Driver door window motor-salvage or replace?
#1
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Hey folks-
Into the driver door today to attempt window motor rehab. When I took the motor out a tablespoon or two of water poured out of the case. It looks pretty dang rusty & there's no way of getting that case open that I can see to get to the innards to clean it out. The outer wheel gear did turn when I twisted in the worm gear so it does move & isn't frozen. Should I blast it with liquid wrench & clean what I can, or snag a new one & not waste my time?
Thanks in advance!
C
Into the driver door today to attempt window motor rehab. When I took the motor out a tablespoon or two of water poured out of the case. It looks pretty dang rusty & there's no way of getting that case open that I can see to get to the innards to clean it out. The outer wheel gear did turn when I twisted in the worm gear so it does move & isn't frozen. Should I blast it with liquid wrench & clean what I can, or snag a new one & not waste my time?
Thanks in advance!
C
#2
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Well, I decided to try rehab first. Cleaned the rust off the worm gear with a wire brush & Liquid Wrench. Hit the contacts with electronic cleaner. Got a wire brush for cleaning copper tubing from the hardware store (looks like a mini bottle brush) & went at the inner gears with that and some Liquid Wrench. The gears spin freely by hand now. ![Smilie](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
It's drying in the sun now after a few quick rinses in the sink to wash the gunk out. I wiped out the innards as best I could with paper towels & QTips first. Got my fingers crossed for another cheap but super messy fix!
![Smilie](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
It's drying in the sun now after a few quick rinses in the sink to wash the gunk out. I wiped out the innards as best I could with paper towels & QTips first. Got my fingers crossed for another cheap but super messy fix!
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#3
Three Wheelin'
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Sounds like you did a good job on the clean-out and hope it works. Don't forget to re-grease the gears. It would have taken more time than you spent to find another one, and then you'de have to wait for it and clean it up also. The R&R time is the same each way so you saved probably $50 for an hours work.
#6
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Defintely worth fixing yours firts before buying a replacement. Also, as John says, you need to find where that water is coming from. Did your door have the plastic water barrier on it when you removed the panel?
#7
Three Wheelin'
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Here's a tip...use a brass brush to clean the motor innards. The cover should come off after the 2 torx (T20) screws are off. Use some gasket maker to seal the motor cover back. I pried the gear cover off and used JB Weld to secure it back after I cleaned things up. YMMV
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#8
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I had similar problems with water ingress and seizing both motors.I found old SAAB 900 used the same motor so cheap to pick up used ones on ebay. Also SAAB used moulded plastic covers for their motors. These are often on SAAB ebay site. They ensure no more water on your motors
#9
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Ha Ha! Fixed it! Goes up & down just as it should now. I hit all moving parts with some white grease to keep it smooth. The PO used friikin' masking tape in random spots at a feeble attempt to keep water out. I'll remedy that with some good glue & a cheapo shower curtain. Mirror switch is still DOA, but I did get the passenger side to jump a bit. Mebbe I'll try & get the case open & clean the contacts. I think this car sat out in inclement weather for some time judging by the rust in the sunroof cables from that R & R and now the window motor. Anyway, one more item to scratch off the to-do list!!!
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#10
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Well done, I've tried that on a few and some work, some don't.
I think everyone should have a roll of silicone tape, great for water proofing stuff.
I think everyone should have a roll of silicone tape, great for water proofing stuff.
#11
Nordschleife Master
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The mirror switch can be cleaned - just be careful not to lose the 4 ball bearings in there when you open the case
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You might find some aggressive wiggling of the switch hat is enough to bust through the corrosion.. one of my cars the switch didn't work at all when I first tried it - now all directions work.
#12
Team Owner
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good job on rehabbing the motor, also lubricate the inside of the door handle locking mechanisim before you button it back up this will keep the outside door handle from breaking.
before you take the 4 way rocker switch apart take the L/R direction switch apart work on a towel to catch parts this one usually stops the 4 way from working
before you take the 4 way rocker switch apart take the L/R direction switch apart work on a towel to catch parts this one usually stops the 4 way from working
#13
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Thanks for the advice-I'll hit up everything mentioned. I scraped a fair amount of crud out of the joystick with a tiny screwdriver & blasted it with electrical contact cleaner last night. I'll try it out when I get back to the homestead later. Going to do a search on door lock mechanisms while the panel is off--driver door lock doesn't work from outside. It'll trigger/disable alarm, but doesn't move. Goes up & down when the passenger side is locked from the outside. Does this sound like the cylinder is shot? I guess I'll find out after my search
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#14
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Just did the window joy stick. Not too bad, mine had crud in them.
My mirrors never work on the Strosek since I've had it. Just thought they weren't hooked up. My passengers side mirror fell off at SITM so I got the meter out this week and check for voltages but didn't get anything.
Removed the driver’s side arm rest and pulled the mirror connectors of. Found there was power present so I removed the switch and took it apart.
Use a very small screwdriver or xacto knife to open it up, there is a detent on either side.
There are three posts with springs, they go into three cups which sit in the base.
Clean everything well, use a Q tip in the cups and base. On the base you will see the contacts on the sides where each cup sits. When the joy stick is moved it makes contact with the contact area so make sure they are clean.
Pay attention when you put it back together, there is a an alignment tab.
Love having the mirrors work! Should have done this years ago!
Good luck!
My mirrors never work on the Strosek since I've had it. Just thought they weren't hooked up. My passengers side mirror fell off at SITM so I got the meter out this week and check for voltages but didn't get anything.
Removed the driver’s side arm rest and pulled the mirror connectors of. Found there was power present so I removed the switch and took it apart.
Use a very small screwdriver or xacto knife to open it up, there is a detent on either side.
There are three posts with springs, they go into three cups which sit in the base.
Clean everything well, use a Q tip in the cups and base. On the base you will see the contacts on the sides where each cup sits. When the joy stick is moved it makes contact with the contact area so make sure they are clean.
Pay attention when you put it back together, there is a an alignment tab.
Love having the mirrors work! Should have done this years ago!
Good luck!
#15
Three Wheelin'
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For the window, seat and mirror switches try DeOxIt D5. You can get it at local electronic supply houses or on line. I did take apart my mirror switch and repaired it on my 78. Mostly crap inside.
As far as the window motors the most common cause of failure is congealed grease in the gears. Clean that out and replace with white grease and they are generally good to go. Most likely source of water is the outer lower window seal. But that brings up the question as to what you are doing driving the car in the rain. Porsche's are allergic to water. The bad news is the seal is about $125 with no secondary source and used ones are always cracked.
While in there consider replacing the plastic slides and checking the felt bumpers that hold the window in place. With these replaced the window will no longer rattle and will go up and down smoothly. At least for a while.
As far as the window motors the most common cause of failure is congealed grease in the gears. Clean that out and replace with white grease and they are generally good to go. Most likely source of water is the outer lower window seal. But that brings up the question as to what you are doing driving the car in the rain. Porsche's are allergic to water. The bad news is the seal is about $125 with no secondary source and used ones are always cracked.
While in there consider replacing the plastic slides and checking the felt bumpers that hold the window in place. With these replaced the window will no longer rattle and will go up and down smoothly. At least for a while.