98 M-Class Mercedes. I pulled up at Chick-Fil-Ley about a year ago, went to roll the window down, and it went CattyWompus.
Note: That is an official Engineering term. Means tried to climb out of the window frame at an angle.
I grabbed it, got it down, ordered my breakfast.
Went on RockAuto, ordered a new window regulator. I figured it would be one of those cable driven abominations that everybody is using now, but it was a steel arm system with a gear rack.
Drilled out the rivets, replaced it, all was well.
Bout a month ago, hit the auto-down on that window, heard the motor run, nothing happened.
Tapped on the window, it tried to fall down into the door. Ran it back up, went home.
When I pulled the panel off, the window had come unstuck from the steel U-channel it had been pressed or glued into.
3M makes a special glue for that. Its the only stuff that will work. Fairly expensive, has about a 3 minute working time after its mixed.
Friends of mine had some at their body shop, glued it back, again all was well.
Monday, Chick-Fil-Ley again. Hit the auto-down, and almost jumped out of the car.
I cannot describe this sound. Deafening steel on steel scraping sound. Very loud and piecing. People on the other side of the parking lot turned around and looked.
Got my breakfast, did not roll the window down again the rest of the day. But, when I hesitantly rolled it up, not a sound......
On the way home, stopped for a milkshake. I'd been good, and figured I would treat myself.
Forgot about the window.
This time I think it was louder. I stopped it, and pressed down on the window to see if it was binding.
Did not help the noise at all.
Today, I pulled the panel off. Had some Silicone spray and some White Lube spray.
If it moved in that door, it got a double dose.
No effect.
I pushed and pulled on the regulator, no change.
Had to go to town, went by my mechanic's. Asked him about the converter he had gone after when he almost destroyed that car's front end.
Said he rolled that truck out at 9 that night.
Told him about my window. Said lets hear it.
I popped the door panel off, I'm getting good at that, and he squatted down and watched as I hit the power button.
Window started down, he jumped so hard, he fell over backwards.
He said he had never heard a noise like that in a car window.
He did pretty much everything I did. Relubed everything. Finally started putting his ear up close while I bumped the switch.
Finally, he said that is sure sounded like it was at the top of the door, but there was nothing there to make that kind of noise.
By that, I mean the top of the bottom of the window, where it goes down into the door, not the actual top of the door.
He reached out and pulled off the plastic and rubber weather strip, and I tried it.
No noise!!
He took and put some white lube on the strip and put it back in. Very little noise.
I have it back home now. I am going to go out tomorrow and pull that strip back off, and lightly sand it to increase the clearance .
All I can figure, is that when I sprayed it with Silicone right after the glue job to minimize the load on the window so the glue would be more likely to hold, some sand stuck and got embedded and was scraping on the glass.
All I know is, it did not sound like sand on glass, it sounded like steel on steel.
But, I know what it is now, and how to fix it.
But, I need to go back to the body shop and get some new panel clips. I have pretty much worn these out........
Just wanted to pass this along in case anyone else with a power window has the problem....
Note: That is an official Engineering term. Means tried to climb out of the window frame at an angle.
I grabbed it, got it down, ordered my breakfast.
Went on RockAuto, ordered a new window regulator. I figured it would be one of those cable driven abominations that everybody is using now, but it was a steel arm system with a gear rack.
Drilled out the rivets, replaced it, all was well.
Bout a month ago, hit the auto-down on that window, heard the motor run, nothing happened.
Tapped on the window, it tried to fall down into the door. Ran it back up, went home.
When I pulled the panel off, the window had come unstuck from the steel U-channel it had been pressed or glued into.
3M makes a special glue for that. Its the only stuff that will work. Fairly expensive, has about a 3 minute working time after its mixed.
Friends of mine had some at their body shop, glued it back, again all was well.
Monday, Chick-Fil-Ley again. Hit the auto-down, and almost jumped out of the car.
I cannot describe this sound. Deafening steel on steel scraping sound. Very loud and piecing. People on the other side of the parking lot turned around and looked.
Got my breakfast, did not roll the window down again the rest of the day. But, when I hesitantly rolled it up, not a sound......
On the way home, stopped for a milkshake. I'd been good, and figured I would treat myself.
Forgot about the window.
This time I think it was louder. I stopped it, and pressed down on the window to see if it was binding.
Did not help the noise at all.
Today, I pulled the panel off. Had some Silicone spray and some White Lube spray.
If it moved in that door, it got a double dose.
No effect.
I pushed and pulled on the regulator, no change.
Had to go to town, went by my mechanic's. Asked him about the converter he had gone after when he almost destroyed that car's front end.
Said he rolled that truck out at 9 that night.
Told him about my window. Said lets hear it.
I popped the door panel off, I'm getting good at that, and he squatted down and watched as I hit the power button.
Window started down, he jumped so hard, he fell over backwards.
He said he had never heard a noise like that in a car window.
He did pretty much everything I did. Relubed everything. Finally started putting his ear up close while I bumped the switch.
Finally, he said that is sure sounded like it was at the top of the door, but there was nothing there to make that kind of noise.
By that, I mean the top of the bottom of the window, where it goes down into the door, not the actual top of the door.
He reached out and pulled off the plastic and rubber weather strip, and I tried it.
No noise!!
He took and put some white lube on the strip and put it back in. Very little noise.
I have it back home now. I am going to go out tomorrow and pull that strip back off, and lightly sand it to increase the clearance .
All I can figure, is that when I sprayed it with Silicone right after the glue job to minimize the load on the window so the glue would be more likely to hold, some sand stuck and got embedded and was scraping on the glass.
All I know is, it did not sound like sand on glass, it sounded like steel on steel.
But, I know what it is now, and how to fix it.
But, I need to go back to the body shop and get some new panel clips. I have pretty much worn these out........
Just wanted to pass this along in case anyone else with a power window has the problem....
