So, my 1998 sl2 has had dead back windows for about as long as my family's had the car. (they're shimmed so they don't fall down into the door because the part that holds them up is loose or failing or whatever, I am not a window expert) This is fine, I don't care about my back windows, but now that it's cold, my front driver's window has the opposite problem: it will go down about an inch and then stop. It did this a little bit over the summer where it would stick then eventually go down the rest of the way if I continued to hold the button. Sometimes it just feels stuck and a little push will get it to roll down further too, but recently even that doesn't work. Unfortunately my job has a badge scan entrance so this window is Very Necessary and getting a lot of use it wasn't getting before the car became mine.

I was just wondering if anyone has any good resources on how to troubleshoot what exactly is failing or to figure out if it's something I can fix myself?

 

Change the door to a manual window setup. Doors at junkyards aren't too expensive.

 

You will need to remove the outer door skin to gain access to the window regulator and motor.

As it has been going progressively downhill, I suspect it to be a motor issue.

I believe you must remove the side view mirror first. The interior trim piece is held on Buy a single screw. There's a bunch of foam stuffed in the cavity where three posts of the mirror mount come through three holes in the door structure. I think they are 10 mm nuts.

Next, the trim that rests at the top of the door panel that the window seals against on the outside needs to come off.
Do NOT BEND THIS TRIM PIECE. DO NOT TRY TO PULL IT FROM ONE END NOR RAISE IT UP FROM ONE END. YOU WILL BEND IT AND IT WILL NEVER FIT PROPERLY EVER AGAIN.

The outer door skin is held on to the door structure by torx bolts, t15 or t20 I believe. They go across the bottom and up the rear edge of the door

Note how the door skin is seated on the door frame for raising it slightly and removing it. You have to get it sitting back in the same position during reassembly. Take a picture if you need to.

There may still be a plastic film piece from the door assembly at the factory.. The car is old enough that I think loss of that is not a big deal.

You should now have visual and physical access to the window regulator and, at the bottom, the motor.

The regulator itself will likely be rusty and the teeth towards the bottom end may show signs of wear. As long as the regulator moved the window all the way from top to bottom without hanging up or grinding, before you had your troubles, some lubrication is probably an order.

Sometimes the motor gear can get jammed in the teeth of the regulator if there is enough wear that The motor gear no longer fully overlaps the regulator teeth. The is usually happens at the bottom of the travel of the window, not at the top.
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Try to operate the window using the switch. If the window hangs up, try to give it gentle assistance through the regulator mechanism. Be sure the window path is not obstructed. If it doesn't know then you don't hear anything or even if you do, measure of the input voltage at the motor connector while holding the switch up or down. Pretty sure these are 12 volt DC motors so if you don't get 12 or -12 volts DC, you have a wiring issue, possibly a burned fuse.

In all likelihood, motor has failed. The driver side motors are harder to find as they are the ones that are worn out first. Earlier years were riveted to the regulator, but I believe second generation were bolted

Disassembly and reassembly is pretty straightforward. When putting the door skin back on, be sure to start in the middle, bounce to one end, then the other, then most of the way back on the other side, then mirror that on the other other side. You need to make sure the overall position of the door panel is correct and does not shift as you have the other bolts. So if you don't center it and immediately align the top bolt on the side and the bolt near the hinge, you will get the right wrong when you put the rest in. Ask me how I know

 

I would not be replacing the door. Let's fix it.
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Home >> Saturn >> 1998 >> SL2 L4-1.9L DOHC VIN 7 >> Repair and Diagnosis >> Body and Frame >> Doors, Hood and Trunk >> Doors >> Front Door >> Service and Repair >> Front Door Rear Window Guide

Front Door Rear Window Guide

FRONT DOOR REAR WINDOW GUIDE - SEDAN/WAGON





Removal
1. Remove front door window.
NOTE: Outer door panel is removed in illustration to show location.
Refer to Window Glass service procedures. Front Door Glass Replacement

2. Remove front door rear applique.

3. Remove front door window upper weatherstrip from guide.

4. Partially remove inner sealing strip (belt seal).

5. Partially remove front door window secondary weatherstrip.

6. Remove two rivets and one nut and remove window guide.


Installation
1. Install window guide with two rivets using Marson HP2 riveter, or equivalent. Press riveter tip into the channel flush with surface.

2. Install nut to guide.
Torque: 6 N.m (53 in.lbs.)

3. Install front door window secondary weatherstrip.

4. Install inner sealing strip (belt seal).

5. Install front door window upper weatherstrip.

6. Install front door rear applique.

7. Install front door window.


pro multis · About Operation CHARM

 

If the motor is the issue, I don't believe it's necessary to remove the rear guide since the window itself is for troubleshooting purposes, not yet being removed.

Of course we won't know until troubleshooting is complete, so......

 

He can click around to find what he needs. It was to get him in the ballpark.

 

This indeed is the truth.

 

What a wealth of resources you guys have provided! I probably won't have time to do the actual troubleshooting for another week or so but I'll keep this thread updated when I get to it.

 

I've replaced window motors on several 2nd generation cars and they were riveted. Be careful removing the door skin screws since the door tabs are easy to break if the screws are hard to turn.

 

I had a similar issue with my windows on my Saturn SL1. They were extremely slow to open and close, and would get stuck and need manual help.

The issue was that the 4 bolts securing the regulator to the door frame had become loose over time, and were causing *severe* binding, making the window operate so poorly.

Derf described a process that involves removing the outer door skin, but the bolts I am talking about are actually accessed by removing the interior door trim.

Front door interior trim removal.

After getting in the door and behind the moisture shield, I reseated the bolts, tightened them up (with a bit of thread locker for good measure)

I also took the opportunity to clean and grease the window tracks and channels.

After re seating and tightening those 4 bolts (they are large torx bolts) pretty much restored proper functionality to the windows. The binding was gone. I'm very impressed the motors held up so well even after being used under strain for so long.

If your power window is not completely dead, and you can hear it click or you can hear it *trying* to work, I recommend you inspect the bolts, and obseve them while you try operating the window. If they are loose it will be obvious, because they will shift around on the door frame and bind when you try to roll the window up and down.