good amounts of grease my window flys up the track! You can hear it stop!.

So the damn thing has me beat so I gave up. I ripped the inner top seal off. Now the window goes up and down.

I also went to O'riely's and they have NEW motors for $65 better then the $120 I paid for the reman from autopartswarehouse. So I put the new motor in and it had the same issue not enough power to get the window up. Without the upper inner seal it works.

Since this isn't a daily driver or a show truck by any means it will have to do. I just use this truck to tow my boat and go camping. You dont know how many times I have cussed at the damn thing cause I couldn't open the tail gate to load crap.

 

[Teck]

Sound like it could be a ground issue.