Electric Windows

[bulldog]

Can anybody shed any light on drivers side electric window not working but making a clicking noise at the switch on the door

[T14086]

Hi and welcome

 

If the clicking noise is from the motor then its likely to be mechanically seized. My advice is remove the door panel and investigate to determine the exact nature of the fault. You could of course take it to a auto electrician who can diagnose it and you can obtain/fit any parts required.

[Haplos]

i have a similar problem sometimes mine just clicks other times it will go down and then get stuck

if i bang the center of the door around where motor is situated the window will go back up

[forster81]

I have just had the same issue and fixed it I n 30 mins

Remove the door card, 3 screws, disconnect electric connections for windows and central locking and unscrew internal handle. Remove waterproof membrane and the using a nice lightish hammer tap the small motor at the bottom of the mechanism several times..... Guaranteed it will now likely work. Operate the window up and down several times (ignition on) to free the motor up. I did it for ten mins. Make sure the motors warm by this point. Put a bit of vasoline or grease on the runners then refit the door card. Works in most cases, the motors can cease and this usually frees them up.

[Argee]

Hi Folks,

It's my first day here today and before I post my own plea for help - I can help with this one!

I've just fixed my window motor.  I had the same problem with my previous Grand Voyager.

Banging the motor might work for a short while but the problem is that the carbon brushes that touch the commutator of the electric motor have worn down.  (The driver's window is usually the one that gets the most use, so it makes sense that this will wear first.)

I'm sure that a dealer would charge an arm and a leg to replace the whole motor, but the worn brushes will probably cost a couple of quid.  I'm not sure of the price because there's a way to squeeze more life out of them!

Take the door panel off as forster81 has described

.

The next thing to do is to remove the tie wrap from the window motor - it holds one of the cable runs to the motor.  It's fairly easy to release the tie wrap with a small screwdriver to lift the little locking flap where the tie-wrap is poked through itself - that way it can be re-used.

Next you need to use a suitable Torx (if that's how to spell it?!) bit with a socket set to undo the 3 bolts holding the motor to the door.  You might need to use some WD-40 and a Mole-grip to hold the back of the nuts.  It's a little bit fiddly to get a good grip if the nuts are tight.

 

Once you've removed the motor, there are a couple of brass coloured bolts that you can undo with a screwdriver.  These hold the motor together.  Then the housing of the motor armature (the heavy bit with lots of wires wound around it) can be taken off. It will feel weird as it has some powerful magnets built into it.  The top of the armature has a screw thread on it.  As the screw thread comes out of the top housing, the brushes - which are spring loaded - will fill the gap a little.  It's actually this movement that is not enough as the brushes will have worn.  This squeezing together of the brushes will be stopped by the little wire cables that are embedded in the carbon.

 

Before we deal with this, pick up the armature and clean the part that the brushes rub against.  Personally, I use a small screwdriver and clean the carbon deposits out from between the little copper rectangles.  Then I use a small piece of wet&dry or an emery board to gently rub the copper plates until they're nice and shiny.

 

Now, back to the brushes.  You will see that they have little springy pieces of wire that push them in.  Take a photo of them - to help remind you how they fit, and then remove them and put them somewhere safe.

 

To get more life from the brushes, gently flatten the little cables and carefully push the brushes into the centre so that they move further than they did - and the little cables lie flat under the housing.

 

Then screw the armature back into the top.  Move the brushes aside first.  Then refit the little springs for each of the 2 brushes which should hold them against the copper bits that you cleaned.

 

Replace the armature housing - and don't be surprised when the magnet makes it jump into place. Replace the 3 Torx bolts. Refit the tie-wrap. Then refit the door panel.

 

Eventually they'll wear more, and I'll have to find someone to provide replacement brushes, but at the moment, I can open my window with confidence!