Question about window regulators (G body)

[RFP]

So, I can't decide if I want to repair the 'missing' clockwork spring stop or not. My passenger side window goes up and down smoothly (just replaced window track felt guide). But with the little slotted spring stop not holding the spring with the proper tension, the window is a bit slower than it was when new.

Photo of stupid spring stop below... your car may have the same failure, I think a lot do (!)

My indecision about whether to dive into removing the regulator and fixing the spring stop, or just to call it "good" and go think about something else comes from my failure to understand how the motor is installed onto the regulator.

Questions: (1) Does the motor have to be indexed in a particular way? (2) Does the motor have built-in "stops" that limit up/down travel?

or...

(3) Does the motor just keep turning as it's switched for up or down and run until it is stopped by the window reaching the limits of travel?

I done a pretty good search and have read every thread I can find on the topic, but I can't find the answer to this question.

I'm not easily frightened by these cars, but this little job has me spooked!

An other tips on removing/re-installing the regulator are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Rob

[Noah930]

If the window still works (up and down), then I vote for leaving it alone. In fact, that's exactly what I'm doing with my driver's side window right now. The jury rig fix is easy (small machine screw with a shallow head, and a few locktited nuts on it to recreate the post function of the broken pivot). I've repaired the passenger side window, but that was while I was in there fixing a couple other things as well. The PITA factor of disassembling and reassembling the door card and regular doesn't make it worthwhile, if that's the only thing you have to fix.

In the end, repair is not difficult--just PITA. Those little access holes in the door inner sheetmetal never quite fit where my arms have to go.

If you repair it, the motor does not have to be indexed in any particular way.

The 'stops' of the motor are not affected by this window regulator or pivot. I think the 'stops' seem to be built into the switch itself (the thingie your finger actuates to make the window go up and down), because I've noticed that if the switch is broken in a manner in which it doesn't return to neutral when you take your finger off, then the window motor doesn't stop cranking up or down, and can burn out.

[RFP]

Originally Posted by Noah930

If the window still works (up and down), then I vote for leaving it alone. In fact, that's exactly what I'm doing with my driver's side window right now. < snip >

Thanks... you make a very compelling case! After the new felt track guides, my window is smooth as silk.

[sky1jord]

I replaced my driver's side motor without "indexing" anything or even jury-rigging a replacement for the infamous spring stop. The motor admittedly sounds like it's working a little harder than before when elevating, but not frighteningly so. I hope this suffices long-term.
I have no clue what stops its travel in either direction. I was so happy to come to a successful end to this ordeal that I just ran with it without investigation. That being said, I can't envision how the stopping points can be determined by the switches themselves, but a guess might be that it has to do with the power window control unit.

[sugarwood]

I'm pretty sure mine broke 5 years ago.
Heard a LOUD "pop" when lowering driver's window. Window still works

I have never bothered to fix it.
Window works perfectly fine and is not even slow.
I doubt the spring even does anything meaningful

I sometimes hear the broken screw rattle in the door around a turn
but have never bothered to see how complex removing the door panel is

[RFP]

Originally Posted by Noah930

If the window still works (up and down), then I vote for leaving it alone. In fact, that's exactly what I'm doing with my driver's side window right now. < snip >

Originally Posted by sugarwood

I'm pretty sure mine broke 5 years ago.
Heard a LOUD "pop" when lowering driver's window. Window still works

I have never bothered to fix it.
Window works perfectly fine and is not even slow.
I doubt the spring even does anything meaningful
< snip >

So, this morning I went out to the car with my smart phone 'stop watch,' and timed the up/down times for both the driver's side window and the passenger side. The results were pretty eye-opening.

Here are my times:

Driver side:
Down - 3.49 seconds
Up - 3.75 seconds

Passenger side:
Down - 3.28 seconds
Up - 4.20 seconds

These times indicated a couple of things to me. For starters, it is highly likely that my driver's side window regulator still has all its parts and they are working as designed. Secondly, it seems that the spring may has as much to do with equalizing up/down times as anything else: the resistance of the spring actually slightly slows the window going down just as it slightly speeds up the window going up. Witness the difference in down/up time of my driver's side window to be only a quarter-second or so.

The difference in the down/up times of my passenger side window is just under one second; and the difference in up time as compared to the driver's side is under a half-second.

So, if I go to the trouble (!) to "fix" the passenger side regulator, I could expect a modest increase in the down time (due to the resistance of the spring), and a slight decrease in the up time (due to spring assistance).

I may be insane, but I'm not crazy enough to do such a fiddly project for what would be essentially no improvement.

Happy day, yaw'll!