Power Window Motor

[Cory L.]

Is there a way to use the power window motor from the driver side on the passenger side? I just recently had to change the window regulator on my AWD 1998 Ford Explorer XLT and the new regulator came with a motor so the motor to the driver side is still good. However, now I'm having problems with the motor on the passenger side and if I could, I'd like to just use the old motor from the driver side but the orientation seems different and the bolt holes would be backwards. I notice there are some screws holding the gear part to the long part where I'm presuming the motor is and is there a way of turning that part around?

 

[CDW6212R]

The OEM window motors are the best you can get, and they should last the life of the vehicle. Do not replace them ever unless the main shaft bends, or the motor literally burns up. All aftermarket motors are less reliable.

The weak link is built into the drive section of the window motor assemblies, there are plastic gears and "pucks" in there. Those are supposed to protect the motor from damage, thus those "pucks" deform and fail. That is the cause of 99% of window motor non-function symptoms. Those plastic parts are very inexpensive($8) and not that hard to replace.

So remove your old right front motor assembly, and take off the three tiny bolts holding the gear cover on. Inside you probably will find some mess of old crushed plastic pieces. Almost always the three pucks are destroyed, but nothing else is, and you just need those. Take all of the pieces out, the big round plastic gear, and clean it well. Keep debris or harsh chemicals out of the drive shaft area, to keep it from the motor itself. Get some good wheel grease or quality automotive type, it needs to be only filled to about half of the air space inside.

It usually takes 5-10 minutes to figure out how to install the three new pucks with the center section as a group. Set down when you have those parts cleaned and ready, and be patient as you work out how to install it all. I do it in my lap, get comfortable with a few paper towels and the grease, socket etc. R&Ring the motor takes about 10 minutes once you can reach it and all three holes are in the inner metal door skin.

There should be how to threads here many times, it is the same for decades of Fords back to the 1970's.

 

[Cory L.]

The OEM window motors are the best you can get, and they should last the life of the vehicle. Do not replace them ever unless the main shaft bends, or the motor literally burns up. All aftermarket motors are less reliable.

The weak link is built into the drive section of the window motor assemblies, there are plastic gears and "pucks" in there. Those are supposed to protect the motor from damage, thus those "pucks" deform and fail. That is the cause of 99% of window motor non-function symptoms. Those plastic parts are very inexpensive($8) and not that hard to replace.

So remove your old right front motor assembly, and take off the three tiny bolts holding the gear cover on. Inside you probably will find some mess of old crushed plastic pieces. Almost always the three pucks are destroyed, but nothing else is, and you just need those. Take all of the pieces out, the big round plastic gear, and clean it well. Keep debris or harsh chemicals out of the drive shaft area, to keep it from the motor itself. Get some good wheel grease or quality automotive type, it needs to be only filled to about half of the air space inside.

It usually takes 5-10 minutes to figure out how to install the three new pucks with the center section as a group. Set down when you have those parts cleaned and ready, and be patient as you work out how to install it all. I do it in my lap, get comfortable with a few paper towels and the grease, socket etc. R&Ring the motor takes about 10 minutes once you can reach it and all three holes are in the inner metal door skin.

There should be how to threads here many times, it is the same for decades of Fords back to the 1970's.

Yeah...no. I tried taking one of those things apart today and the motor bushings along with the springs fell out and I'm not even going to mess around with it. I'll just buy a new motor and I don't particularly care what kind of motor I get as they aren't that hard to change if they go out sooner than an OEM motor might. And, I don't think I have a problem with the gear or the "pucks" anyway. I think it's something electrical in the motor, as it's an intermittent problem but, when it does work, it doesn't make any weird noises or anything. It just decides some days to *not* work and other days to work.

 

[Rdc#1958]

Having just went through this problem with my 2000 Mountaineer I want to put my 2 cents worth in,my drivers side front power window and regulator had been replaced by a previous owner with a Dorman unit, the regulator went bad but the motor was still operational, I ordered just the Dorman regulator but found out it was only designed to work with the OEM motor and not the Dorman one, I ended up returning the regulator and ordering the motor and regulator by Dorman, just in case anyone else runs into this situation you'll learn from my experience,also the window won't stay in the regulator brackets without a good quality adhesive, I took mine to Safelite and it still took a second try to make it stay in place.

 

[Metalface]

Yeah...no. I tried taking one of those things apart today and the motor bushings along with the springs fell out and I'm not even going to mess around with it. I'll just buy a new motor and I don't particularly care what kind of motor I get as they aren't that hard to change if they go out sooner than an OEM motor might. And, I don't think I have a problem with the gear or the "pucks" anyway. I think it's something electrical in the motor, as it's an intermittent problem but, when it does work, it doesn't make any weird noises or anything. It just decides some days to work and other days to work.

If it's coming and going, you wouldn't happen to have pics would you? Maybe there's some corrosion, etc. Worth testing it. **if it is worth it, to you. The aftermarket "equivalents" really are trash especially when it comes to elec motors like that. Yes, they will work, but how soon will you have to replace it again.. Screwing around in the doors sucks, and I've spent LOTS of time I'll never get back doing so.
Being afraid of my motors health since the truck is about as old as I am, I will say I did try to lessen resistance on the assembly by using non flammable and plastics-safe marine grease on the track where the pucks and the rails live. Very sure there was some kind of OEM lubricant that has since disappeared over the years, it was not there when I went to look... Maybe traces of it, Idk.
The motors work easier now and the windows go up and down with less effort, (also quieter! You'd be surprsied!) which will definitely prolong the life of the motors. Had many a motor take a dump on me when I delivered newspapers from overuse and you can tell when they get tired and start to be sluggish. I think giving them a little helping hand is a wise move if you use the windows a lot. That being said, I did not bother to do it to the rear doors, since those don't move even a fourth as much.
Please let us know how the repair is going/goes; those doors are misleadingly difficult to work inside of despite being large and fairly thick.

Edit a day or so later: Actually, I just noticed today, my rear windows are very slow compared to the front ones. Maybe that has to do with the fact I greased the rails in the front and not the back. Never really thought about comparing them until I replied to this thread. I guess that's worth noting

 

[CDW6212R]

Don't take the motor section apart, unless you have already serviced the gear drive section. The motor will be great 99% of the time, once in a 25 year span you might run into one that the brushes in the motor part finally wore out. But don't start there, that is the most reliable part.

 

[J_C]

Yeah...no. I tried taking one of those things apart today and the motor bushings along with the springs fell out and I'm not even going to mess around with it. I'll just buy a new motor and I don't particularly care what kind of motor I get as they aren't that hard to change if they go out sooner than an OEM motor might. And, I don't think I have a problem with the gear or the "pucks" anyway. I think it's something electrical in the motor, as it's an intermittent problem but, when it does work, it doesn't make any weird noises or anything. It just decides some days to *not* work and other days to work.

I agree with CDW, your best bet is reconditioning the old motor if possible, but let's back up a moment.

If it's the pucks, you'll hear the motor spinning.

When it decides to not work, did you measure 12V getting to it on the connector? It is very common to have wire(s) in the door hinge boot, fray apart and cause such an intermittent operation of anything in the door, meaning window or lock or ajar door switch. The break can make intermittent contact so sometimes it works and sometimes not, especially depending on the open/shut position of the door when you try.

On the other hand if it's the motor itself, it might have a bad spot on the commutator but a physical examination and testing with an ohm meter (multimeter) should find that, as well as a shorted (or open-circuit) winding, or visually it's obvious if a brush is shot. That's about all there is to these DC brushed motors besides connector corrosion.

It's definitely worth relubricating everything. Including the original motor bearings and window tracks if you choose to reuse it as I would. The factory lube has dried up by now, in just about everything on the vehicle that doesn't have it replenished on a service interval.

 

[Cory L.]

I agree with CDW, your best bet is reconditioning the old motor if possible, but let's back up a moment.

If it's the pucks, you'll hear the motor spinning.

When it decides to not work, did you measure 12V getting to it on the connector? It is very common to have wire(s) in the door hinge boot, fray apart and cause such an intermittent operation of anything in the door, meaning window or lock or ajar door switch. The break can make intermittent contact so sometimes it works and sometimes not, especially depending on the open/shut position of the door when you try.

On the other hand if it's the motor itself, it might have a bad spot on the commutator but a physical examination and testing with an ohm meter (multimeter) should find that, as well as a shorted (or open-circuit) winding, or visually it's obvious if a brush is shot. That's about all there is to these DC brushed motors besides connector corrosion.

It's definitely worth relubricating everything. Including the original motor bearings and window tracks if you choose to reuse it as I would. The factory lube has dried up by now, in just about everything on the vehicle that doesn't have it replenished on a service interval.

Yes, there's 12V at the connector and as I mentioned in the edit to my post, I'm pretty sure it's the motor that's bad, maybe a bad brush or something as you said. Also, I had an old motor lying around that came from the driver side door when I replaced the window regulator and the new window regulator came with a new motor. And, during the time that the passenger side window wasn't working, I hooked up the old motor from the driver side and it worked just fine. I was going to try and take the motor itself apart (the old one from the driver side, which works) and put it in the passenger side but, when I tried taking it apart, the brushes and springs fell out of it and I decided I didn't even want to try messing with it and doing that. I'm probably just going to order a new motor from Rockauto and I'm not sure if they even sell OEM motors. There's SKP, ACI, WAI Global, Dorman and CARDONE. Not seeing anything that actually says it's an OEM part.

 

[donalds]

I buy my OEM window motors at the junkyard

 

[CDW6212R]

I buy my OEM window motors at the junkyard

Ditto, the factory window motors are far and away the best for the decades of Fords I have owned. I found NOS units on eBay ages ago for my Mark VII's, Ranchero's and Crown Vic's(1995 models), each was about $35 then.

I haven't needed any new motor assemblies except for one in one of my Mark VII's. I replaced the pucks which were mush, but the window still stuttered or stopped. The shaft that the drive gear spins on(the center piece), it was loose, it would tilt away from straight up, which let the gears separate(and skip etc). So I tossed that motor which still worked great, I had several others as spares.

The only advantage I have seen in an aftermarket motor was speed, there was/is a brand for Mark VII's that moves the window a lot faster. That was slick, but later I swapped it out for a stock one.

 

[Rdc#1958]

Yeah...no. I tried taking one of those things apart today and the motor bushings along with the springs fell out and I'm not even going to mess around with it. I'll just buy a new motor and I don't particularly care what kind of motor I get as they aren't that hard to change if they go out sooner than an OEM motor might. And, I don't think I have a problem with the gear or the "pucks" anyway. I think it's something electrical in the motor, as it's an intermittent problem but, when it does work, it doesn't make any weird noises or anything. It just decides some days to *not* work and other days to work.

Yes, there's 12V at the connector and as I mentioned in the edit to my post, I'm pretty sure it's the motor that's bad, maybe a bad brush or something as you said. Also, I had an old motor lying around that came from the driver side door when I replaced the window regulator and the new window regulator came with a new motor. And, during the time that the passenger side window wasn't working, I hooked up the old motor from the driver side and it worked just fine. I was going to try and take the motor itself apart (the old one from the driver side, which works) and put it in the passenger side but, when I tried taking it apart, the brushes and springs fell out of it and I decided I didn't even want to try messing with it and doing that. I'm probably just going to order a new motor from Rockauto and I'm not sure if they even sell OEM motors. There's SKP, ACI, WAI Global, Dorman and CARDONE. Not seeing anything that actually says it's an OEM part.

Well if you're going to order an aftermarket motor you might as well order the entire assembly I ran into this on my Mountaineer, I ended up buying the entire Dorman assembly, motor and regulator, someone before me replaced the OEM with a Dorman assembly and the regulator went bad but the motor was still good,a Dorman regulator is designed to work with the Ford motor only

 

[Cory L.]

Well if you're going to order an aftermarket motor you might as well order the entire assembly I ran into this on my Mountaineer, I ended up buying the entire Dorman assembly, motor and regulator, someone before me replaced the OEM with a Dorman assembly and the regulator went bad but the motor was still good,a Dorman regulator is designed to work with the Ford motor only

Yeah, I already ordered the new motor and I just put it in still using the old regulator. I didn't get Dorman though, I got ACI. It was working fine when I put it in but over the last couple or so days, when I roll up the window, it's almost like it's trying to skip a tooth or something and I'm wondering if the bolts aren't starting to come loose. So, I guess I'm going to have to take the door panel off (pain in the butt and waste of clips) and see if they're loose and if they are probably put some Loctite on them. I'll give it over the winter and see how it goes and if I have any problems with it, once spring gets here, I might just go ahead and buy the whole regulator and motor together. I've already replaced the whole regulator and motor on the driver side and the biggest pain about that was drilling out the rivets but, it wasn't too bad.

 

[CDW6212R]

The aftermarket motors often have poor dimensions of the outer gear, and it does not engage the regulator properly. That results in excess wear, and often skipping of the gears sometimes.

Again, do not replace the stock motor, they should last forever as long as the gear drive section center shaft doesn't get damaged(loose, it's fixed in place but can become loose). The OEM Ford motors are the best hands down. The only possibly good about aftermarket is sometimes the speed is fast or more to your liking. But the OEM quality is far superior, and as said, will last forever(it's a waste of money to replace one).

The key to taking care of a Ford is the knowledge learned over a long time, to know which parts to replace with the best, and which you can get from any source. These forums are great to share that knowledge, if people will listen and learn it. This applies to all Fords, do not replace window motors unless you discover something very rare and it has to be done(always assume the problem is not the actual motor).

 

[joney]

Yeah, I already ordered the new motor and I just put it in still using the old regulator. I didn't get Dorman though, I got ACI. It was working fine when I put it in but over the last couple or so days, when I roll up the window, it's almost like it's trying to skip a tooth or something and I'm wondering if the bolts aren't starting to come loose. So, I guess I'm going to have to take the door panel off (pain in the butt and waste of clips) and see if they're loose and if they are probably put some Loctite on them. I'll give it over the winter and see how it goes and if I have any problems with it, once spring gets here, I might just go ahead and buy the whole regulator and motor together. I've already replaced the whole regulator and motor on the driver side and the biggest pain about that was drilling out the rivets but, it wasn't too bad.

FWIW, last year my driver's side window motor went bad, electrically. Got an OEM replacement (used) from Ebay, no problems since. Have to open up the passenger side door and lube up that side, moving very slow now compared to the other three windows.

 

[CDW6212R]

FWIW, last year my driver's side window motor went bad, electrically. Got an OEM replacement (used) from Ebay, no problems since. Have to open up the passenger side door and lube up that side, moving very slow now compared to the other three windows.

Adjust the window channel guide with the one bolt near the back edge of the door, behind the door panel. Adjust it so the glass doesn't move too much side to side, but is still held securely going down. Once you know the glass is adjusted properly, then if it is too slow, either something is amiss with the motor drive section, or the main upper channel is pinching the glass too much(corrosion/rust inside it under the rubber/felt lining). You might have to buy a new window channel, which surround the entire top of the glass and fits into the door itself(it's a long piece).