Window lift motor replacement?

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by geo

...mine benefitted from spraying a silicone lubricant on to the guides in the door frame where the edges of the glass contact.

I lubricated the guides on my 411 with silicone but it didn't make any difference.

In an attempt to determine what the problem was I played around with the alignment of the window frame and did manage to get the windows working at an acceptable speed. Unfortunately however, when the window frames are aligned so that they seal with the opening in the car body, the windows once again move very slowly. Clearly more power is needed from the motor to overcome the resistance of the frame/guides.

Originally Posted by geo

After all, just think of the amount of effort required to lift a window with a non-assisted window winder, it is asking a lot of that relatively small motor.

Yes, that long worm-gear-in-a-tube mechanism has a lot to do.

Modern cars tend to use a gear reduction system acting on a scissor type lever mechanism, which makes much lighter work of moving the window. So the motors are smaller, yet they are able to exert considerable force on the window.

As for the wiring of electric windows directly to the battery, this has been responsible for the deaths of many children over the years. The first one being recorded in 1962. I've been trying remember when wiring them to the accessory circuit (requiring the ignition key) became routine in the British auto industry. I think it was happening by the mid 1970s.