Window Regulator Post-Replacement Prob

[jmoti]

Hi all,
I replaced my passenger side window regulator last weekend, and it is now exhibiting a strange "shuddering" problem when it goes up or down (moreso when going up). I can feel a pulsation in the main toothed gear, but I'm not sure if it's originating from that or if the window might be somehow out of alignment. I tried playing with all the adjustments, including the alignment arm on the regulator, but nothing seems to help. I've also greased the heck out of all the pivots, gears, and slides, also without benefit. Any ideas before I tear the whole thing apart again? This is frustrating... Thanks!

[L84THSKY]

Best guess, the bolts holding the regulator to the door frame are loose.

Originally Posted by jmoti

Hi all,
I replaced my passenger side window regulator last weekend, and it is now exhibiting a strange "shuddering" problem when it goes up or down (moreso when going up). I can feel a pulsation in the main toothed gear, but I'm not sure if it's originating from that or if the window might be somehow out of alignment. I tried playing with all the adjustments, including the alignment arm on the regulator, but nothing seems to help. I've also greased the heck out of all the pivots, gears, and slides, also without benefit. Any ideas before I tear the whole thing apart again? This is frustrating... Thanks!

[jmoti]

Thanks for the idea, but I tightened the bejeezus out of them, with lockwashers, nylon nuts, and loctite...so I'm pretty sure that's not it. I also loosened them and tried repositioning the regulator slightly one way or the other, and that didn't help...thanks for the thought!

[L84THSKY]

Check the rubber/felt guides that mount in the door. The glass slides along these guides. If the guides are misaligned, the glass will not slide smoothly, this could cause the window to shudder.

Originally Posted by jmoti

Thanks for the idea, but I tightened the bejeezus out of them, with lockwashers, nylon nuts, and loctite...so I'm pretty sure that's not it. I also loosened them and tried repositioning the regulator slightly one way or the other, and that didn't help...thanks for the thought!

[jmoti]

Thanks! I'll check those next - any suggestions how to see if they're in spec, or just eyeball it?

[bimmerti]

I just replaced a regulator yesterday and applied wd40 to the front and rear window slides to allow the window to go up and down much smoother. It only takes a minute and may help

[bimmerti]

I have a related problem. After swapping the regulator in the driver's door and getting the window back into its front and rear tracks, the window goes up and down without problems. But I haven't been able to figure out how to set the stops and top and bottom... so if i hold the button to go up, the window goes all the way up, senses an obstruction and immediately reverses. On the bottom, it goes to the mechanical stop by rather than stopping, it puts alot of preload on the regulator prior to the motor stopping. How does one adjust the motor stops?

[jmoti]

Hi all,
Just to answer my own question - I took the entire regulator assembly apart yesterday, and determined that the "shuddering" is actually coming from the gear interface between the window motor and the new regulator. I'm gonna chalk this up to buying one at a discount off ebay - not to say they're all bad, but in this case I shoulda ponied up for an OEM. They *look* identical, but I'm guessing there are tiny differences in tooth spacing in the aftermarket regulator. Just to check, I re-attached my old bent regulator to the motor, and it moves smooth as silk. Oh well, guess I'll have to make due with a shuddery window till I feel the urge to drop a hundred bucks on a factory regulator. Let this be a lesson.

Bimmerti - to set the stops in the comfort relay, you should roll the window up and down a few times, then set it a one stop (fully up) and hold the up button for ~5s, then roll it down and hold the down button for ~5s. This resets the stops and *should* fix your problem.

[Mad-Machine]

for what it is worth.. I find that greasing up the sliders once a year is a good idea. When I bought my car it had a broken driver's side window. When I replaced it, I found the factory grease had turned into a hard coating that was actually restricting the movement of the sliders.

Wheel bearing grease works wonders

[jmoti]

Thanks for pointing that out - you're absolutely right. I'm pretty convinced that dried grease is actually the root cause of a lot of the busted regulators, the binding sliders cause the arms to pop out, and it's toast. Good call.