Sluggish windows fixed for $40!!!! Dial-up grab a coffee

doctorjj · 03-04-07, 08:04 PM

Well, this is my first post on Mud, so here goes.

I've been having the slow up and down on my windows for a while now. I had tried a lot of different things, greasing the mechanism, cleaning and silicone to the rubber, etc. Nothing seemed to work. So I decided to just go ahead and totally replace the window rubber. I ordered new weatherstripping from JC Whitney. I ordered 4 lengths of the Style 27. That is enough to do all four windows all the way around. It was just over $40 with shipping.

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/I...D:100000220223

This is how I did it.
First here's a look at the windows before I started. Old junky rubber. Shrunk down with some gaps. Very hard and brittle

And here's a link to a vid of the window going down then up. VERY SLOWLY!!!!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...09917564881508

Now here are some pics of me replacing the rubber.
First is the bezel around the door handle.

Next is the grab handle.

Here's a quick vid of me getting the clips to come loose.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...45471888385560

And then you take off the door panel. Just lift up a bit ot get it up over the lip. Then you can sit it on the ground. You don't have to undo the wiring, but if you want to, there is a quick connect.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...82143138000165

Then the bolt that holds in the front slide.

Once the bolt is out. You can remove the front slide. Here's a quick vid of that. Once the bolt is out, just slide it down out of the groove and it's then loose.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...43533233422177

Then out with the old rubber.

And now in with the new

Here's another vid of me starting to put the rubber in the front slide. No reason to take the slide all the way out. Just pull it out to where the clip is at the top of the door. You can put the rubber in from there.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...63719186285218

Once you have the rubber in, just reinstall everything. Just make sure the glass is seated in the slide both front and back. Also, don't forget to grease the rollers while you're there.

Here are a few pics of the windows inside and out after the install.

And a final video showing the window going up and down.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...77071202585689

Still might seem a bit sluggish if you just watch this final video, but it is already almost twice as fast!!!! First video takes almost 30 seconds to go down then up. This one is right around 16 seconds. I think it will speed up a little more in a few days as the rubber gets seated better and gets a little memory to it with the glass in. All in all, it took me a little over an hour to do the front two windows.

ballardcruiser · 03-04-07, 08:20 PM

Great first post! I need to do this... So no adhesive/silicone is needed to get the rubber to stick to the door groove?

doctorjj · 03-04-07, 08:23 PM

Thanks.
No, the rubber has little wings on it that grab. Here's a pic.

klinetime574 · 03-04-07, 08:23 PM

Great job. Very in-depth.
Welcome to Mud

<---Official Mud Greeting

doctorjj · 03-04-07, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klinetime574

Great job. Very in-depth.
Welcome to Mud

<---Official Mud Greeting

Oh yeah? Well,

all ya'll then!!!!!!!

Nightshadow · 03-04-07, 08:46 PM

Nice job!

cando john · 03-04-07, 09:15 PM

way cool .....nice job

doctorjj · 03-05-07, 07:33 PM

Thanks for the compliments.

azaussie · 03-05-07, 07:50 PM

"Dial-up grab a coffee." Well, I would like to watch the videos as I need to try this on the front passenger side - good reason for me to get high-speed.

agent orange · 03-05-07, 08:06 PM

Haha, i just watched the videos, you think yours were bad? Mine move like icebergs. Great writeup, the videos are a nice touch. Did you put any silicon on the weatherstripping? It might cut down on the squealing in the last video.

doctorjj · 03-05-07, 08:18 PM

No silicon on the new weatherstripping. As for the noise, I tried to find it as I was reassembling and as best I could tell, it was coming from the motor itself or the gears. I couldn't get it to be gone completely. I guess they aren't used to moving that fast.

If it doesn't go away, I'll go back in there and look a little harder. The passenger side front is the only one that does it.

mkaustin · 03-06-07, 11:56 AM

Looks good.

So how did you handle the top corner? Did you have to cut the new strip to bend the 90 degree coner??

Skniper · 03-06-07, 09:04 PM

I think the same window strips are available OEM for relatively cheap.

doctorjj · 03-07-07, 04:26 AM

At the top corner, I simply cut the weather stripping. I bent it at first, but it didn't look good. Cut looks great and seals it up just fine.

"I think the same window strips are available OEM for relatively cheap"

How cheap? $40 for all 4 windows?????

Spook50 · 03-09-07, 08:38 AM

VERY good for a first post! I thought my windows were bad when they took about 15 seconds one way and still seemed sluggish when I redid all the switches and lubed everything, which got 'em down to about 8 seconds one way. I've still got all the original factory rubber tracks, so I'm gonna have to try this stuff and see if that makes more of a difference with my windows.

and welcome to Mud

lonelydriver · 01-09-08, 03:19 AM

Well I ordered these rubber tracks, and I spent about 3 frustrating hours trying to get everything back in and in the end gave up. These tracks are not the exact same as the oem ones. the "hooks" that hold the track into the window channel extend higher on these and therefore dont fit into the original space and end up pinching more then they should. as a result there is no room for the window glass in b/w. i'm not sure if they changed the style or something but the ones mentioned in the first post don't work.

No offense to Doctorjj, they must have changed the channels, because his seem to work great.

Hope this saves someone some money and trouble :(

ended up just removing and cleaning the old ones with silicon, and they are much faster.

should have gone with oem!

Gappy · 01-09-08, 05:40 AM

Nice job on a very well put together post DocJJ!!! After watching your first video, my windows don't seem so slow any more.
If I may make one suggestion, you could do better than Kenny Chesney on the install music on the second video.

Tinker · 01-09-08, 05:41 AM

Having been in the auto glass biz for longer than lots of the folks on this forum have driven legally, I recommend using OEM whenever available. When that's not possible, you're in for an adventure with aftermarket stuff.

Good work, however. Most glass shops should have access to that same molding through the CR.Laurence company.

Tvaldriz · 01-09-08, 12:20 PM

Really nice post! Videos were a big help, as well as the still pics
and diagram.

Great contribution to the effort to keep these rigs rolling and the
windows going up and down!

Tom