Drivers power window clunking - no movement

[Curtis]

1996 4 door

Ive searched and cant find exact symptoms.

My drivers power window, wont move. I can hear the motor and it goes
"clunk clunk clunk" for as long as I hold it. You can feel it in the door too, like the motor is slipping on gear teeth or something.

For sure not a relay sound. All other windows work.

Before I dive into this.. I have some questions.

how do the windows work?
- Is it a gear and teeth on the regulator?
- Or cable operated? Belt operated?

Trying to figure out what I might need before I pull the door apart.

 

[TheJackal]

If it's the same motor like the ones in the Crown Vic (and I think it is the same basic principle)...

There's a few nylon bushings inside the motor that after some time, turn into a mess. You have to disassemble the motor, remove the "mush" that's left, and install new bushings. I think someone said you can get them from a parts store, but I've never tried.

 

[Curtis]

Thanks for the response.
That sounds logical.. I figured if it was a broken regulator or cable/belt the window would drop.
But its still up.

I'll try to get to the junk yard this weekend and pick up a motor.

No doubt they are riveted it, will need to bring a drill with me.

 

[TheJackal]

I found this about the motor: http://www.supermotors.net/registry/2772/11325

It's for a 91 Crown Victoria but oddly enough, someone on CVN noted that the Explorers use a similar part.

 

[Curtis]

wanted to give an update incase anyone else has this problem.
I took the motor out, wasn't that hard really.

Take off the door panel
Carefully take off the vapor barrier

There are 2 visible bolts and one hidden bolt that hold on the motor.
Once you locate the 2 you can see, there is a dimple in the door where you'd think the 3rd is. They make a triangle.

Drill a 1/2 hole in that dimple and you'll see the 3rd bolt.

Remove all 3
Un-clip the wiring harness and the motor comes out

Using a torx screwdriver I took the cover off the motor

There is a c-clip on the post
then you can remove the top metal gear to see the plastic gears and the mess from the plastic bushings

And you're right, there was a mess inside. The 3 bushings were muck

The best I can describe it is kinda like a rotary engine inside.
A triangle turns inside another triangle and the 3 bushings allow some movement in the metal gear that drives the window.

So I did some research about a guy that put 3 ball bearings back in instead.
I had no bearings so I sized up 3 nuts. The biggest I could fit when the gears were together. If you take one apart you'll know what I'm talking about. Ball bearings would be ideal though.

What the hell, the worst that could happen is it wouldn't work.

But it did

Put it all back together and works nicely. No strange noises or movements.
Sounds exactly the same. I might get another while out of it and who knows I might have something newer by then.