Since the introduction of moveable windows in cars (or the ability to raise and lower them), a myriad of window assemblies have been introduced. All of these automotive assemblies serve a common purpose, namely to aid in the raising and the lowering of the windows. Such window regulators are both manually and electronically operated.
There are window regulator assemblies both for front and rear windows of many different automotive configurations, depending on the door configuration and the year of the vehicle. There are very few years that are compatible with each other.
It is important to know what type of window regulator is installed. The vehicle may have been made at a different location and there could be a major difference for the same year, make and model of car. Some of the regulators are inside the door and some are an integral part of the door. The window regulators that are an integral part of the door come attached to the whole door panel.
The first type is the manually operated, crank type window regulator. There are generally only 3 sub-types used for this crank type operation. The first sub-type uses a scissor-like mechanism; the second uses a single center post; and the third uses a center post with a cable around the crank handle that runs around a set of rollers on the top and bottom of the center post. As the handle is cranked, it winds the cable around a spool behind the handle and lifts the window; conversely, it lowers the window when turned the opposite direction. The first and second sub-types use a set of meshed gears as opposed to the cable.
The second type is the automatic electric windows. These use an electric motor in place of the crank handle. They are reversible motors and as voltage is applied to different poles, the motor responds by turning in a different direction. For oddly sized door panels, the same type of regulator is used with additional types of wire cable configurations.
The window regulator is one of the previous configurations located inside the door frame. It is attached at the bottom of the door and at the top sill beneath the window frame. One thing that they all have in common is a straight channel that is shaped like a squared off "C," which is called a C channel. The window has 2 holes through the glass at the bottom, and little wheels are attached through these holes. This C channel lays flat and the little wheels on the window fit into and roll back and forth in this captive C channel. Once the wheels are slid into the C channel from either end, the channel's edge keeps the wheels from coming out. As the window crank is turned either by hand or electrically, the regulator raises the C channel up or down.
If a window regulator fails, there should be the sound of the motor running but no action taking place. This means that the cable or gears have broken and the regulator needs to be replaced. If there is no sound when the switch is depressed, the motor is most likely at fault as opposed to the regulator. The window motor, however, can not be replaced in some units by itself. If a manual window crank regulator fails it is an obvious failure, as the crank does not work at all and the window regulator and crank are all one piece.
