Drivers power window popping off track

[sdg3205]

My drivers side power window keeps popping off its track on the front rail. Ill get it back on and run it down and up no problem. The alignment is still terrible though and it doesn't guide itself nicely into the toll booth track as it should. Then, when it gets all the way up, unless you let off the power just as it closes completely (with some guidance into place of course) any extra give from the switch pops it off the front rail and I'm back to where I started.

Thoughts?

[DrJeff]

I had the same problem on the drivers side, fitted it back on the rails several times but it always ended up popping off at the top or bottom of the travel.

The rails are held in position (in particular their angle) with two nuts. They pivot at one end of the rails and the angle is adjusted by loosening the nut, moving the rail, and then retightening the nut.

I loosened the nuts and then let the window travel up and down slowly. At the same time I watched how the rails wanted to move, where they wanted to be as the window travelled up and down. After some trials I retightened the nuts. If you're lucky this with stop the jumping.

It was a real pain to reach these nuts, for the one towards the front of the car I needed a universal joint for my ratchet and socket, as the nut sits slightly askew compared to the only angle you can get to it from. I'd start with the rear nut, just in case that solves the jumping, especially if it's jumping off the rear rail.

If you're glass has been out of the bottom holder (the piece the glass suits into) Martin G from the UK have me a good tip. With the glass and the holder separated, mount the holder on the rails (pre-loaded with the adhesive - I think I used 3M 8008). Then place the glass in the window in the up position. Now bring the holder up to the window, so the it grabs the window at the top of its travel. Leave it that position so that the adhesive can set a bit. This makes sure the glass is properly situated in the holder.

[DMCMW Dave]

There are dimples in the glass that show where the glass should be centered in the carrier. It is often necessary to unglue the glass from the carrier and re center it.

[cdrusn]

Once you get it in place you should spray silicone into the tracks, the more the better, to help the glass go up and down without sticking and possibly throwing it out of the track. Spray the door latches, keyhole, ignition key hole, hinges on the engine cover and anything else rubber you want.:yoda:

[sdg3205]

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After some work I finally got the window to go up and down without popping off the track AND I aligned it so it keeps itself on track as opposed to it falling inward as it goes up. I put in a slightly thicker piece of Velcro to help as well.

Now, however the window doesn't seem to seal at the back! You can see a tiny little slit where the window ends and the frame begins.

Thanks Jeff and Dave for your help. Any ideas on the gap?!

[sdg3205]

Once you get it in place you should spray silicone into the tracks, the more the better, to help the glass go up and down without sticking and possibly throwing it out of the track. Spray the door latches, keyhole, ignition key hole, hinges on the engine cover and anything else rubber you want.:yoda:

Totally. I greased the tracks with white lithium grease!

[DrJeff]

Now, however the window doesn't seem to seal at the back! You can see a tiny little slit where the window ends and the frame begins.

... Any ideas on the gap?!

The fix with placing the glass in the frame (fully up) and then bringing the holder (with adhesive in place on the holder) up to the window glass worked for me. It properly located the glass in the holder so that gaps didn't appear when rolled up. I checked the location of the dimples in the glass afterwards (not easy to do) and they were not a good guide to positioning the glass. I'm guessing that there are so many variables to adjust with the rails that the dimples didn't help that much.

[sdg3205]

The fix with placing the glass in the frame (fully up) and then bringing the holder (with adhesive in place on the holder) up to the window glass worked for me. It properly located the glass in the holder so that gaps didn't appear when rolled up. I checked the location of the dimples in the glass afterwards (not easy to do) and they were not a good guide to positioning the glass. I'm guessing that there are so many variables to adjust with the rails that the dimples didn't help that much.

Alright. Sounds like this is the way to go. It took a lot of work to get it operating nicely on the tracks. It almost seems to me that it left the factory this way; with the window set up this poorly. Doesn't appear that anyone has been in there before me today.

[DrJeff]

I was the same way on one window, it had obviously not been messed with since the factory - and that was the one that was jumping rails and not closing the gap. The other window had been changed by a PO but it gave me no problems at all (I could tell by the renewed adhesive).

Just in case there are also two nut/bolts that position the rails forward or rearward. IIRC you can see them when looking up from the bottom edge of the door. There are two nut/bolts on each rail about 1 inch apart. There is a very little abound of adjustment available here. I messed with these too but I don't think they help with the gap much.

I also had a very hard time removing the glass from the holder. The original adhesive had turned to concrete. I used a metal ruler (thin with no backing) for about an hour to scrape out enough adhesive to let the glad go.

I feel your frustration, but it will work eventually.

[dmc6960]

I also had a very hard time removing the glass from the holder. The original adhesive had turned to concrete. I used a metal ruler (thin with no backing) for about an hour to scrape out enough adhesive to let the glad go.

I found that lacquer thinner works well at weakening urethane adhesive. It firms back up though after the lacquer thinner evaporates so you need to keep applying as your scraping/cutting.