'95 GM Window Motor Bolts

[miamibob]

Down the road I'll need to replace the gear set or motor on the front passenger window. Haven't had the panel off so not sure if it was ever done (car has a little over 188K) so it may or may not be riveted in. I could always drill out the rivets and re do them or use bolts (the preferred method). Anybody know the size (exact type) of bolt required?

[mcninetyone]

The window motors are bolted in, Ford used allen head bolts.
Very easy to remove!!

[miamibob]

Cool! I thought they were riveted in??? Saw a video, from A-! Auto Parts and that seems to indicate they are not bolted in. I thought they used those square headed bolts just to bolt the motor to the regulator but everything else is riveted in. I would like to remove/replace the motor (or gear set) without removing the regulator, if possible.

[AC75]

For Town Cars you have to drill through the door frame metal to even see the window motor bolts. However on the Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria there are access holes ALREADY there which makes it much easier deal. You won't have to drill anything to get just the motor out; rivets are in the regulators. I think the 3 motor bolts are T30.

[sly]

yes... the motor bolts are T30 for aero/whales. 8mm on boxes. Not sure about 90/91 though.

[miamibob]

Wonder if you can swap out the motor WITHOUT removing the regulator ('95 GM)?

[AC75]

Yes, you should have room enough to get the motor out without the regulator. When you unbolt the motor it will still be attached to the regulator but you just slip it off the motor "drive" and pull it out. It'll be a tight space but you should be able to do it. If you really can't get it free - and I'm not trying to complicate this or make it more confusing than it is - the motor is mounted to a metal plate that's held in with 3 rivets. It basically just holds the motor to the door frame. You could drill out those three and remove the plate with the motor on it to give you some more space and then just put the plate back on with some simple nuts and bolts. You're still not messing with the regulator so it's still simpler.

Do you have an account at CrownVic.net? There's a how-to article over there that's worth seeing. I think you would might need an account to view it but here's the link: http://www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/u...50#Post1698650 ... The article shows examples from both front and back. The second post in the article focuses on the front door of a 1996 MGM which should be helpful. You won't need all the steps in the articles since you're not removing the regulator.

[miamibob]

Thanks MUCH for the info! Yeah, you need an ID on the other site to see the posts.

Yes, you should have room enough to get the motor out without the regulator. When you unbolt the motor it will still be attached to the regulator but you just slip it off the motor "drive" and pull it out. It'll be a tight space but you should be able to do it. If you really can't get it free - and I'm not trying to complicate this or make it more confusing than it is - the motor is mounted to a metal plate that's held in with 3 rivets. It basically just holds the motor to the door frame. You could drill out those three and remove the plate with the motor on it to give you some more space and then just put the plate back on with some simple nuts and bolts. You're still not messing with the regulator so it's still simpler.

Do you have an account at CrownVic.net? There's a how-to article over there that's worth seeing. I think you would might need an account to view it but here's the link: http://www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/u...50#Post1698650 ... The article shows examples from both front and back. The second post in the article focuses on the front door of a 1996 MGM which should be helpful. You won't need all the steps in the articles since you're not removing the regulator.

Thanks MUCH for the info! Yeah, you need an ID on the other site to view it which I don't have. Would have been nice to see it, though. Have seen videos of entire regulator removal but not just the motor.

[AC75]

The user who posted the article on CV.N also posted the photos in his SuperMotors account so you should see them here : http://www.supermotors.net/registry/7603/73345-2

It's really just the second picture that is of interest to you as it shows the access holes for the motor bolts as well as the 3 rivets that hold the "plate" I mentioned earlier that you may or may not want to remove for extra room.

And, the other article that's on CV.N looks to be posted on this page: http://www.policecars.us/ford_how_to_regulator.html

This article shows the motor removed from one of the rear doors with the plate still attached - photo 6 - and further down - photo 10 - shows the motor back in the door with bolts holding the plate in place after the rivets had been removed. It's not nearly as complicated as it seems once you open the door and see how it all fits together.

[miamibob]

GREAT photos and thanks SO much for the time you put into your posts!! Shouldn't be too bad once seen. At present, the passenger side is up, all the way, but won't come down. You can hear the motor turning so probably just the gear set. Unless I feel better, I'll leave it, for the present, until better days arrive (not likely)!! Just gathering info in case I HAVE to do it. I know the dealer would get about $400 or so and we can't have that!!

[AC75]

You've welcome. I know how annoying these little bugs can be, so it's great to get these articles out there to help anyone who might need them. And yeah, if you can hear the motors but nothing happens, usually it's the little gears. I fixed both rear windows in my Lincoln this summer. One side needed a regulator so that took longer, but the other one was just the gears and it was a 15-20 minute deal. It took longer to get the door panel off than it did to fix the motor.

Good luck if you do decide to fix it!

[miamibob]

Haven't had experience in the latter model Fords so hence the questions. I've done several on my '87 GM (not recently) and my brother's '87 Topaz and they are really the same. These latter beasts are different.

[sxcpotatoes]

Can you put 7/16ths balls (ball bearings) in the later motors instead of those idiot plugs of fail? But be careful of your BONE CRUSHING POWAH, if you replace the '91-down window motor plugs with ball bearings (and the plastic gears) they will last forever, but the ball bearings have no give, and you can easily crush a child's windpipe/break arm bones/decapitate dogs if the window goes up on their heads/arms.

[sly]

they started using a newer window motor design that didn't use the nylon bushings of fail sometime in the aero/whale years. I know it's later then 93 and earlier than 2001. The newer design had a rubber bumper in each (like 12 or so) gap between the driven gear and the drive gear inside the gear housing instead of 3 large nylon bushings like the older design. They will fit 92-11, so they can be used in older cars if the motor itself fails.

[miamibob]

I have some of the later gear sets that an EBAY seller sent me by mistake when I ordered ones for my '87. Have to dig them out to see what they look like.