The driver side window

The driver side window has been stuck down for about a week now (in addition to our tailgate window being stuck down).

But since there's no rusty power motor to worry about, it should be a simple fix right? Fortunately, it was.

Symptom: the crank still turned but the window was stuck down.

Problem: A broken regulator roller. The regulator arm connects to a plastic roller that sits in a channel. The roller is held on with a metal clip. If the plastic breaks around the clip, the roller won't be held on and can come off the regulator arm.



Solution: replace the window regulator roller.

Getting the door cover off took a little work. It's held down at each side with two metal clips that push into a hole. You can see two of the clips below. The whole piece is a little messed up. It's worn, torn, and warped. But it works for now.



Under the cover there was plastic sheeting covering most of the metal. Under the plastic sheeting was some grey, putty-like substance. Not sure what that is yet, but I didn't appreciate being there and scraped most of it off. It started raining though so I decided to just put the thing back together.



Another thing I did was clean out the bottom of the door. A lot of black crud had collected and was covering the holes where water is supposed to drain. That's not good for rust prevention, so I'm glad I got to it.

Tailgate: exposing the rusty motor

I removed the power window motor in the tailgate to see if it might need cleaned inside.



I used penetrating oil and a wire wheel to remove the exterior rust.



At first the inside didn't look too terrible, but then I looked inside the motor casing and saw that on one side a lot of the lacquer had come off. This was probably causing multiple short circuits. Additionally, I noticed one spot where the was a definite break in one of the windings. I would try to get the windings off for inspection (possibly repair) but they're held on with a rivet.



I cleaned up the shaft that was a little rusty. It turned much easier after this.



I put the thing back together and turned it on. It worked at first, but then it slowed down and finally started smoking (aah!).

So much for fixing the motor.

The dreaded rear window

Our rear power window has been stuck down for a couple of weeks now, so I finally opened up the tailgate to have a look inside.



It was quite a chore to get the rusty screws off, but in the end my channel locks prevailed. Inside I found a lot of crud that I guess has been accumulating since 1962. After removing that I was able to get a good look at what makes the window go up and down.



Each arms attaches at the bottom of the window with a roller inside a channel. By removing the keeper pin, the arm can be detached from the roller and the window can be pulled out.



I was able to remove the roller on one side without too much trouble. Unfortunately, the other roller was stuck to the pin and broke off.





Once the window was removed I checked the voltage going to the motor, and it was fine. And sure enough, with the window off, the arms moved up when the motor was switched on.

Because the arms moved I figured the motor must be working and put everything back together. Unfortunately, it still wouldn't roll up. I guess the motor works, just not very well. Not too surprising when you look at it.



So I ordered a new roller to replace the one I broke (6 on eBay for $5), and now I need to look into getting a new motor.

Oh, and I was able to get the window up by putting a nylon strap under the window and lifting up to help the motor out.

The wiper gets a new spring

The first time we drove the Falcon in the rain we noticed that one of the wipers was lame. Unfortunately it was on the driver's side.

But when I replaced the wiper blade it still performed poorly. A coworker suggested replacing the spring inside the wiper arm. $1.43 and a new spring later and it's working like new!