Manual Window Woes - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

yogarda · #1 04-14-2008, 03:13 PM

Hi friends,

I have searched high and low on a few forums for a case similar to this and have found nothing.
My 82 240D has manual hand-crank windows. Here in upstate NY you don't generally roll down your windows for 7 months of the year. Last fall I rolled my driver's side up for the last time, drove all winter, and this spring the first day warm enough to roll 'em down arrived... unusable. Here are the symptoms:

Crank 180 deg. in either direction. Window 'falls' down a little (like 3 inches). Crank is stuck. Roll it 180 deg. back in the previous direction. Window falls down a little more. Crank stuck again. Back n' forth, about 6 or 7 times and the window is down.
How to roll it up? Same thing but this time pull up on the glass. Back and forth on the roller, and it comes up 3 inches at a time. When it's at the top, you can get the roller to a position where it feels a hard stop and the window is locked up there and won't fall.

So I'm thinking, "How could a window regulator break when it wasn't even being used?" Then I read the FSM on adjustment of the window. Perfect idea, maybe the opening/closing of the door over the winter months vibrated something out of adjustment.

Got to the guts of the door and followed the procedure. No luck.
Took the regulator out of the window - no broken parts visible to the eye. No parts lying in the bottom of the door shell. I have the "window regulator rebuild kit" but all the parts it came with look just fine on my regulator. Crank gear teeth all seem okay and engage their counterpart teeth. (Again, this happened while not even using the window so likelihood of a mechanical failure is dubious.) Cleaned & greased up everything that moved there (except the parts that go in the track cause I know about the special Benz track lubricant for which they want $130 a can). Smooth as butter outside of the car. Installed and there is no difference.

The window is definitely on the track - it's not crooked or out of the track. It's like the regulator is somehow not able to do its thing and I don't know why.

So I have a few questions:
- Anybody have experience with and/or resolution to these symptoms?
- Anybody with a picture of a proper-working regulator so I can look for differences? (I'm about ready to pull my passenger door guts out to compare. If I end up doing that I'll post some pics & findings here.)
- On topic but not directly, has anyone out there sprung the $130 for a can of track lube and selling portions of it in smaller quantities? My dealer said one can lasts their whole (enormous) shop over a year and that one would last me a lifetime even with both of my MBs.

TIA to everyone

Stevo · #2 04-14-2008, 04:18 PM

One thing a person in your predicament can do is to remove the other side door panel and compare the two. Probably wouldn't hurt to lube things up while your in there.

This is why you only take one side apart at a time, as in brakes

, save the other side to look at.

blindwolf · #3 04-14-2008, 04:24 PM

Did you clean your window seal. A dirty or trashed winfow seal can make a window hard to mjove.

yogarda · #4 04-14-2008, 09:11 PM

Hmm my window seals are pretty cracked and dried out. I'm talking about the two that are mounted in the top of the door, which I guess is what you mean.
Maybe I'm in for the huge investment in the track lubricant.

I will let you know what I find, most likely with pics to support.
Thanks

blindwolf · #5 04-15-2008, 12:14 AM

The widow seals go from the top of the glass rails all around the window opening in the door. The part of the seal that may be binding could be out of sight behind the door panel.