[AZ64GP]

I just removed the rear quarter windows and next I will be removing the door windows on my '64 Grand Prix. It is a factory power window car. Does anyone know how difficult it is to take apart and rebuild power window motors for cars of this era?

The door windows do move but the motors sound pretty tired. The rear quarter window motors are seized and won't move. I have heard that sometimes these motors just need a good cleaning and be re-lubed, but I found this car after it sat in a lot for 20 years, so the windows haven't moved in years until I tried.

I would like to try to clean them up and see if they work myself rather than pay someone, but I don't want to damage them if they really just need to be professionally rebuilt. What are your thoughts? If you feel they should be professionally rebuilt, do you have any recommendations for a shop to can the motors to? I tried doing a search and couldn't really find anything. Thank you for your help!

[Jack Gifford]

It depends on whether you enjoy tinkering or not (I do) and how much patience you have (I'm improving). I just put the heater back into my '67 Falcon after repairing the blower motor. I had planned to simply replace the motor, but instead took it apart- to find that it only needed cleaning- one brush wasn't free in its guide. Patience comes into play in reassembling these motors- figuring ways to hold the brushes retracted and all little parts in place, etc., while residual magnetism yanks stuff out of place!
I suspect you'll find that window mechanisms (linkages, geartrains, etc.) are as much of a trouble source as the actual motors. These can be challenging to disassemble (drilling out rivets, etc.). How much patience do you have?

[AZ64GP]

Originally Posted by Jack Gifford

It depends on whether you enjoy tinkering or not (I do) and how much patience you have (I'm improving). I just put the heater back into my '67 Falcon after repairing the blower motor. I had planned to simply replace the motor, but instead took it apart- to find that it only needed cleaning- one brush wasn't free in its guide. Patience comes into play in reassembling these motors- figuring ways to hold the brushes retracted and all little parts in place, etc., while residual magnetism yanks stuff out of place!
I suspect you'll find that window mechanisms (linkages, geartrains, etc.) are as much of a trouble source as the actual motors. These can be challenging to disassemble (drilling out rivets, etc.). How much patience do you have?

Hi Jack,

Thank you for the reply. I do enjoy tinkering and my patience is getting better with age. I have a basic level of experience with electronics (maybe just enough to get myself into trouble), and I wouldn't mind opening up the electric window motors to see what I can do to get them working again. Especially if it's small things to repair/clean them and I can save myself some money.

My concern is opening up the motors, trying to clean them up and I end up doing more harm than good. If that's the case, I'd rather just send them out to someone and make sure they're cleaned/rebuilt correctly. If you (or anyone else) knows what I would need to do for these motors to get them working properly again, I'd love to hear.

I have already removed the window regulators and motors from the rear quarter windows and will be tackling the door window regulators and motors next. You are correct about the regulators, etc. being a pain. With the rear quarter window motors seized up, I had to remove the motors from regulator with everything still in the car. I then took the pieces out through the opening in the sheetmetal interior panels, including the motors. At least now the electric motors are on my workbench where I can examine them.

Thanks again!

[mgarblik]

I guess you found out already the flat coil spring in the regulator has significant tension in it. Enough to sever a finger if your not careful. Like Jack said, the regulator arms and pivots may be the primary binding points on the mechanisms. On my 66 cars, once I cleaned and lubricated everything, the windows went up and down really fast, probably too fast. The motors are 3-4 times the size and torque of modern ones. I think if your careful and bend tabs gently, you can get the motors apart and back together. After all, you won't be doing anything different than the "expert". After you do 4 of them, your now the "expert".

[Peter Serio]

Those older motors are really good motors. They have a permanent magnet inside of them. Be careful, the wire inside of the metal end-plate; that routes to the brushes. I think there is a circuit breaker built into one of those wires. The case is ground and there are 2 wires, one + 12 volts= motor runs one direction and the other wire powered, it runs in the opposite direction. Never power up both wires at the same time!!!!

Not like new motors where the 2 wires are double pole & then criss-crossed to reverse direction.

More than likely the brushes and/or the copper comutator need cleaned. The bushings are oil lite.

Those are lubricated to last the life of the car. But that does not mean forever. Sometimes those wear and bind the armature shaft. Please post as to what you find once you open up the case.

[AZ64GP]

mgarblik - Fortunately another gentleman in this forum told me to be very careful with the springs when I removed the electric motors. I really didn't want to do it this way, but the motors were seized and I had no choice but to disconnect the motors from the regulators for the rear quarter windows inside the car. I kept my hands and fingers out of the inner panel where the regulator, etc. was and used nut drivers, socket wrenches and a pry bar as I took apart the regulators and moved the motors out of the way.

I'll try to carefully open up the motors and see what I can find.

[AZ64GP]

Peter Serio - Thank you for the info! I'll open up the cases of the motors and post some pictures for input. I haven't taken the door motors out yet, but those I'm not as worried about. When I powdered down the glass into the doors a couple years ago (when I first starting taking apart the car), the windows moved slowly, but the windows still moved. When I tried to power down the rear quarter windows for the first time (literally the first time the windows probably moved in 20 years), they wouldn't budge. Like Jack said, maybe the regulator, etc. was the binding point for the rear quarter windows. Since I'm restoring the whole car I want everything to operate as close to "like new" as possible and if it means sending out the motors to get rebuilt so they last another 54 years, I'm okay with that. If I can do something myself with the motors (with the help of the people on this forum!), then all the better.

[Peter Serio]

I used to work on power windows at the buick dealership.

Pre-1979 GM used the good motors, then they changed and went to cheaper motors.

All good info about the counterbalance spring. It's the weight of the glass the spring is designed to offset. You car may have flat glass wrapped with chrome edges. If the regulator is still in the car and the glass is in the rollers then your safe but use that pry-bar just in case!!!!!! Make sure you clean the window guides and all of your metal channels plus the rollers. Old grease will get dry and sticky over time. All of that needs cleaned and lubricated. Glass that binds in the run channels will put a lot of strain on the gear teeth & the motor can burn up if left that way. There are adjustments for the glass run channels, in and out up and down up limit stop, full down limit stop.

All of that comes into play when your trying to get the glass to run up and down smoothly.