Interior

Window Motor Repair

#1
I have had two different window motor problems on my '86S. On one side, the motor windings
were not making good contact with the commutator segments on the armature. Carefully scrape
the wire next to the bent-over piece, and apply a tiny drop of solder. Do every connection,
being careful not to short two together. No cost to fix, takes two hours total. WYAIT, lube &
clean everything. The other problem was a little more interesting. I assumed that it would be the
same as the drivers side problem, but after I soldered the wires, it still didn't work. A little
troubleshooting revealed that the motor has a tiny thermal protection device in the end of the
motor. If you are getting power to one connection on the end bell (the molded plastic end of the
motor), but not to the brushes, this may be the problem. There is a little black block that is
inserted into the end bell. Unsolder it and pry it out. Take a razor knife, and carefully cut around
the base to remove the cover. Using very fine sandpaper, clean the contacts, and adjust them
so that you get electrical continuity through the contacts. Reassembly is the reverse of
disassembly. Again, no cost.


#2
I recently repaired the driver's side window motor. It had been working on and off, until one day
when it quit altogether. The repair entailed removing the motor from the gear housing, then
spraying its rotor and stator with electrical contact cleaner. After the cleaning fluid drains out
clear, I dried it out with compressed air. Before reconnecting it to the gear housing, I applied
fresh grease to the worm gear. Now. it all works like new.

Merry motoring. Ed.