1998 Park Avenue Driver Side window problem

Hi All,

I've read the posts concerning problems with the power windows but I haven't seen one that relates to my problem.

Problem: Driver side window goes up slow after about half way. After Moving the window up I can hear the motor continue to try to crank the window up until I slightly click down on the window switch. Any help would be great.

Thanks

It sounds like you have either a worn out motor/ regulator assembly (gears or linkage excessively worn) If possible have the door panel removed and inspect the regulator assembly as you roll the window up, check if there is any damage or extreme wear on the mechanism.

Cool. Will do this weekend and let you know how it turns out.

Hi All,

I've read the posts concerning problems with the power windows but I haven't seen one that relates to my problem.

Problem: Driver side window goes up slow after about half way. After Moving the window up I can hear the motor continue to try to crank the window up until I slightly click down on the window switch. Any help would be great.

Thanks

Just another thing to check. My window on a 97 was also getting slow about half way up. Turns out the window was getting on the outside of the rubber gasket in the window channel. If I roll my window down and back up I have to guide the window by hand so it doesn't get stuck on the gasket.

My window just doesnt go up - Could this be the motor or something else?

holaday, it could be just your switch. If you don't have a volt meter, try jumping the wires to another one of your switches.

As in my switch, that means the physical switch I push to make the window do its thing? I'm gonna try your idea - does that mean i need to take the pos and neg wires from a good switch and connect it to the pos and neg of the window? It seems simple. I am in the right direction?

Thanks for the help,
David

Yep, that's it. Take the positive and negative wires from your switch, and connect them to any of the other switches that are in working order. And trust me, there is WAY MORE than enough extra wire to play with inside the door than I would have ever expected, making the job very easy! This is how I tested my switch before I had a volt meter. I had to disable my rear driver side window (which is never used anyway) to use my driver window until I had a chance to pick up a "new" switch at the boneyard. After this, I simply soldered and taped up the wires and everything ran good as new!

Some good news. I talked with my mechanic this weekend. He had to do some minor work on my car so I told him to take a look at the window. Well, he didn't take off the window panel but told me when I came to pick up the car that it was def. my motor. I have removed everything, including the panel and the black plastic protective coating. I am just no so sure that this might be it. Should I order a new motor? And no, I havn't checked the switch - he def seems to think it's the motor.

Thanks

Can someone tell me how to remove the door panel? I took off the plastic around the door handle, and I removed the window switches, and the 2 lights, and I found 1 screw only. What am I missing? any info would be great.

For those who have a window that operates slowly, or pops out of the rubber trim, I'm going to suggest something is worn, or loose, and allowing the window to cock on an angle. Both of my front windows do this, and the driver's one is terrible, and I can see the window tilt. My passenger side window goes slowly at times, but hasn't jumped the rubber trim yet, and isn't loose enough to make the tilting so apparent, but I'm sure it's tilting.

Once I get the door panel off, and see what's wrong, I'll post back here with results, but, I have to get the darn panel off first.


Sam , (western new york)

Mad9C1...I am having the same problem with my drivers side window (have not taken time yet to take it apart). Others have had the same problem (please search the other threads-I do not know how to insert hyperlinks). Seems like there are a couple of adjustments that can be made, sometimes the adjustment screw has simply come loose. Apart from that, I think a regulator can go bad.

For removing the door, find the thread "1997 PA door panels," currently on page 9. That thread also has a link to a site with pictures. Hope this helps...the door is really not that hard to remove (except for maybe that plastic pin in the defroster duct). Also, it will be good to see what you find.

Bigsky, Thanks for the link.

That is the info i was looking for. I remember in the old days we used to remove screws, and then there were those pesty plastic things we had to just kinda pry apart, and then we'd lift the panel off. Today, it's the same, but the pesty parts seem to have been replaced with a better hook type system. My biggest issue though, was the fact I totally missed the access panel in the arm rest, which should have appeared to be a clue to me, but the one in the vent hole I would never have seen.

I have the window issue that has been going on since I bought this car (1997 Park Ave) in late December, but the other day, the linkage popped off the door handle, making it impossible to get into the driver's door with the window closed. So, it has become more urgent that I get in there to see what the issues are, and to see if I need to re-attach my linkage, or replace the door handle if it has broken.

I'll post back here with my results when I get to it.

thanks again for the info, and the link.


Sam B. (Western New York)

just be careful when you pull off the panel. I had had one of the plastic hooks broken. when nunscew all the screws (including the lighton the edge), pull the whole panel upwards first, there are about 6 ot 7 hooks on the back. once all of them released, th epanel will fall off easily

Update to my Problem: "Driver side window goes up slow after about half way. After Moving the window up I can hear the motor continue to try to crank the window up until I slightly click down on the window switch. Any help would be great."

So.... The window channel (regulator) was bent and that was causing the window to go up slow... this also shorted the motor which is why it continued to go up after the switch was released. I found a new motor for cheap at rockauto.com but they only sell the motor, not the motor with regulator. I was also able to find a used motor and window regulator from a local junk yard for about $60. Thanks for all the replies.

Update to my Problem: "Driver side window goes up slow after about half way. After Moving the window up I can hear the motor continue to try to crank the window up until I slightly click down on the window switch. Any help would be great."

So.... The window channel (regulator) was bent and that was causing the window to go up slow... this also shorted the motor which is why it continued to go up after the switch was released. I found a new motor for cheap at rockauto.com but they only sell the motor, not the motor with regulator. I was also able to find a used motor and window regulator from a local junk yard for about $60. Thanks for all the replies.



Thanks for the update. I opened my door panel, and got into the door a bit, and it appears the X looking arms that drive the window up and down, are flexing. where they connect into the rails, I think the plastic peices, which are attached on a sort of pin, seem to be the culprit for me. Do you have any pics or links showing the regulator? Is this assembly with the rails, and the cross bars , the regulator assembly?

Thanks again for the info..


Sam B.

Thanks for the update. I opened my door panel, and got into the door a bit, and it appears the X looking arms that drive the window up and down, are flexing. where they connect into the rails, I think the plastic peices, which are attached on a sort of pin, seem to be the culprit for me. Do you have any pics or links showing the regulator? Is this assembly with the rails, and the cross bars , the regulator assembly?

Thanks again for the info..


Sam B.
You can find the motor for a good price at this link; Buick Power Window Motors (http://www.a1electric.com/catalog/cat_buickmtr.htm)
Diagnosing and replacing a power window regulator & motor in a Pontiac Grand Am (http://www.a1electric.com/grandam.htm)

What I found on our 1997 PA and on my parents 1997 & 2000 PA's drivers side window problem is that the rubber strip on the rear folds in and binds up when the window is going up.

Given that all 3 of our cars are doing this and we do know of another PA of a friend that is doing the same I am surprised to see that this hasn't been addressed. This problem would cause the failure of the arms/etc inside the door if a person didn't know what is causing the window to bind and would keep trying to move the window.

The glass itself is being held firmly enough and it tends to rotate a bit forward when going up and then the seal folds in.

What I found on our 1997 PA and on my parents 1997 & 2000 PA's drivers side window problem is that the rubber strip on the rear folds in and binds up when the window is going up.

Given that all 3 of our cars are doing this and we do know of another PA of a friend that is doing the same I am surprised to see that this hasn't been addressed. This problem would cause the failure of the arms/etc inside the door if a person didn't know what is causing the window to bind and would keep trying to move the window.

The glass itself is being held firmly enough and it tends to rotate a bit forward when going up and then the seal folds in.


It is my belief that the arms that hold the window in place, and guide the window up and down, begin to get worn, and loose, and allows the window to tilt forward, which is why the window seems to bite the rubber trim near the rear of the window. if you grab the top of the window, and pull upward, and downward, and forward and backward, you will notice it is looser than it appears. Check it out and let us know what you think.

I think the problem is not the rubber, but rather, the parts inside the door.

I have a 97 PA and have a similar problem with the driver side window. Except that mine goes part way down, gets really slow (sometimes, when it's cold out trips the "auto down" feature) for a while, then speeds up to full open. I'm going to check it this week end for regulator binding. Are the motors for all the doors the same? The way they are mounted, it looks like they might be. If I can use one of the motors from one of the rear windows it would save me some $$$. Don't really use the rear windows anyway.

Thanks

I have a 97 PA and have a similar problem with the driver side window. Except that mine goes part way down, gets really slow (sometimes, when it's cold out trips the "auto down" feature) for a while, then speeds up to full open. I'm going to check it this week end for regulator binding. Are the motors for all the doors the same? The way they are mounted, it looks like they might be. If I can use one of the motors from one of the rear windows it would save me some $$$. Don't really use the rear windows anyway.

Thanks


When you disassemble the door, you'll notice the 2 metal strips that criss cross, and they slide along a track. add some grease to the track to allow it to slide better, before yours gets as bad as mine. Upon searching, I can only find the motor and reulator together, and not seperately. This is the only reason you or I would need a new motor. It sounds like your motor is fine...it's the rugulator (metal strips the ride in the track), that is the problem.

I think yours is getting slow, but not loose and sloppy. If that's true, some grease in the track should do the trick. smear a thin layer across the inner part of the track where the end of the ragulator slides, but don't put so much that it cakes and gets on the window, or collects a ton of dust and debis. Had I done that in the beginning, I wouldn't have my window tilting almost far enough to fall out. I'll be forced to buy the motor and regulator as one. I have not bought one yet, as money is tight. My passengers window is doing the same thing, but not as bad.

Good Luck. I hope this was helpful.

Sam B.

Thanks for the info. I'll check it out this week end. Through some research, I found that the motor and gear assembly for the driver door and right passenger appear to be the same. If there is a problem with the gear assembly, I guess I could swap them. I'll check the regulator and window guides first, though.