Hey guys, I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing here. I don't want to take my pass. side window crank off to see what I'm missing since these appear to be fragile and the last thing I want is another busted window crank. My guess is that there is some sort of ring that goes on the gear in the door to hold onto the crank? Somebody please advise!

 

Yes you're correct. There is a small "U" shaped clip that goes into the grove on the crank handle and holds it to the window crank. The best way to get these clips to slip off the crank handle is to take a work cloth or fairly thin rag and slip in under the handle and work it back and forth, while pulling it slowly up under the crank handle. This will dislodge the clip safely and allow you to remove the handle by pulling it off the spline without any fear of damaging the teeth on the handle or breaking the retainer clip. I've used it many times without a problem.

 

In addition to the small, metal clip there is also a spacer that is the same color as the crank. I am not sure if it is important to have that spacer there or not, but just to let you know.