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Window won't come down

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Old Apr 10, 2009 | 10:00 PM
  #1  
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Default Window won't come down

My passenger window in my C5Z randomly stopped rolling down. I click the button on both the passenger and driver door and I can hear what I assume is the actuator click to try to put the window down, but it doesn't move. What do you guys think is the problem?
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 01:57 AM
  #2  
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Just a suggestion, try wiggling the wiring harness between the passenger door and body, sometimes this helps as the wiring over time can break down in this area with opening and closing the door. Also with very little use the motor can freeze and needs a manual turn or two to get it to function but you have to access the motor...try above suggestion while activating the switch at the same time. Good luck. Rob
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 10:30 AM
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If you can hear the relay click, most likely the motor is just stuck.
Sometimes you can free it up by hitting the door panel where the motor is mounted while pushing the down button. If you have the door panel off, tap on the motor.

If you get it to work, you might try bumping the window down 1/16 inch or so from full up. Maybe that will unload the motor in the opposite direction so that it is not in a bind against the stops. I have installed all new regulator assemblies and still had them stick, so I am still searching for exactly what happens. Since there are no limit switches and the motor just runs until the window hits the stops, my theory is that the motor and drive just locks up. When you shut the door, the glass pushes up into the weatherstipping and puts even more pressure on the motor. One forum member says he adjusted the stops downward so that the glass is not forced into the weatherstrip as hard, and his window has been working.

I found that I can run the window up, and then hit the down and up button quickly enough that the glass only drops about 1/16th of an inch, but it does reverse the drive mechanism and unload the motor and gears. As you probably already know, if you just hit the down button quickly, the window goes all the way down (auto-down feature).

Last edited by TEXHAWK0; Apr 11, 2009 at 10:34 AM.
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 10:41 AM
  #4  
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When it happens to me, I pull the key & reinsert. I guess the key is dirty?
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 12:02 PM
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I had this exact same problem you are having ,when I would push the down button it would make a clicking sound , I had to take the door panel off and tap on the motor while pushing the down button and it freed up the window. A month later it happened again this time I was able to slam the door while pushing on the down button , it took several tries but it finally went down. Since then I have been keeping the window bumped down about 1/16 of a inch , it has been a year and I have not had any problems with the window since.
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 09:12 PM
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Originally Posted by 2000 Red Vette
I had this exact same problem you are having ,when I would push the down button it would make a clicking sound , I had to take the door panel off and tap on the motor while pushing the down button and it freed up the window. A month later it happened again this time I was able to slam the door while pushing on the down button , it took several tries but it finally went down. Since then I have been keeping the window bumped down about 1/16 of a inch , it has been a year and I have not had any problems with the window since.
Same here, Been having the same prob. It would work for a few months, then stop for a few months then out of the blue start working again. I`ve been leaving it down just a tad the last few weeks & its still working. Had everything replaced under warrenty in `05. Funny how it always seems to be the pass. window.
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 11:37 PM
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Well I pulled the door panel off and tapped on the motor. Didn't work. I unbolted the window, still doesn't work. Funilly enough I left my keys in my ignition with my car on the street overnight. Good thing I live in a nice neighborhood Still doesn't work. Looks like I'm gonna buy a new motor assembly.
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 11:43 PM
  #8  
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Originally Posted by 2000 Red Vette
I had this exact same problem you are having ,when I would push the down button it would make a clicking sound , I had to take the door panel off and tap on the motor while pushing the down button and it freed up the window. A month later it happened again this time I was able to slam the door while pushing on the down button , it took several tries but it finally went down. Since then I have been keeping the window bumped down about 1/16 of a inch , it has been a year and I have not had any problems with the window since.
Good to hear it still works. I have been trying the same approach of bumping the window down a fraction of an inch.

Also, my theory on why the passenger window seems to quit more often than the driver window is that the driver door gets slammed more. At least on my car it does since I rarely carry a passenger.
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Old Apr 12, 2009 | 08:35 PM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by Falmarri
Well I pulled the door panel off and tapped on the motor. Didn't work. I unbolted the window, still doesn't work. Funilly enough I left my keys in my ignition with my car on the street overnight. Good thing I live in a nice neighborhood Still doesn't work. Looks like I'm gonna buy a new motor assembly.
Try the hammer and screwdriver trick. (Pull the little cover off the two screws below the door handle and put the screwdriver between the two screws and wrap on it like no tomorrow while someone else pushes the window down button repeatedly. Dont give up while beating on the screwdriver! Beat it very hard, you are not hurting a thing. It WILL eventually come down. Then just dont raise the window all the way up. This will get you alot longer before having to buy another motor assmy)
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Old Apr 13, 2009 | 03:24 AM
  #10  
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It always seems to be the passenger side. I had the same problem. Instead of buying a new motor assembly, I removed the motor and opened it. It´s very easy to do. My problem was that the coals were dirty and the grease was alittle hard. So I cleaned it and moved it by hand to make it work. Reinstalled everything-it worked very fine since then. It was a lot cheaper than a new assembly. Just try, it´s easy.....
Greets
Dieter
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Old Apr 13, 2009 | 01:17 PM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Lear31A
. Then just dont raise the window all the way up. This will get you alot longer before having to buy another motor assmy)
I tried stopping the window just before it hits the stops, and eventually the window still stuck.
I think the key is to reverse the motor by running the window up, and then bumping the glass down about 1/16" so the drive gear and motor is unloaded.

And it is not ALWAYS the passenger side. I have had both my windows quit working. Since I replaced them and tried the above, both still work.
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Old Apr 18, 2009 | 06:34 PM
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Pardon my silly question but how exactly do you "bump" the glass down. What do you use to do that?
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Old May 5, 2013 | 12:38 PM
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Just in case people are still having issues and it doesn't seem to be the motor check the connectors. I had all the symptoms of a bad motor, hitting it hard enough even seemed to temporarily fix it but I was just shaking the connectors to get continuity unknowingly.

Here's more detail if it helps.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/c5-tec...onnectors.html

Good luck.
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Old Mar 8, 2014 | 01:43 PM
  #14  
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Slamming the door, banging on the armrest and then removing the little plastic insert and banging on a screwdriver inserted between the 2 screws all while holding the down button didn't work for me. I decided to remove the door panel and speaker (A lot easier and quicker than I thought it would be) and tap the motor. I gave it one light tap with a hammer while holding the down button it and it immediately dropped down, and continued to work every time I tried it while re-installing the door panel.
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Old Mar 13, 2014 | 10:28 PM
  #15  
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I know this is an old thread, but yep, banging the door armrest vigorously while holding the window button down will usually make the window work again, and often for a long time.

If eventually you decide to fix the problem in a more permanent way by installing a new window regulator, here is a good how-to video.....and also a good place to buy your regulator from.





.

Last edited by allred; Mar 13, 2014 at 10:31 PM.
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