I just went out for a short drive and put my windows down, then without warning(no previous problems) when I tried to put the passenger side up, and would only move about an inch, then it makes a motor noise (errrrrr) and doesn't go up any further! Great, just what I need, another problem. OF course this is the side I have never had any issues on. It couldn't have been the driver side that I need to take apart anyway and adjust the window stop!

So it sounds like it is binding, and hitting something on the way up. Could the window be off track?

I need to fix this ASAP, I cannot leave it parked places with the window down.

Should I just remove the panel and look?

 

If the window is off track it will get all cockeyed when trying to close. If it comes up straight but just makes the noise, it could be the motor. Also if it's off the track, you would be able to wiggle it forward and back by hand. I'm not that familiar with later model C4's but I know the earlier ones used a plastic ribbon that was later upgraded.

 

It won't go up more than an inch, just makes the sound.
I have the door panel off, not I guess I will try to remove the alum piece....I don't look forward to this, of course it had to get hotter and more humid today!

 

I am having a hard time removing the alum plate behind the door.
It says in an article to lift up and remove from bottom after removing bolts and rods, but it hardly moves at all. The window is all the way down, as I cannot move it up, which is the whole problem. Is the window restricting movement of the panel?

 

I don't see any broken guides, etc. I couldn't get the alum piece off, but even if I did, I am not sure that would reveal anything.
I was able to get the window up at least by just pulling on the top of the window at the same time of operating the switch. It will still stop in various places and make the errrrrr noise. As I was doing this, I remembered that I had this same issue several years ago. The window did the same thing and I had to manually close it. I left the window up for some time, then one day I tried it and it worked without a problem. That was several years ago, now it has suddenly returned.

 

That aluminum sheet is a pain the first time but once you're used to it you can have the door gutted in a matter of a few minutes. Don't forget the bolt on the side of the door securing the power lock mechanism (which is affixed to the sheet) to the door. There is a large gold-colored metal window stop near the outside door handle that is pressed firmly against the sheet from behind, and that is probably the primary source of resistance when moving the sheet. You must jar the sheet pretty hard to get it to slide past this. That metal stop has two bolts, one of which goes through the sheet; you must remove that bolt but do not touch the other one, or the stop will fall out and you will have to figure out where it's supposed to go.

Other than that, the metal sheet's bolts are pretty easy to see. Obviously you have to unsnap the lock rods from their guides in the sheet, as well as from the power lock mechanism. Once the sheet is loose and movable, let it slip downwards in the door and pry the top of it towards you so you can unsnap the door handle rod from the door handle (it's got a little metal clip; wiggle the clip around enough and apply enough upward force on the rod and it will pop out). Then rotate the sheet inside of the door and there is enough clearance to get the upper corner that is on the opposite side of the outside handle clear of the door, and the rest of the sheet will follow. I would not think it's possible to remove the sheet bottom-first; rather, letting the sheet slip downwards and then rotating that one corner upward through the opening is I think the intended way, since the cavity in the door seems specifically shaped in a way to accommodate that.

 

Does your motor still move rather quickly when it's not going past the points where it binds? If not I would suspect you need a new window motor and regulator. Or you can get by with re-using your expensive regulator and swapping a new motor in, but that is a lot more work than it sounds like due to the way they're connected and the tight clearance needed between the moving parts.

Another possiblity is that one of the pads that is glued to the inside of the door has fallen off and is getting in the way, or some other obvious obstruction.

If both of the above check out fine, it's time to do a window alignment as per the FSM. If you get this far and everything has checked out fine, then e-mail me at garett_ridge@yahoo.com and I will send you scanned copies of the relevent pages.

 

Sounds like its new window motor time.....the motors are relatively inexpensive. Getting the aluminum piece out is not that big a deal....just go slow remove the hardware and wiggle it a bit...it will come right out. You need the aluminum piece out of there so you can more closely examine the motor's/window drive track. If the outer window seals are bad this might be a great time to replace those too.

Good luck!

 

The motors may be inexpensive (mine was only $40) but it is expected that you will buy the whole regulator with the motor already attached. The motor is riveted to the regulator with unusually large rivets. The regulator's gear slides right over these rivets, so once you've drilled out the rivets you cannot simply use bolts in their place because the gear will strike them as it moves the window up and down. Extremely low-profile fasteners must be used and machined down until they are flat. I did manage to find a way to do this and saved about $200 as compared to just replacing the regulator. Do a search for the old thread I posted about it. It wasn't easy but it sure beat spending the money.

 

It is the same speed as it always has been, it just binds and stops in certain places. Seems the motor works fine, wouldn't it not work at all or be slow if it was the motor? Especially since it did this briefly several years ago?

Here is the weird thing, my ignition and PKE started working correctly this evening! Could it be from messing with the door?