People talk about how poorly these cars were built, but I haven't found one aftermarket part that has been better quality than oem yet.

 

So you staying with the old motor or going with the new? While you are in there did you look at the regulator spring? Is it still good?

Jim

 

I will put the new one in. The car has new weatherstripping. I took the car to a body shop to get the windows adjusted and they said the old motor was a little weak for the new rubber. So, still waiting to see if that is the case or not.

The spring is good. I took it out of a parts car that I had. Mine was missing on the driver side and someone had replaced the spring with a big bolt and some washers.

 

I had the same recommndation. The new motor was no more powerful then the old. It made no difference for me. I'll say it again the aftermarket weather stripping is crap too....to hard.

Anyway when you installed the spring did you have the regulator set on the full up position? The spring is meant to compress on the down function and helps push up, it won't do anything if you installed it when the regulator was in the down positition....

 

When I took the car in to get the windows adjusted I brought the motor out of an 81 parts car. They put that one in and said it was better than what was in it. I picked up the car and the windows still where not right. I had to take the car because my wife had dropped me off. I went back to complain a little bit and that's when they recomended that I get a new window motor. Hopefully I have a little better luck than you and the new one has a little more power than the 30 year old one.

 

The spring was installed with the regulator out of the car. It took two of us to get it into place and the guy helping me was the guy who painted my car and he use to work for chevy. Hopfully it's in right.

 

If it took two you maybe did it wrong. It drops right in when the regulator is in the full up, you may have had to manipulate it about a half inch max.

 

I took two of us mainly because it was laying on my garage floor. I had to hold it while he poped the spring into place. How can I safely check to see if it's in correctly?

 

I'm not sure how you did it.

I disconnect everything so the regulator and motor are free in the door. As you will notice it won't come through the hole when the regulator is in the open position. Once its loosened off I connect the power to the motor. i ground the regulator and use the cars power to compress it to the size you need to get it all through the opening.

Once I have it out I use the cars power to open the regulator to the full up position. In the full up position the spring is full unwinded....just like the new one would be. Once in the full up I disconnect the power. take the regulator to the work bench and remove the spring. there will be about 1/2 of tention on the spring. You need to take a screw driver and pry it off. Then pop the new spring in...again you need a screw driver to push it that 1/2 inch to get the lip of the spring around the stud on the regulator. Then install in the reverse...eg....us the cars power to put the regulator in the down position so you can get it in the opening.

Other way is that once you have the regulator and motor out...use the cars power to get it in the full up position....remove the motor....be careful the spring will cause the regulator to move to further full up by about 1/2 inch....there will still be upward tension on it. Once the new spring is in you will note the motor teeth miss the regulator teeth by about 1/2 inch...here is were you need a bit of help...you need someone to move the regulator about 1/2 inch towards the closed position to get the motor back on.

Does this all make sense? Spring coils up real tight in the down position to counter the weight of the window and help the motor lift it from down to up. the purpose of the spring is to balance the system. I am guessing on the window weight but as an example lets assume it weighs 20 lbs, the spring coils as you lower the window and provides 20 lbs of upward push placing zero weight for the motor to push.

You will never get the window to go up fast and to the top if the spring is not in right. it will give the illusion of a weak motor.

How do test this? Easy if the window goes down at the speed of light and up like a turtle you have installed the spring wrong. A spring installed in any other way then with the regulator in the full up is worse then a missing spring.

Or in the full up get a mirror stick it in the door and see if the spring looks unwinded in the up position and winded real tight in the down position.

 

I didn't read all of this but I'll offer some insight to the door motor installation.

1) cardon paints the motors and if you don't clean off the paint where they bolt in it can cause a problem... I know you would think the threads would clean this out and make it all good when the bolt is installed.. but not always. Always clean them off before installing for a good ground.

2) If you turn the Key on and hit the power window watch the amp gauge to see if it deflects. If it deflects then odds are the wires are good and the motor is jambed up.

3) Test the motor before you put the door back together by running 1 power wire and touching it to either terminal. One terminal is up and one is down... If the motor is good and you have a good ground it will work.

4) Test the switch function again before installing the door back together at the motor connector. Do this with your test light. Again, the switch just deflects the current so test both sides.

Willcox

 

Okay the new motor is in and working. I cleaned everything up and scraped the paint off where it bolts up. As far as the spring, the window goes up faster than it goes down, so I'm thinking that it's in correctly. Thanks to all who helped me out. Saved me the trouble of getting another new motor that I'm sure would have been the same.

 

All sounds good....nice! Enjoy.

 

Big thanks to you! If I could buy you a cool one I would.