Window Drop Question....

[mikes_box]

Had a question on the window drop? i know its suppose to drop when you lift your handle but mine is acting a little funny... every two weeks or so the window drop will stop working... so what i'll do is disconnect the battery for a few minutes and the window will work again... The window works fine with the switch up and down, auto up and auto down... so just wondering where the problem can be...thanks.

[1schoir]

Had a question on the window drop? i know its suppose to drop when you lift your handle but mine is acting a little funny... every two weeks or so the window drop will stop working... so what i'll do is disconnect the battery for a few minutes and the window will work again... The window works fine with the switch up and down, auto up and auto down... so just wondering where the problem can be...thanks.

Mike:

The symptoms sound like the early signs of a window regulator about to fail. The steel cable on the window regulator starts to stretch or fray and the cable's extended length is just enough that the winding rotation of the motor takes up the slack in the cable instead of retracting the window by the 1/2 inch.

To make sure it's not a different problem, try the following test.

When you pull up on the door handle, you should get the same symptom whether you are pulling on the inner door handle or the outer door handle: you can hear the motor briefly operating, but the window does not retract.

The hardest thing about a DIY for the regulator is removing the door panel. After you have done that a couple of times it's ridiculously easy.

I posted a link for door panel removal and a link for window regulator replacement here about 5-6 months ago. If I find the post, I will post the link.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited April 3, 2008 by 1schoir

[Chris_in_NH]

here's the link to the power window DIY, as well as some other DIY projects.

http://www.bombaydigital.com/boxster/projects/

[tah]

Hope no one takes this personally.............

I too have the "intermittent" window drop problem. Key word being "intermittent".

When I started asking questions everyone said regulator. I think that's because it's the stealerships answer to everything. Only one problem, the regulator is mechanical and mechanical items are rarely intermittent. They pretty much work or don't.

After MANY discussions as to why I thought the way I did I finally found out there is a switch inside the door interior handle assembly. This assembly has to be replaced in it's entirety unless you can disassemble and replace some very tiny microswitches. I've gotten the assembly from Sunset Porsche but haven't had the time to install.

Another test......do the windows drop the same amount when unlatching the top? If so, the regulator is doing what it's being told to do. If it does it's job sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't.......guess what? It's not the regulator it's something switching or not switching and a signal either being received erroneously or a needed signal not being received.

[1schoir]

Hope no one takes this personally.............

I too have the "intermittent" window drop problem. Key word being "intermittent".

When I started asking questions everyone said regulator. I think that's because it's the stealerships answer to everything. Only one problem, the regulator is mechanical and mechanical items are rarely intermittent. They pretty much work or don't.

After MANY discussions as to why I thought the way I did I finally found out there is a switch inside the door interior handle assembly. This assembly has to be replaced in it's entirety unless you can disassemble and replace some very tiny microswitches. I've gotten the assembly from Sunset Porsche but haven't had the time to install.

Another test......do the windows drop the same amount when unlatching the top? If so, the regulator is doing what it's being told to do. If it does it's job sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't.......guess what? It's not the regulator it's something switching or not switching and a signal either being received erroneously or a needed signal not being received.

tah:

If you pull on the door handle (inner or outer) and you hear the motor operating for a split second but the window does not move the 1/2 inch, that is an indication that the switch is working but something else is amiss.

Once the door panel is removed, it's very easy to observe whether or not the cable on the window regulator has stretched or has frayed. If it has, operating the window or pulling on the door handle will expose whether the stretched or frayed cable "takes up slack" before the window starts to move, thereby revealing the cause or pointing to another possible cause (microswitch or motor).

There are instances when the window regulator is just starting to go bad that it will behave properly on one pull, and then not move the requisite 1/2 inch on another pull of the door handle. Enventually (usually in pretty short order, days, not months) it will consistently not move as it should.

To observe this properly, you must be prepared to reset the airbag light (with a Durametric, PST II, or PIWIS) because you are turning on the ignition without everything being buttoned up properly.

I, for one, appreciate your input, as it contributes to the collective knowledge.

Regards, Maurice.