Drivers window stuck in down position

[Brit6]

Like mentioned here, you need to cut the regulator cable with some wire clippers and then the window will lift up enough to unscrew all the regular bolts and then tape the window all the way at the top. Remove all the old parts of the regulator and then replace with a new regulator and plastic clips.

I did this exactly this way.

Originally Posted by Multibeemer

This is getting massively aggravating. I removed the top two regulator nuts, but can't get the regulator to collapse more than maybe a half-inch. So I removed all the regulator nuts, and am tugging with everything I have on this cursed window, and I can only get it to rock maybe an inch or so. It's still completely stuck in the front, but I can't for the life of me see what it could be stuck on. I've followed the regulator around with a flash light as best I can, and as far as I can tell, the cable is fully intact, and doesn't seem to be wrapped around anything it shouldn't be. In fact, I can't see any evidence of any problem with the regulator, so I'm very reluctant to cut it - I still think it might just be that the clips holding the regulator to the window have broken, and a piece of one of them is wedged between the window and the door frame, or something like that. Any other ideas on how to get this wretched window loose without breaking it? Thanks.

[Brit6]

Buy an original BMW regulator from a discount dealer online.

Originally Posted by Multibeemer

So it sounds like the chances of the regulator being OK are pretty remote.

Next question - I noticed a very wide range of prices for regulators, from as low as $30, to well north of $100. Any recommendations as to brand, and source to buy? Thanks.

[Tymatk]

Mine came out today ....

No tangle in the cable, no jammed up .... all looks good except it just won't move, strange. Maybe it's f**ked up in the mechanism.

[Multibeemer]

Well, I can't explain this, but here's what ended up happening:

After struggling for a long time, I decided, against my beter judgment, to see if the motor would drive the window up, knowing there was a risk of burning up the motor if I tried turning it very long against a jammed window. So I held my breath, grabbed the bottom of the window with one hand, and quickly flicked the switch with the other. Lo and behold, the window moved up. In fact, I can raise it almost all the way to the top with the motor.

The reason the motor can now move the window is that while struggling to get the window free, the clip that holds the regulator to the window at the rear popped out of the window. In fact, what looks like the part of the regulator that connects the cable to the clip fell to the bottom of the door frame, so the regulator is definitely toast (I ordered a new one from autohausaz). So, somehow the regulator must have been jammed up in the rear, and once it came loose of the window, the motor can now drive the window up. I still don't understand why I can't move it manually - I don't know anything about how power windows work - I guess the window can't be moved by hand as long as the regulator is connected to the motor.

Once I get the new regulator, I'll hopefully be able to figure out how the whole contraption works, and will hopefully be able to do a post mortem on what happened, so the whole job will be a lot easier the next time one breaks. Also, by comparing the old one to the new one, I'll be able to see exactly where the old one broke, and I'll see if it's possible to reinforce the weak spot, like you can on an E46.

[SlickGT1]

Take pics.

[Multibeemer]

Originally Posted by SlickGT1

Take pics.

Will do.

[aimtimes100]

Ran into a window problem right at the end of my break during work. Rolled down the window, which always seems to work fine, but when i roll it back up, it gets stuck half way.if i push the switch down the window will go down back more but when i pull the switch up the window won't roll up past a particular point.im guessing something is caught in it?

[monty_yao]

Same situation here. The glass is stuck at down position. I removed the door panel and tried to lift with my hands, not even an inch. Even with some thing jamming, I would expect some wiggle room. Also, operating the switch, I only hear an short, ie, fraction of a sec on and nothing else.

[Brit6]

Cut the wire with bolt cutters and replace the regulator.

[monty_yao]

Thanks Brit6, that did the job.

So, let me recap for the group. This is on my right (passenger) door. The plastic nut holder worned out. That might been gone bad for a while because both of them are shorter than new. After that, the guide on the right rail was broken so the glass is not being held tightly by the guide. The left guide is still attached to the glass. On the top, the right edge is some-how touching the door carrier internally. Before the fix, when I tried to power sliding up, it would move 1/8 of inch upward and my door handle from outside would pop out a bit.

So, I order a new regulator online and parts arrived today. I cut the long cross wires, and that didn't help because the glass is attached on the left side. The left wire is thicker than the long cross one and I had a hard time cutting it. So, I went to Lowes and bought a heavy duty cable cutter and that did the work. Once the cable is cut, I would be able to slide the guide up. After a bit wiggling, I was able to move up the guide to line up the hole to remove the screw that tied to the glass.

After that, it's down hill a regular regulator replacement like any other.