QuestionBen,
I've got a dead power window on the rear driver's side. It won't respond from the drivers control or the rear door control. All other windows operate fine. I've purchased a motor, but can't see a way to access the motor after the trim panel is removed. Also, the new motor has bolts, but the one in place looks like it is riveted in place. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.
AnswerHello Rich,
"The Book" tells you to remove the window regulator from the door to replace the motor. That is not a simple process even if you have done it before.
It is much easier to remove the sheet metal covering the motor in order to access the three rivets that hold the motor to the regulator. You will need a good pair of left cutting and right cutting tin snips and a bit of elbow grease to make a hole about the size of a softball. Position the hole so that the left side of the hole uncovers the round head of the motor where the three rivets are located. The right side of the hole is needed to give you enough room to remove the motor once the rivets are off.
To remove the rivets, start by drilling a small (1/8") hole in the center of each rivet about a 1/4" deep. Then use a 1/4" drill bit to finish the job of removing the rivet head. The rivet will tend to spin once you are part way through, so you will need to angle the bit left and right and up and down to get enough of the rivet head off so that you can remove the motor. After the motor is off you will need to move the window up or down to remove the rivet stubs. You may even have to leave one stub (probably the left one) in place which is not a problem.
Putting the new motor on with bolts is acceptable, even if you only can use two bolts due to the rivet stub that can't be removed. Be sure to put the nuts on the side of the motor facing you so that they don't interfere with the movement of the regulator.
When you are done installing the new motor I suggest that you use something to re-enforce the hole in the sheet metal around the motor. I use a steel bar about 1/2" wide by about 6" long at roughly 1:00 o'clock and 7:00 o'clock over the hole. Use a #10 1/2" long self-tapping sheet metal screw to attach bar at each end. Your local hardware store should have the re-enforcing bar and the screws on the shelf at a reasonable price.
Just one word of caution: be sure you have checked the truck's electrical system to be certain that you do indeed have a bad motor. You don't want to go through all this work and then find out that the motor is not the problem.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Ben ... the power window guy.
