Power window regulator problems

[mabrijo]

I have a 2002 Buick La Sabre with only 20,000 miles. In August 2004 my passenger side rear window went down and did not go back up. Brought it to dealer and was replaced without charge since it was under warranty. November 2004 my passenger side front window went down and did not go up. Brought it back to dealer and this time was charged over $500 to have the same part replaced since it was only three weeks past the warranty. Spoke to General Motors and was told there is no recall on these little plastic wheels used for the power windows.

Since reading this forum I have found many, many other people having the same problems. What do I have to do, NOT USE THE WINDOWS, for fear another window will go down and not go up. THIS IS UTTERLY REDICULOUS. I also have a 16 year old Cadillac and never had this problem with the windows.

They just lost a GOOD General Motors customer since all of my cars since 1954 have been General Motors. Now I have second thoughts.

[NullReference]

I agree, there are four of these on our cars. Does this mean we should just budget in an extra $2000 in car repairs? This should not be a $500 repair.

I have to update my experience with http://www.1aauto.com/. They called me back to apologize and say that they don't have the part and don't know when they will carry it again.

He seemed like he was sorry until I asked him to let me know when they have it back in stock. He didn't want to be bothered with me, I was clearly just a sale to him and since the sale was gone, he didn't want to have to think about me any more. He told me I should just keep checking the website.

They also charged my credit card (there are serveral days between the charge and the credit). Since I was refering you to them, I thought I should update you with the fact that they didn't come through for me.

[swipter]

Due to the fact that I have had CONTINUAS power window issues, I will not buy another GM. The windows in my car work when they want. When it gets hot here, in Phoenix, AZ, only the driver one will work. WHen it is cool in the morning more of them will work. You can get in the car and start it and they will all work. Go into the store for a minute, come back out and start the car and only one will work. Been like this for three years but the warranty went a while ago. I have just lived with it. The car is paid off and I don't want another payment right now but when it is time you can bet your bottom dollar it will be a foreign car. It is things like this that have caused the American auto market to go bust. Attention to detail is the key. Buick doesn't have it.

[NC-Lesabre]

Ouch $500 per window! Try someone other than the dealer next time. Companies that do windshield replacement sometimes have competent people who can do a power window regulator.

I was able to get the parts from a dealer at wholesale. I removed the door panel and had a fellow who does auto glass remove and replace the regulator.

I had trouble with the power window motors on a '95 Firebird but it is completely different from what we have in the Lesabres. On the Firebird and Cameros it is just that the window motor is weak for that big piece of glass and the regulator is of the old gear design, no cable.

Does anyone know of other owners with GM cars of the same platform as the Lesabre having trouble with the windows?

If the window is erratic about going down I believe that it may be another problem. Try bumping the switch a couple of times. Also, the switch could be failing.

Granted this problem is a pain in the ass but it won't keep me from buying another GM product.

Jim in NC
'96 Impala
'98 Z71
'96 Corvette (LT4)
'00 Lesabre

[UtahArrow]

I've owned my 2000 Lesabre for 3 months. The left rear regulator came apart a couple weeks ago. I have the regulator removed, and the window propped up, so I can drive the car.
Examining the regulator has been an eye-opener. The plastic parts that contain the tension spring appear to have been GLUED TOGETHER from the factory.
While having this door apart, the front left regulator is going out. Unbelievable.
Since the plastic assembly is held together with glue, and subject to heat and cold, I expect about a 100% failure rate during the life of the car.
I'm kinda handy with tools, so I'm going to try to rebuild the first one myself, and will attempt to make it better than original. May be a futile effort.

[NC-Lesabre]

I just finished replacing the front passenger door's regulator and motor. That makes 4 of 4 now replaced over a 15 month period.

UtahArrow, if you have success with your fix, you should consider either sharing you method or going into the exchange business. I could send you 3 broken regulators to assist you with a beginning inventory.

Jim
Chapel Hill, NC
'96 Impala
'96 Corvette
'02 WRX
'96 Taco
'00 Lesabre

[imidazol97]

Originally Posted by NC-Lesabre

I just finished replacing the front passenger door's regulator and motor. That makes 4 of 4 now replaced over a 15 month period.

UtahArrow, if you have success with your fix, you should consider either sharing you method or going into the exchange business. I could send you 3 broken regulators to assist you with a beginning inventory.

If you can take some digital pictures and post them to show what you did and how it would be a big help to a lot of us who may have this happening in our future.

[UtahArrow]

I rebuilt the rear driver side cable assembly with common hardware from Lowe's, a little jury-rigging, and some luck. Parts were about 6 bucks.
I used about 10 feet of 1/16 galvanized cable, some cable stops, a couple drill bits, some ferrules that looked close to the factory parts.
The 4 plastic parts in the regulator that are glued together to make 2 pieces are the culprits that cause the problem. I tried Gorilla glue and Superglue, but these work about as well as the factory job. So I heated the pieces with a torch and melted them together at the glue seam. Then I sanded the plastic parts down on a grinding wheel. Probably better seam than the original. Buick should have shot these parts in the mold in 2 parts, instead of 4.
There's one plastic part that, when the glue deteriorates, falls down the cable and gets caught in the cable spool. Knocks the cable loose, and bad things happen. I took a steel L bracket, and cut and sawed and drilled on it until I could fit it in between the spool and the spring assembly, and ran the cable through it. If the plastic part comes loose again, it won't be able to drift down into the spool.
The front driver side had the same plastic problems. Glue deteriorated, and the parts tried to destroy the regulator cable. I caught this one in time, the cable was ok, just spooled bad. Melted the pieces together, sanded them, built an L bracket. The whole front job took about 3 hours to figure out and fix. The back one was more time consuming. The passenger side should go really quick when they go bad.

Joe

[kjn]

Joe, I am having the same problem with my 2001 drivers side rear window. Can you describe or have pictures of the way the cable should make its loop to the top, so the window does not fall down? My window motor seems to be okay, but the cable seemed to come off it's position on top, so now the window will not stay up. My problem is without taking out the motor/regulator I can't figure out how the cable connects on top or its route. Do you have a diagram or anything? See my post under lesabre rear window by kjn. I do a lot of fixing myself and was very interested in your post.
thanks, Ken.

Originally Posted by UtahArrow

I rebuilt the rear driver side cable assembly with common hardware from Lowe's, a little jury-rigging, and some luck. Parts were about 6 bucks.
I used about 10 feet of 1/16 galvanized cable, some cable stops, a couple drill bits, some ferrules that looked close to the factory parts.
The 4 plastic parts in the regulator that are glued together to make 2 pieces are the culprits that cause the problem. I tried Gorilla glue and Superglue, but these work about as well as the factory job. So I heated the pieces with a torch and melted them together at the glue seam. Then I sanded the plastic parts down on a grinding wheel. Probably better seam than the original. Buick should have shot these parts in the mold in 2 parts, instead of 4.
There's one plastic part that, when the glue deteriorates, falls down the cable and gets caught in the cable spool. Knocks the cable loose, and bad things happen. I took a steel L bracket, and cut and sawed and drilled on it until I could fit it in between the spool and the spring assembly, and ran the cable through it. If the plastic part comes loose again, it won't be able to drift down into the spool.
The front driver side had the same plastic problems. Glue deteriorated, and the parts tried to destroy the regulator cable. I caught this one in time, the cable was ok, just spooled bad. Melted the pieces together, sanded them, built an L bracket. The whole front job took about 3 hours to figure out and fix. The back one was more time consuming. The passenger side should go really quick when they go bad.

Joe

[bocephus101]

More power windows regulator news... I have a 2001 LeSabre and 3 of the windows have gone out. First one was a rear window and dealer fixed that one for $500.00 next one was a front unit. I ordered a replacement off of ebay for $100.00 which was $20-40 cheaper than any parts place. Next one was the other rear which I removed and repaired.
To remove you need to be mechanically inclined and not afraid to take things apart. Remove the plastic piece from the door handle area it just pops out from the narrow end there is a screw here you need to remove. All the door panels are one piece and easy to remove with a large screw driver to pry them off the door frame. Disconnect the wiring harness to the control switches and set panel aside. Remove the door control unit from mounting and you may have to disconnect it from connectors also. Remove the black plastic piece covering the opening. Careful this has a sticky black glue like substance holding it on all around outer edges.
Now your ready for the fun part removing the actual regulator unit. Remove the motor connector then you need to loosen the bolts clamping the track parts to the window itself. There are holes at the upper end of track for this purpose if you can get window to this position good. Also there are rubber insert may be stuck to the window and need to be loosened. I then taped the glass window to the door in the fully closed position. If your got this far good the regulator is held in by 3 nuts on stud bolts remove these then work the regulator out the lower right opening this can take some doing also. I had a real hard time with the rear one as the track was all the way up and would not move down. It was behind the window glass and hard to get it loose and out.
On my rear one once out I found the only thing wrong was the cabel had torn through the cheap plastic track mechanism. There is a black cover on rear side of track mech. that covers the ends of cable one end has a spring on it other is just a clamp in a hole in the plastic and the black cover keeps the ends in the track mech. On mine the non spring end had pulled throught the plastic so I just removed the motor and drive parts and with the slack in the cable just placed the end in the same cubby hole as the spring end. Remount the motor and drive mech. then reinserted the black cover. This was tight and not easy but I did manage to get it back together.
I tried the unit and it worked fine but rather than try push the issue I just decided to put the window back together and leave it in up and disconnect the motor. This at least make it where the window will stay up and who uses the reat windows anyway.

[marknsn]

To answer the question if any other GM cars are having the same problem... I have a 2000 Impala LS, and I'm on my third. I stumbled across this site while trying to find a way to fix that cheesy plastic spool and the mess of wires.
Good Luck to all, keep the faith and buy American!

[bocephus101]

Cars and trucks with power windows seem to be using a similar mechanism and are all giving trouble of some kind. My son-in-laws 94 Ford PU is having similar troubles and he said he found it is a set of plastic gears in mechanism. Replacement uses metal gears..why didn`t they do that to start with???..Cheap Cheap
Bocephus

[joedownsouth]

I have a 2000 Buick Lesabre and all four of my windows not working will try and fix it myself if I could take off the door panels any help would be greatly appreciated

[bocephus101]

Originally Posted by joedownsouth

I have a 2000 Buick Lesabre and all four of my windows not working will try and fix it myself if I could take off the door panels any help would be greatly appreciated

The door panels come off as one piece except for the part around the handle which pops out with a screw driver and I used a large long bladed flat screw driver to remove the panel. Just watch out for scratching the paint. Pry the panel off until you can get your fingers or hand behind it and then just pull it off working around it or it may just pop off. I started prying around the ouside edge where you can have some room. Hope that helps.

[rethoo]

First I want to thank Bocephus101 for his guidance on how to repair/replace the LeSabre window regulator. Following his advice, I was able to replace my broken left rear window regulator on my 2001 LeSabre. In turn, I have posted photos and a general description of my work on this site: go to Member galleries; user name "rethoo"; look under "window regulator replacement".
I did not try to repair the regulator. I purchased a new one from www.directauto.com for $94.95 plus shipping. I have a 2nd one on order - my front passenger side window regulator is also broken.
Again, thank you Bocephus101. I hope that my photos and descriptions are helpful to someone.
Best Regards,
rethoo