Window Regulator Fix

pdxkid

currently vanless :-(
Well I just bought that exact part from OReilly and I can't see how it would work. The white plastic slider is slightly too large and the black mounting arm is at the wrong angle and seemingly sized all wrong to attach to the regulator arm. That Dorman part will be returned, and I guess I'm doing the shower/closet door roller thing. :thumbdown:
 

pdxkid

currently vanless :-(
I didn't want to fiddle with a roller and the necessary diameter and width reduction so I went with a 1/4 x 3/4 carriage bolt, a washer and 2 nuts. I ground a bit off of the nut after I applied loctite and it was tightened.

So far, so good. I cycled it up and down 20 times or so and it seems smooth and robust.

All that for under $1.00
 

220629

Well-known member
I didn't want to fiddle with a roller and the necessary diameter and width reduction so I went with a 1/4 x 3/4 carriage bolt, a washer and 2 nuts. I ground a bit off of the nut after I applied loctite and it was tightened.

So far, so good. I cycled it up and down 20 times or so and it seems smooth and robust.

All that for under $1.00
:thumbup:

Nice solution. I like KISS. From what I've seen the "roller" doesn't rotate, it slides.

I suppose that there may be more wear in the track by using a carriage bolt. A bit of grease in the track should minimize that though.

I wonder if a brass bolt with special head like is used for toilet parts might fit? The brass would likely never wear the track. Perhaps just a brass washer (or a couple more?) clamped between the fastener head and a locking nut. :idunno:

vic
 

pdxkid

currently vanless :-(
Hey Vic, I did pick up a few thick plastic washers, thinking I could fashion something like you described above, but they ended up being too large. I'm slightly concerned about the metal on metal contact, but the window will see very little use until next year, so perhaps I'll revisit it then. I'm just happy it's all buttoned up before the cold rain last night!
 
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Jamescell

New member
I went the same route your speaking of Aqua. I drilled the arm, used a 1/4x20x1-1/2" bolt with a jam nut. Then used a shoulder nut on backward into the track. I then greased the track and 1 year later no wear on the track and it's smooth as ever :)


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05breadman

New member
First off, THANK YOU to every poster on this Window regulator repair thread. You have all been helpful and progressed me towards what I think is a very good and relatively easy fix. Much better than OEM engineered imminent failure.

You'll need four pieces:
-1" flush head hex bolt, "SS #10-32 x 1in Socket Cap Screw Fine"
-nylon lock nut, "#10-32 Nylon Lock Nuts Stainless"
-1 1/2" flat washer (with small hole)
-flat bracket (don't have the details yet)

In a nutshell, I drilled out the arm and removed the spindle and replaced it with the bolt through a flat steel bracket. Then I used the lock nut with a drop of thread lock for good measure to hold it all together.

To drill the arm without removing the whole apparatus, I used a pair of vise-grips to hold the arm still by clamping it to the frame of the door.

The bracket (slider) is about 3" and I just used a file to round off the edges a bit so as to reduce friction in the channel.

The flush head bolt goes through the bracket, then slides into the channel. The trick is to be able to hold the head in order to thread on the nut after the arm is on. So I drilled a hole in the channel so I could get an allen wrench in from the back side to hold the bolt head while threading on the nut.

The washer goes between the channel and the arm.

Getting it all to line up with the arm took some fiddling, and I was racing the incoming weather and it was getting dark. I really didn't want to remove the whole regulator. I got it done, greased the hell out of it and voila! The bolt came in a 2-pack and the nuts were in a 4-pack both from Home Depot, so I have the parts ready for the passenger side repair. I had the washer and bracket on my workbench so all said and done it cost less than $4

True, it's not fully tested, but I feel pretty confident that it will hold. I'll let y'all know if anything changes.
Good luck!
 

05breadman

New member
Update:
The bracket or brace was about 3" long and just the right width to fit into the channel. It had 4 pre-drilled holes in it which are recessed on one side for a wood screw.
I think it was a Stanley brand common repair flat brace kit you could find at any hardware store. I'll need to get another for the passenger side and I'll post a pic when I do.
Good Luck!
 

Zeb

New member
I didn't have many tools, so I bought a Dremel 3000 for $60 at Walmart. I needed a pretty minimal kit. I bought:
1) a few different sized machine screws (didn't know what size i'd need, ended up using #8, 5/8" long or so)
2) a few washers
3) a drill bit to drill out the rivet in the Window Regulator Arm (I had a cordless drill)
4) a Dremel 3000 (comes with all the right accessories to make the part)
5) an HDPE cutting board to use as the stock for my new part

Making the Part:
1) removed the broken part so I could find the right thickness cutting board. Might be able to find some other thick/sturdy delrin like material, but this seemed to work well.
2) I fashioned the rough dimensions of the part using the Dremel cutting tool using the broken old part as a pattern. The final product looks like a plastic T in cross section.
3) Used the drill to put a hole through the part for the bolt.
4) Used the Dremel grinder accessory to grind out a countersink for the bolt head
5) Drilled out the Rivet on the Window Regulator Arm
6) slid my part into the rail with the bolt already installed.
7) Put the bolt through the hole in the Arm and put two nuts on it to lock it off

Done!

Not bad, probably quicker than actually installing the whole window regulator assembly :)

Here are some pics of the finished part with the bolt, nuts and washer:







 

alexk243

KulAdventure
Since the original post has anyone found someone that sells the small plastic OEM clip? Or do you still have to buy the whole thing?

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jmoller99

Own a DAD ODB2 Unit.
The plastic part is attached in such a way that you can't replace it (its riveted in place). I have made up parts like this from 1/8 inch aluminum that work fine (install with the notch side facing down). Liberally smeared with lithium grease.

Keep in mind that the manual crank doors use an all metal riveted in part, not using a plastic slider at all.
 

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jmoller99

Own a DAD ODB2 Unit.
Here are some pictures of the actual plastic slider part with a ruler on it.

The part looks to be approximately 3 cm X 1.5 cm. It has a 6mm hole in the center.

The 1/8 inch thick aluminum part I make is 2x longer (1 3/4 inches) X 5/8 inches. I taper the ends slightly.

6.35 mm = 1/4 inch - so I use a 1/4 inch drill to make the hole and grind out the notch (you could cut it with a hack saw too).
 

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alexk243

KulAdventure
Made my version of the fix based on jmoller's idea. Working great so far and wasn't terrible to make. I like that you don't to do any permanent changes to the regulator or track.



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digitalfx

New member
While my '02 has had the shower door roller on the driver's side for a few years, thought I'd share this here:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:683339
I'm getting ready to drop the hammer on a $350 Printrbot 3D printer, love that someone has already created the CAD file for this part.
Well this thread just saved me, my window dropped and I discovered the broken guide clip. Called dealer and they dont sell just the plastic guide, they wanted $350 for the entire mechanism. Now I undertstand why they dont sell the plastic guide, as it cant be installed...what a poor design.

Thanks for all the excellent info in this thread and especially the link above I was able to 3D print the part. I then used a hybrid of all the techniques here. I drilled out the exiting post and replaced it with a 1/4 x 1 carriage bolt, a washer and nut...O and some locktite. I then used a dremmel to shave off the excess, added some grease and its now like new.

Thanks everyone for sharing.

Here is the results:
https://youtu.be/QNMZ6-q4Z6M
 

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Jodean

Member
I just put a 1/4 20 bolt in there with proper washers the size of the channel, and a nylon lock nut

had parts in the bin

cost might be $1 if you go to ace hardware
 

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