How I replaced that power window regulator

[84pininfarinablack]

today I tackled the broken cable on my power window regulator.. drivers side.
By searching this forum I was able to come up with the right answers but the right answers were spread over 4 posts. I thought I should share how I did it.. First off its not as hard as it looks. First get a picture drawing of the regulator wire so you know what direction it goes in. it goes up down and across and down and across again.. Prior to starting get a clue on which pulley the wire goes on next.
If you broke your wire you dont need to buy a new regulator or motor. the wire itself can be replaced at any hardware store.
Prior to removing the regulator / motor from the door I was intimidated and decided to buy one on ebay .. THinking I shouldnt reconnect a broken cable. Get a new cable. it feeds into a little hole on the track of the spool.. on the inside of the spool a little metal clip / wire connecter gets squeezed on with pliers. the wire secures to the spool nicely. and after removing 3 bolts on the regulator the spool falls right out.. easy removal.
Ok so we have the new wire thing solved.. the wire runs on the spool and does NOT overlap itself.. it doesnt criss cross or anything like that.. the spool has a track which that wire runs in.. prior to installation tighten the wire around the spool and an the track on alternate sides of the spool tighten it after being perfectly wound 3 times by hand and take a twist tie from a garbage bag and twist the two wires exiting the spool together ... this keeps the spool tight and it wont loosen up while you are goofing around with putting in the regulator and running the wire over the proper pulleys... which is actually really easy on your 5th try... skinny hands required. Put the regulator in the same hole you pulled it out from... which is the big hole in the middle.. I fought with that little bottom right hole for an hour... go with the big hole.. push it back and up and it slides thru nicely. put the 3 bolts of the regulator back to attach it to the door. Start with the top exiting wire first leaving the spool.. it goes up to the top right pulley... then straight down to screw on window.. pull tight and tighten screw.. then straight down to pulley right under that screw... then all the way to far top left pulley... straight down to screw on window.. straight down to another pulley ... and then all the way back to regulator.. on way to regulator is your last pulley.. its the tension pully.. loosen bolt and slide left for easy putting on... and slide right to tighten it.. then tighten bolt again.. duhh.
now your all loooped up and ready to go.. spray some silicone grease on the wire.. .. Attach the two power wires... which are reversible.. if you tell your window to roll up and it rolls down... then switch the wires.. red or black to white is fine. then it goes up when you say up.. if your window does not roll all the way down.. or all the way up .. then loosen the two screws on the window that attach to your wire... start your car and power windows button up. (if wont roll down all the way) and down if wont roll up all the way.. let a little more cable thru the loose window screw as you would predict the window needs to travel... if it stops going down 5 inches early then let about 7 inches or wire thru your screw... then retighten screw and you are all set... now it will go all the way up or down.. Mine go up slowly.. and down quickly.. both doors.. I think thats a voltage issue and related to weak windshield wipers and lights. It could be your tracks / guides being bent or needing new padding / rubber interior of the guide.. those guides can be adjusted with bolts on bottom left and right of door. Good luck i hope this helps someone.. Ive got slow but working power windows... if anyone knows for sure why they go up so slow please post and let me know.. down fast and up slow. and no idea.

[zachmac]

Call me crazy but I think the slow up and fast down might involve a little thing called gravity? Mine do exactly the same thing.

[zachmac]

To test my theory, take a window assembly out, hold it about waist high and let go and see if it goes up, down or stays floating where it is!

[84pininfarinablack]

obviously gravity is slowing it up or friction or weak power to motor.. I find it hard to believe gravity is the only force at play here. On the showroom floor there is no way these windows went up this slowly. it literally goes down 6 times faster than up.
Ill post back after some attempts at fixing it..
wire cleaning i hope solves it.. if not maybe little gasoline motors for the doors.. wouldnt that be cool...

I like your test idea but waist high? wont that break the glass? thats the point right.. funny.

[NitroDemon]

the power windows I have in my porsche do the exact same thing, fast down, slow up.. I've just learned to live with it =P

[zachmac]

obviously gravity is slowing it up or friction or weak power to motor.. I find it hard to believe gravity is the only force at play here. On the showroom floor there is no way these windows went up this slowly. it literally goes down 6 times faster than up.
Ill post back after some attempts at fixing it..
wire cleaning i hope solves it.. if not maybe little gasoline motors for the doors.. wouldnt that be cool...

I like your test idea but waist high? wont that break the glass? thats the point right.. funny.

I agree that gravity doesn't explain it all and I appreciate that you got that I was trying to be funny. I am quite sure that you are correct that 30 years of dirt and wear, etc plus friction play a role. I know when I recently replaced the fuzzy inner strips I had to really smooch them (that's a technical term) to get the window to go up or down at all, After many cycles the glass is smooching the seal further and it is getting faster (albeit still slow up and fast down).

BTW, power windows in a sporty car in the 80's was novel enough that having them also work wasn't probably a consideration. I can here the salesman now saying, "It's a converetible, why would you want to put the windows up?"

[84pininfarinablack]

so you think some fuzzy stuff may help? might as well try.

[84pininfarinablack]

when did fiat first offer power windows as an option ? was it 83 or before that even..
all the door panels i see have all these extra holes in them... Im like WTF is this.. who would put so many holes in there door panel... WHY

[zachmac]

so you think some fuzzy stuff may help? might as well try.

No, the inner wipes (fuzzy stuff will actuallycause them to go slower. BUT, it also helps keep the metal from contacting the glass. I don't know when power windows were first offered but my 1980 has them.

[84pininfarinablack]

thanks for the tip... who sells the fuzzy stuff ? that was my first guess.

[arana]

I got so tired of having to manually assist the up part that I took the motors out and put a regular hand crank. For the old electric window controls, one of them now controls my telescope antenna and the other a multi-corona air horn (if you saw Lima traffic, you would understand the need).