Is this definitely a window regulator problem?

[Ricky Bobby]

You can remove the motor without removing the actual regulator itself. I believe you will need to take the speaker out to access it. Should be held onto the regulator with 3 T20 or T30 screws

[Multibeemer]

Question - do I have to remove the bolt and plastic clip that holds the glass to the regulator before I unbolt the regulator to allow me to move it far enough to access the motor? In other words, can I unbolt and move the regulator without removing the glass? Thanks.

[Ricky Bobby]

You can't access the motor by just removing the speaker?

Usually when working on the regulator you disconnect the glass and move it up manually and tape it in place.

[Multibeemer]

No, the motor is buried behind the door frame - removing the speaker didn't improve my access to it at all. There's no way to remove the motor without moving the regulator several inches toward the rear of the car to get the motor behind the opening left by the speaker.

So, here's the dilema: I don't know if the problem is the regulator or the motor. I can't access the motor without removing the regulator. But to remove the regulator, I have to separate it from the glass, which means there's a good chance I'll break the plastic clips that hold the glass to the regulator, since they're pretty fragile pieces, and they're 12 years old. If I break the clips, the window won't stay up (unless I use tape), and the car is parked outside. Do I have any option other than buying a pair of clips (the dealer is on the opposite side of town from me), and taking everything completely apart to troubleshoot this thing?

[Ricky Bobby]

Unfortunately no. Whenever working on the regulator you should have a spare set of those black window clips from the dealer, because when you remove the regulator from the vehicle you need to loosen the bolts on those clips to disconnect the glass from the cable clips on the regulator itself.

Tape the window up after disconnecting it from the regulator, go across town and get the black clips from the dealer. They are a bit sturdier now as well than when they were 12+ years ago. Also, go on RegulatorFix.com and get a set of the front window regulator cable clips as they are prone to breaking on the regulators.

[Multibeemer]

Thanks - well, it's a fair bit of work just to figure out what's wrong, but at least I see what I'm up against. I can't make it to the dealer today, but I'll pick up a pair of clips tomorrow.

[Joshdub]

I couldn't get to the bolts holding the motor to the regulator without removing the regulator completely from the door.

[Multibeemer]

I'm not surprised, given the very limited access. The thing that really sucks about this job is that I'll probably have to completely remove the regulator, hopefully be able to diagnose whether the problem is with the regulator vs. the motor, then I'll have to put everything back together while waiting for whichever part it turns out to be, and then take it all apart again to replace the part. And I'm not 100% convinced I'll be able to unambiguously determine which component is the one that's faulty. For those who have gone through a similar problem, it is obvious when the motor is bad? It's having no problem sending the window down; it just can't lift it up, but I can't tell if it's because the motor is weak, or if the regulator mechanism is binding somewhere.

[Ricky Bobby]

Personally? I'd grab a set of those window clips as they have gotten better over the years and have more plastic to "grab" the window, if they are loose the regulator will have a tough time raising the window

It may be as simple as replacing those, cleaning up the tracks a bit, and seeing how it lifts then. As well, check your door panel alignment, if it is butting up against the window too hard and the window has force on it when its raising it will slow down the raising function if that makes sense.

You can also try the "zip tie" fix if it seems the cables are starting to come loose from the regulator.

[Multibeemer]

I may end up doing that, but from what I can see, the zip ties I installed a couple of years ago seem to be holding very securely - when I raise the window, there's not visible "rocking" or any sign of extra movement where the zip ties are securing the regulator cables to the window. But I will definitely take a close look for any sign of binding anywhere else. I imagine that will involve removing the regulator, removing the motor, re-installing the regulator, re-attaching the window to the regulator, and then seeing how easily I can move the window up by hand. Hopefully I will be able to judge whether it is binding anywhere.