Door window Cable

nonstop · May 3, 2003

Passenger side front door window is not connected to its cables anymore

looking at the inside of the door Top left access hole I have a cable with a spring on it, and a cable with just an end on it, down on the bottom right access hole..

They connect some where but I don't know where.

Any of you guys runn into this before?

GnatGoSplat · May 7, 2003

If the cable is broken, you will need to replace the entire regulator assembly.

nonstop · May 10, 2003

Well after a week of driving around with good'ole duct tape holding my window up, I've fixed it.

I just tore the thing apart, found the bad cable and replaced it.

I used a small picture frame type cable 50" long. Cut a small peice of a spike(nail) drilled it and wha'la new cable.

Cost to replace the whole regulator=$300.00 plus

cost to fix a little cable=1.19

GnatGoSplat · May 12, 2003

Very creative fix! :thumb:

You didn't by chance take any pics, did you?

Did you just replace the broken section of cable, or did you replace the whole thing, rewrapping the new cable around the spool and everything?

Also, what did you do with the piece of spike that you drilled?

BTW, a whole regulator should be around $130. At least that's the price I paid for a power regulator from Sam Taylor.

nonstop · May 13, 2003

I did take a couple of pics during disassembly, but not on re assemably.

There are two cables that wrap around the motor spool, as one is unwrapping the other is wrapping around the spool.

It was one of these that broke.

The spike was used as an end for the cable, alot like a brake cable end. It worked really good, and wasn't all that hard to do, plus it saved me a few bucks

The $300.00 is in candaian.

GnatGoSplat · May 14, 2003

How does the cable attach to the spike?

I'll have to see if I can find some of this at the hardware store, because I know these regulators break a lot.

nonstop · May 15, 2003

I just put the spike ( big nail) in a vise, cut off the point with a hack saw, drilled a small hole( I forget the size) just big enough for the cable end to go into.

Then I cut the spike again just enough to make it a nub.

Put the cable and the new end into the vise, squeeze the nail, closing the drilled out hole onto the cable..

I don't know what size the cable is, I just took the old one to the hardware store and matched it up..

I bought like 10 ft for $1.19, and only needed 50". The spike I found in the shed = free.

It was really a piece of cake if you know how to use basic hand tools.

I can't stop laughing everytime I think what they want to fix it. I can see $300.00 for a motor, but a cable? NOT.

I think I could whip one up and replace the old one in under a hour.

GnatGoSplat · May 15, 2003

I had actually thought before that someone could make good money making prefabricated replacement cable kits!

It does seem very wasteful to throw out a regulator because of a bad cable. The motor itself rarely goes bad, and the regulator framework themselves - that's a lot of waste to throw out.

Again, :thumb:

I'll have to remember this if the cable ever breaks in one of my regulators.

If only I had the plastic spool for the power window regulator, I could have converted my crank regulator to a power regulator simply using a new cable. I heard the only difference is the cable lengths, and I already had the spare power window motor and housing, only thing I lacked was that stupid spool that the cable wraps onto. That would have saved me $130US that I paid for a new power regulator.