Fix mechanism that auto-lowers window when door opened?

[dennism]

My car's passenger window does not lower out of the rainchannel when the door is opened. Does anyone have any tips on how to troubleshoot and fix this?

Thanks

Dennis

[Loren]

This is likely the switch in the door handle. Please do a search as this has been covered here several times.

[1schoir]

My car's passenger window does not lower out of the rainchannel when the door is opened. Does anyone have any tips on how to troubleshoot and fix this?

Thanks

Dennis

Dennis:

Do you hear the window motor/window regulator mechanism operating when you pull on the handle but the window does not move down the 1/4 inch that it used to?

Or, do you hear nothing when you pull up on the handle?

Also, do you get the same or different result when you pull on the outside versus the inside door handle?

If you hear nothing, it's most likely the microswitch, as Loren pointed out.

Regards, Maurice.

[Orient Express]

This is likely the switch in the door handle. Please do a search as this has been covered here several times.

Loren:

While the door micro-switch may be a fault, it is unlikely. I would suggest that the door micro-switch is just fine, but rather the cable on the window regulator is stretched enough that the 1/8th of a turn that the motor makes when the door is opened is no longer enough to overcome the cable slack.

A way to test this is:

First verify that the window does not go down when either the interior or exterior door handle is plulled. It is extremely unlikely that both micro-switches have failed, so if it does not go down with either door handle being pulled, it means the regulator cable is probably stretched.

Next with the door open and the window rolled up, push the window glass down as far as it will go, taking out the cable stretch slack. Close the door. If the window pulls itself back up then the cable is just stretched and the micro-switches are fine.

The fix for this is either:

1. Replace the window regulator mechanism.

2. Adjust the window regulator cable.

Where the cable goes into the regulator gearbox there is a cotter pin holding the bowden tube it to the gearbox. The cable is in the bowden tube. By pulling out the cotter pin, and pulling the bowden tube tight, but not too tight, and replacing the cotter pin, you can take out the slack on a old regulator, and it will be just like new. You do not have to remove the regulator to make the adjustment, just the interior door panel. This method is faster and cheaper (like free) than replacing the entire window regulator. Eventually the regulator will need to be replaced when the cable is stretched too much, but this will get you a few more years out of the regulator you have.

A stretched regulator cable is very common on Porsches, VWs and Audis. They all use essentially the same regulator mechanism. The drivers side is more common than the passenger side.

There are several DIY articles on how to remove the interior door panel, and on how to replace the regulator. Just use the search tool to find them.

[Tool Pants]

To test the regulator put the window in the 1/2 position. Grab the top of the glass with both hands. Push and pull the glass up and down hard. If the glass moves at all then it is the regulator.

[dennism]

Thanks for your reply

Neither the outside or the inside door handles will turn on the interior lights nor make the widow drop down out of the rain channel. The window up/down switch does work.

Today I took off the door panel and check the microswitches. The microswitches on both handles are electrically functioning as they should. There is a third microswitch that senses if the door latch is latched or noth. I could not check it as I couldn't take the latch out without a proper tool but I did spraybrakeclean on it to clean it up and checked that it does make the clicking sound when it is pushed in.

Dennis

[dennism]

Sorry but I forgot to reply that when both inside or outside door handles are pulled, there is no noise like the regulator is trying to work the window (but isn't due to stretched cable). As in my last Email, the microswitches are working as they should (ie they are making and breaking the circuit)

Dennis

[1schoir]

Sorry but I forgot to reply that when both inside or outside door handles are pulled, there is no noise like the regulator is trying to work the window (but isn't due to stretched cable). As in my last Email, the microswitches are working as they should (ie they are making and breaking the circuit)

Dennis

Dennis:

From your further description, it sounds as if you need a new window regulator (part # for driver's side is 996 542 075 04, about $160 from Sunset Imports).

Since you have the door panel off, check to see if the black plastic sheath that leads to the regulator/motor assembly has "crumpled" (If it has, it will look somewhat similar to when you push up the sleeves on a long-sleeved shirt past your forearms). An undamaged plastic sheath should be smooth, with no circular "wrinkles".

To get a good look at it, you will have to remove the three nuts that hold the motor in place and push the motor towards the outside of the door so that you can wiggle it down. Look just to the left of the (green on my 97) plastic sleeve on which the large brass-colored spring sits and you will see the 2 to 3 inch section of black plastic sheath that I am referring to.

Here is a photograph showing the "crumpled" section:

The defective (crumpled) section is circled in red. What a normal section would look like is circled in yellow in the other part of the window regulator cable black plastic sheath.

Disregard the silver metal clamping piece I installed around it to try to repair the problem. It fixed the problem for a few months, but then the problem came back when it crumpled a little more. Not worth doing, IMO.

If that is what you have, then the overall cable acts as if were stretched (although actually it is the black plastic sheath that has shrunk from being compressed) and that is enough to not give you the 1/2 inch drop when you pull on the handle. This is the case when, as you describe, you hear the window motor being activated, but there is no corresponding movement at the window.

Regards, Maurice.

[blee3379]

My car's passenger window does not lower out of the rainchannel when the door is opened. Does anyone have any tips on how to troubleshoot and fix this?

Thanks

Dennis

I had a Porsche Boxster that had the same problem on the drives side door. It turned out to be the door lock module. There is a microswitch in it that controls the lowering. when you pull the door handle 1/4" the window lowers.