Ladies and Gents,

So my drivers side rear power window stops working.

Seems to wind down OK, but I have to drag it up
by hand. I figure it's probably some silly mechanical
problem like the regulator and the window glass no
longer being attached. I pop off various parts to
investigate and find a cable drive with the upper
section of the cable slipped off the sheave.

It's a continuous cable with no visible means of releasing
the tension on the cable or unwinding it from the
motor. Of course, this is all inside the door and
is only accessible through some (so-called) access
holes in the sheet metal while I lie on my back on
the floor and reach upward. Two hours and lots of
frustration later I've taken off the motor and
made several unsuccessful attempts to get the
cables back on right. I'm almost forced to conclude
that the mechanism was put in before the inner
panel was welded on.

Anyway, any tips from someone that has successfully dealt
with this problem will be much appreciated. Of course, for
now, I have the window wedged shut with a little wooden dowel.

Rajan

 

Buy a new regulator, way easier and it actually fixes the problem

 

The glass is held to the track with two bolts - put the window down all the way and you can easily access these bolts. Remove the window from the track, then remove the 2 upper bolts and 2 lower bolts securing the track to the inside panel of the door.
Remove the 3 bolts that secure the window motor to the door and then un-clip the electrical connection for the motor on the inside panel of the door. The cable should also be attached to the door panel with a small white clip. Once you've removed all that (3 minutes tops), you can easily tilt the window track and motor, then remove them through the large opening at the bottom rear of the door. Once it's out, just get another (working) assembly from the wreckers and re-install.

I have all 4 assemblies that work perfectly - pm if you're interested.

 

If you look at the assembly closely, usually the plastic on one of the pulleys is broken. You just need a new regulator.

This is a very common problem. They cost about $60 and you are already 1/2 way to replacing it.

If you look in the stickies at the top of the page, under FAQ, there is a link to Craig Brace's site. He has a full "how to" in case you encounter any problems.