1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

Power windows motor replacement

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Old 07-26-21, 07:39 AM
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Power windows motor replacement

Hi there.
The RH power window of my 1982 GSL is not working. I've removed the motor, opened it up, and found an oddity inside: a steel ball, such as the one commonly found in ball bearings.
I think it is used on one edge of the motor's shaft, magnets side, but somehow it was locking the engine up as I've found it somewhere else.
Anyway, I think I can make the power windows' motor run again, but I cannot be 100% sure.

So my question is: does anyone know of a replacement part for the power windows motor of a 1982 FB? OEM used on other cars, too, maybe?




Old 07-26-21, 11:07 AM
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The bearing is supposed to be in there ... It's a pain in the butt to put it where it goes but it can be done.... I've have taken both of my motors and got the cleaned and lubed...

There are a couple of places you can get them ...not new.....I cant recall the name but there is a place that refurbish your own motors.....do a Google search and it will pop up...
Old 07-27-21, 04:33 AM
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Thank you for the information. I was able to put back the ball where it is supposed to be, and it all works now.
Old 07-27-21, 09:59 AM
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Glad you figured it out!!
Old 07-29-21, 06:03 AM
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Now that I'm sure that the motor is OK, and after having lubed, without removing the mechanism, all that I could reach, I still don't get my windows to go up and down like they should.
It is better, but not good yet: the most I can get is, say, 5" down, after which the motor stalls and I have to wait for one minute before it works again. I imagine there is an overcurrent protection tripping, that auto resets after a while, because it is absolutely repeatable.
The movement is not smooth either - it is clunky. The gear is OK.

I notice that, whereas the drivers window (perfectly working) has no play if I grab the windows with my hands, the passenger's (the malfunctioning one) can be shaken and moved about 1/4".
I imagine I need to remove (UGH!) and restore the whole leverage system, does anyone have any ideas about what it may be?
Old 07-29-21, 10:32 AM
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I read that installing relays made the motors faster.... I have not done it but here in the forum there are threads about it.......
Old 08-11-21, 12:04 PM
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Eventually, I will have to remove the power widow mechanism and fix it. The electric motor is good, but there's something wrong in all the leverage, and I hate it when something is not working well in my cars.
In the meanwhile I repaired both sides' electric mirror wiring, as one of the pins inside the four way connectors which are found inside the mirror's case was broken off, due to corrosion. It was the same issue on both sides, so it must be rather common.
So, if there's any tutorial or thread about removal of the power windows' leverage from an FB, a link would certainly be welcome. I've tried the search engine unsuccessfully.

Old 08-11-21, 05:10 PM
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If you have a meter, I would check the voltage at the motor while you are lowering it.
I have seen 8 or 9 volts at the motor, while the battery shows 13.
The window switches have a poor connection when new, and get worse from there.
Some people add relays to get some more power to the window motors, some people have swapped over to manual windows.
Your motors might be OK.

Old 08-12-21, 03:31 PM
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I will, but I'm afraid there's some mechanical issue.
When lowered, say, 2" (5cm), there's a lot of play in the glass if I hold and try to shake it.
Old 08-22-21, 03:05 PM
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Eventually, I removed the whole lever mechanism and found it in good condition.
the motor continued locking up under load, so I opened it up and found that the internal nylon gear is split and cannot be repaired
Does anyone know where to find a new motor, or if a replacement part from another car will work?



Old 08-26-21, 06:12 AM
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I think I've fixed this: I've turned an aluminium ring, turned down the gear plastic part to fit the ring tightly, and assembled.
A couple of grub screws will be added to make 100% sure that it will not slip, and I'll test it soon!




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Old 08-26-21, 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by MrILO
I think I've fixed this: I've turned an aluminium ring, turned down the gear plastic part to fit the ring tightly, and assembled.
A couple of grub screws will be added to make 100% sure that it will not slip, and I'll test it soon!

I love that!
Old 09-01-21, 02:03 PM
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need to do mine too -= thanks for the thread
Old 09-02-21, 06:07 AM
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FYI.
Aluminium ring is 8mm wide, ext diam 54mm, internal diam 51 (1.5mm thick).
To turn the broken gear down, it must be first kept together as if it was new, or it will break as soon as the lathe's cutting tool touches it.
I used a hose clamp, placed on the teeth side of the whole gear mechanism, to keep it together, and I tightened it - tight enough to keep it together: use caution as over tightening may damage the teeth.
The lot was grabbed on the chuck of a small Sherline tabletop lathe, by grabbing the INSIDE edge of the part (the metallic core) on the jaws (in other words: the jaws must move outwards to tighten the part on the chuck).
The lathe's tool must cut through the plastic part, but also, cut through the two 'metallic legs' - reduce diameter slowly to make sure the tool cuts through these legs without bending them.

Old 09-09-21, 09:37 AM
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Update: the repair seems to work very well, now I need to put the mechanism back into the door.
Seems easy, but I can't find where this plastic sleeve goes, I have no pictures of it, and there's no indication in the manuals either...
Any help please?




Old 09-09-21, 10:02 AM
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Originally Posted by MrILO
Seems easy, but I can't find where this plastic sleeve goes, I have no pictures of it, and there's no indication in the manuals either...
Any help please?



That plastic piece is to protect the wiring for the motor....


Old 09-09-21, 10:15 AM
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Oh that's easy then! I was trying to find it in the manuals, the parts list but all in vain. Thank you!
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Old 09-09-21, 02:10 PM
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Originally Posted by MrILO
Oh that's easy then! I was trying to find it in the manuals, the parts list but all in vain. Thank you!
Not a problem......👍
Old 09-11-21, 03:45 AM
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The gear repair is working and window goes up and down merrily ! My rx-7 is 100% functional now..
.

Last edited by MrILO; 09-11-21 at 03:48 AM.
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Old 09-11-21, 08:43 AM
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Hi - possibly stupid question, but searching didn't provide an answer...
Did you have to remove the window glass to remove just the motor (not the tracks of course)?
My driver side motor is very sluggish and I'm hoping a cleaning will perk it up.
Thanks.
Old 09-11-21, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Kizmit99
Hi - possibly stupid question, but searching didn't provide an answer...
Did you have to remove the window glass to remove just the motor (not the tracks of course)?
My driver side motor is very sluggish and I'm hoping a cleaning will perk it up.
Thanks.
Yes .....you have to take the glass out and the tracks to get the motor out.......

Also...if you are going to take the motor out be very careful with a little steel bearing that is inside....if you loose it you're S.O.L. the motor will not work without it .....

Also .....you might have to install relays on the power windows to make them faster.....

Last edited by raven12aFB; 09-11-21 at 09:13 AM.
Old 09-12-21, 02:45 PM
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Yeah - I already installed relays and while it perked the passenger side up, it really didn't have much of an effect on the driver side.
I also lubed the large gears without much effect.
So I'm thinking pulling the motor and giving it a refresh may be in order. The motor itself works, so I know it's not burned out, but perhaps it's just crudded up inside?
Old 09-12-21, 04:27 PM
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I doubt: the motor is sealed. What are the symptoms?
As Raven12aFB said - if you disassemble the motor make sure to keep an eye on the small sphere. Oh, putting it back is a lot of fun , too!

I was able to remove the motor without taking the glass out, as I have a micro ratcheting wrench that I bought for 'unreachable cases'. However, having removed the glass and mechanism once, now that I've done it, I must say that it is rather easy and I would do it again rather than removing the motor alone.

After repairing the gear and cleaning and oiling the mechanism, I think it goes up and down really well now. It wasn't the main gear that needed cleaning and greasing, but all the other slides, pins, etc., to make them move smoothly.
Link to the movie showing how it works now:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FysMnnTVTjdHfnSU6
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Old 09-12-21, 05:26 PM
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The symptoms are it's just really slow - imagine your movie running at about 1/5 speed... Passenger side isn't as good as yours either, probably about half that speed.
The passenger window works ok and pulls about 5 amps when raising the window. The driver side pulls between 10 and 15 amps when raising the window. Also, either side when they get to the end will jump to about 15 amps - so I read this as the stall current being 15 amps and the driver side having almost enough drag to stall the motor...
I'm not too worried about pulling the glass, just didn't want to do it if it wasn't needed.
Old 09-15-21, 06:31 AM
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If it's really slow but still pulls all this current, it may be that the motor itself is OK and it is just has to push something against a strong force - i.e. maybe friction.
Have you tried adjusting the position of the glass with the two adjustment screws? I noticed that they can increase friction quite significantly, if wrongly set.


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