Window motor stopped working (water inside) - how to rebuild
11-03-2011, 03:13 PM
#1
Drifting
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Window motor stopped working (water inside) - how to rebuild
1989 S4
Passenger side window stopped working. Removed motor - water poured out.
Took it apart and cleaned what I could - no go.
I have a spare motor I bought from someone here and it is sporadic - works sometimes, sometimes it doesn't (helps if you hit it with a hammer).
Here are the two inside parts of the motor.....
The motor on the left is the one that quit - the one on the right is the rebuild I bought on Rennlist.....
Note the wear on the windings....does that make a difference?
Now....here is the motor that quit....look at the nice grooves where the spring-loaded bushing hit....
...but the rebuild is worn badly in this area....
Both bushing don't stick and seem to be in good shape....
So, what can I basically clean, etc. to get one good working motor here?
Also, I wanted to swap the window motor switch wires...just to double-check if it is a bad switch, but the wires that appear to be coming from the switches don't make a difference when I unplug them.
In the pics below, what do I unplug/switch to make the drivers side switch work the passenger side door???
...I thought it was this connector (the green one), but it made no difference when I unplugged it....
Passenger side window stopped working. Removed motor - water poured out.
Took it apart and cleaned what I could - no go.
I have a spare motor I bought from someone here and it is sporadic - works sometimes, sometimes it doesn't (helps if you hit it with a hammer).
Here are the two inside parts of the motor.....
The motor on the left is the one that quit - the one on the right is the rebuild I bought on Rennlist.....
Note the wear on the windings....does that make a difference?
Now....here is the motor that quit....look at the nice grooves where the spring-loaded bushing hit....
...but the rebuild is worn badly in this area....
Both bushing don't stick and seem to be in good shape....
So, what can I basically clean, etc. to get one good working motor here?
Also, I wanted to swap the window motor switch wires...just to double-check if it is a bad switch, but the wires that appear to be coming from the switches don't make a difference when I unplug them.
In the pics below, what do I unplug/switch to make the drivers side switch work the passenger side door???
...I thought it was this connector (the green one), but it made no difference when I unplugged it....
11-03-2011, 03:40 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
The commutator looks as though it could do with a good polish. Ensure that the brushes are a good sliding fit in their housing- clean off any dust on the sides. Assemble the motor and run it on the bench from a battery. If you cannot get either motor to run smoothly then they are probably both shot.
You might also try spraying the armature that was wetted throroughly with WD40 to displace moisture. Perhaps blow it with a hair dryer for a good 10 minutes before the WD40.
Not mcuh else you can do with a DC motor-either it works or it does not. If it does not maybe a rewind but $???
Regards
Fred
You might also try spraying the armature that was wetted throroughly with WD40 to displace moisture. Perhaps blow it with a hair dryer for a good 10 minutes before the WD40.
Not mcuh else you can do with a DC motor-either it works or it does not. If it does not maybe a rewind but $???
Regards
Fred
11-03-2011, 04:45 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
Jeff,
In our part of the world we still have workshops employing artisans from Asia who can actually do repair work rather than fit new and throw away. In Western economies labour costs kill this this- no one could do it in the West for $90 I suspect but here it is a distinct possibility.
Over here, if we need replacements we often have to pay double the price for spare parts and if we import, after air freight and 5% duties not much in the final cost.
Regards
Fred
In our part of the world we still have workshops employing artisans from Asia who can actually do repair work rather than fit new and throw away. In Western economies labour costs kill this this- no one could do it in the West for $90 I suspect but here it is a distinct possibility.
Over here, if we need replacements we often have to pay double the price for spare parts and if we import, after air freight and 5% duties not much in the final cost.
Regards
Fred
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11-03-2011, 05:48 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
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The rebuilt commutator doesn't look worn, just dirty - perhaps from grease and dirt. The "bushings" are brushes, to conduct power to the commutator (the segmented copper part).
I have had two different window motor problems on my '86S. On one side, the motor windings were not making good contact with the commutator segments on the armature. Carefully scrape the wire next to the bent-over piece, and apply a tiny drop of solder. Do every connection, being careful not to short two together. No cost to fix, takes two hours total. WYAIT, lube & clean everything.
The other problem was a little more interesting. I assumed that it would be the same as the drivers side problem, but after I soldered the wires, it still didn't work. A little troubleshooting revealed that the motor has a tiny thermal protection device in the end of the motor. If you are getting power to one connection on the end bell (the molded plastic end of the motor), but not to the brushes, this may be the problem. There is a little black block that is inserted into the end bell. Unsolder it and pry it out. Take a razor knife, and carefully cut around the base to remove the cover. Using very fine sandpaper, clean the contacts, and adjust them so that you get electrical continuity through the contacts. Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly. Again, no cost. If you can't get continuity thru the thermal circuit breaker, you can just bypass it - the motor is toast if you don't, so the risk of burning out the armature doesn't matter.
I have had two different window motor problems on my '86S. On one side, the motor windings were not making good contact with the commutator segments on the armature. Carefully scrape the wire next to the bent-over piece, and apply a tiny drop of solder. Do every connection, being careful not to short two together. No cost to fix, takes two hours total. WYAIT, lube & clean everything.
The other problem was a little more interesting. I assumed that it would be the same as the drivers side problem, but after I soldered the wires, it still didn't work. A little troubleshooting revealed that the motor has a tiny thermal protection device in the end of the motor. If you are getting power to one connection on the end bell (the molded plastic end of the motor), but not to the brushes, this may be the problem. There is a little black block that is inserted into the end bell. Unsolder it and pry it out. Take a razor knife, and carefully cut around the base to remove the cover. Using very fine sandpaper, clean the contacts, and adjust them so that you get electrical continuity through the contacts. Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly. Again, no cost. If you can't get continuity thru the thermal circuit breaker, you can just bypass it - the motor is toast if you don't, so the risk of burning out the armature doesn't matter.
11-03-2011, 09:48 PM
#9
Drifting
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After a few hours of trying different combos of the two motor parts, I finally got one working motor.
Turns out the plastic end piece on the motor that went bad recently would not work, no matter what other parts were used.
The core piece on the rebuild I bought was iffy - it would work sporadically.
I took the core from the motor that recently quit and used the plastic end from the rebuild motor and it worked!!
P.S. - when re-inserting the motor guts back inside, if the end of the motor shaft doesn't fit into that ball at the end of the housing correctly (the ball can get turned slightly), the shaft will sit too high and the bushing don't hit in the right spot....that lil' problem had me stumped for a while.
Turns out the plastic end piece on the motor that went bad recently would not work, no matter what other parts were used.
The core piece on the rebuild I bought was iffy - it would work sporadically.
I took the core from the motor that recently quit and used the plastic end from the rebuild motor and it worked!!
P.S. - when re-inserting the motor guts back inside, if the end of the motor shaft doesn't fit into that ball at the end of the housing correctly (the ball can get turned slightly), the shaft will sit too high and the bushing don't hit in the right spot....that lil' problem had me stumped for a while.
11-04-2011, 01:36 AM
#12
Rennlist Member
11-04-2011, 04:16 AM
#13
Three Wheelin'
That’s a great idea but might I suggest instead of using sandpaper or scotchbrite, use a fine metal file. A metal file will help true the commutator while it cleans it and will not embed silica into it which can act as an insulator.
