CaseyJones

I'm finally rebuilding my power windows and need to know what grease is best for the tracks and wheels. What about the grease for the motor gears? Thanks!

Easy Mike

I used white lithium because I had a tube of it.

fleming23

I believe white lithium is probably your best bet but I will defer to someone else for a second opinion.

Alan 71

Hi,
Third opinion... white lithium.
I got some in an aerosol can with a long thin tube on it so the grease would end up where I thought it should be.
Regards,
Alan

CaseyJones

Thanks guys! White lithium it is. I want to do it up right since I'll have it apart with all new pieces to go back in.

fleming23

I did this to mine (which had been sitting for 6-8 years) and the power windows went from barely moving to going down so fast I was actually concerned the window was going to break when it hit the stop. Definitely find an aerosol with a tube so you can direct the spray. I started with my door panel off thinking it would create better access but realized it was easier to just shoot it down from the top window channel.

vette427-sbc

Ill go against the crowd here and say WD40... I found that over the years most grease (white lithium included) gathered dust and dirt and actually made it harder to roll my windows up and down. I just did power windows and used a nice coating of WD40 on the tracks and rollers. Fast, smooth, and it will stay like that

alconk

I used high temp bearing grease.

71scgc

Mil-spec Lubriplate on the motor/lifter gears.
WD-40 not a lubricant, has no staying power.
Carter

jimvette999

I prefer the clear dielectric grease applied after cleaning the tracks thoroughly while out of the car.... most prefer lithium which I find to be messy in appearance and application when it squirts in the wrong spots. When Alan 71 does it though, it's done right just like all his work. to you Alan

rjag

I have to agree. I did my windows with white lithium about 4 years ago and again I had a problem with a slow and stopping window. (It worked great when I first put the grease on). The lithium went to a thick sticky film. So I cleaned them out and put regular clean motor oil. Just wiped off the excess. Works great again. We will see for how long?

mikejpss

Count me in with Alan. Thats all I have used on my 80 and 81 rebuild. Works great. Dont forget, while you're stroking the windows, start the engine so that it gets full amperage to the window motors.
I have a 2 page story of how I learned this the hard way, but thats for another day. Just remember that the windows will NOT run up/down fast at all if the engine isnt running.
White Lithium Spray with the short tube for direct hits !

7T1vette

White lithium...but only from a tube. The spray stuff is VERY thin and doesn't actually put much lubricant where you spray it. The window mechanism needs a good amount of lube to keep it from binding up.

mrvette

Wheel bearing grease in the motor/gear box....


but on the tracks.....NOTHING!!!!!! mine been that way for some 18 years now, except for the spring breaking, never an issue....last spring Put on, I painted several times....slo the rust a little, anyway....

7T1vette

That's interesting. I had the regulator for my driver's door out last week. It still had a significant amount of the grease from the factory still on the rails and rollers.

Personally, I think lube is better than no-lube....

mrvette

Sorry man, the crap on my car was just so thick that it about stalled the motors, when I changed from tough to crank manual windows to power....this was '95 damn near when I bought the car....noted all the dried out grease and the fight the nylon wheels had in the tracks....

guess what? 18 years later those same rails are fine with NO grease and crap to dry out and collect dust.....

that whole idea of greasing where a nylon ROLLER rolls is just silly, in fact it sounds like a built in maintenance issue from the factory....

and it's NOT the only car I have issues with this over the DECADES@!@!!!

7T1vette

Glad that's worked for you...

rjag

Actually I was talking with a veteran mechanic today and he said I should try to use the oil they use on sewing thread (not sewing machine oil). I also believe in the teflon non stick oil I use on my mountain bike chain. Will try that the next time I lube my windows.

TWINRAY

Keep that $h** away from body panels otherwise it'll wick up to the top and you'll have big trouble. My .02 on WD40 and similar sprays.

wcsinx

White lithium is what they use on new cars these days. It will eventually dry out and become sticky/gummy, but you're talking 20 years down the road. I actually just had the door panels off my 11 year old '02 C5, and the lithium grease on its tracks was still slick as snot.

I wouldn't use wheel grease for fear of it attacking any plastics in there.

WD40 isn't actually a lubricant and will dry out rather quickly.

Using teflon bike chain spray (or even the dry wax lube) is a good thought. I might try that one day.