Power windows
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 682
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From: Anderson. South Carolina, CSA
This helped Me!
Thank goodness for forums and old posts! I recently bought a 89 Lariat 4x4 and the drivers side power window would not roll up. I found this 2+ year old post and saved myself probably half a day figuring out the problem.
This 20 year old truck has had the same prob before, cause the 1/2 inch holes were already drilled in the metal door interior. The 3 plastic pins are no longer available seperate from the gear kit. Or at least I could not find them and I tried all the parts houses including NAPA. The kit was anywhere from $20-$25. I measured the pins and they were 12 mm in diameter. Went to the hardware store and bought a 7/16 wooden dowel rod (11.1mm) for $1.30. Seems to me that wood may not be any worse than whatever the factory material was as it seems.
**My apologies for the fuzzy pics below. I took them too close.**
Determined the length of the pins should be 9.5mm, so I cut 3 that length, greased up the triangular cavity and placed them in each corner.
Then, slip the 9 tooth metal gear into the cavity while making sure the dowel pieces fit into the indents on the back side of the metal gear, wiping away excess grease that flows out as it is pushed it in. Push until fully seated.
Grease the worm gear in the housing
Grease up the entire plastic gear especially the teeth on the outer edge.
Slip the assembled gear onto the center shaft in the gear housing, meshing the gears on the outside edge of the plastic gear with the worm gears. Grease the 9 teeth on the metal gear.
Wipe excess grease away from edge of housing and reinstall housing cover to seal it all up.
Mount it back in the door and button everything back up and you're good as new!
I will post back after some time has passed as to how this wood solution is holding up.
I know the pics are fuzzy, too close to the parts, but I hope anyone who needs this can make it out. Referencing the excellent photos earlier in this post should make it all clear
This 20 year old truck has had the same prob before, cause the 1/2 inch holes were already drilled in the metal door interior. The 3 plastic pins are no longer available seperate from the gear kit. Or at least I could not find them and I tried all the parts houses including NAPA. The kit was anywhere from $20-$25. I measured the pins and they were 12 mm in diameter. Went to the hardware store and bought a 7/16 wooden dowel rod (11.1mm) for $1.30. Seems to me that wood may not be any worse than whatever the factory material was as it seems.
**My apologies for the fuzzy pics below. I took them too close.**
Determined the length of the pins should be 9.5mm, so I cut 3 that length, greased up the triangular cavity and placed them in each corner.
Then, slip the 9 tooth metal gear into the cavity while making sure the dowel pieces fit into the indents on the back side of the metal gear, wiping away excess grease that flows out as it is pushed it in. Push until fully seated.
Grease the worm gear in the housing
Grease up the entire plastic gear especially the teeth on the outer edge.
Slip the assembled gear onto the center shaft in the gear housing, meshing the gears on the outside edge of the plastic gear with the worm gears. Grease the 9 teeth on the metal gear.
Wipe excess grease away from edge of housing and reinstall housing cover to seal it all up.
Mount it back in the door and button everything back up and you're good as new!
I will post back after some time has passed as to how this wood solution is holding up.
I know the pics are fuzzy, too close to the parts, but I hope anyone who needs this can make it out. Referencing the excellent photos earlier in this post should make it all clear
Thread Starter
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Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 11
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From: Delaware
Hehe, great to hear that the post helped you, made it worth putting the photos online! 
Is it not dangerous to use wooden pins? They will work of course, but the whole idea of safety pins is gone: The wood will not break when the window gets jammed...
There are still plastic pins available on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/91-97...Q5fAccessories
Not sure if they are original, but I guess these will shatters when stressed too much.
Is it not dangerous to use wooden pins? They will work of course, but the whole idea of safety pins is gone: The wood will not break when the window gets jammed...
There are still plastic pins available on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/91-97...Q5fAccessories
Not sure if they are original, but I guess these will shatters when stressed too much.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 682
Likes: 0
From: Anderson. South Carolina, CSA
I don't think it would be considered "dangerous" to have used the wooden pins. I think they would break under enough stress to cause damage to some other window part like the factory ones would. I was just looking for a low-budget fix for a 20 yr old truck that I bought just to sit at the house and use only when I need to tow or haul something heavy. It is not my daily driver. I am not looking to drop a lot of money into this truck.
I do think though that I will buy the pins in the link you provided just in case they become unavailable by the time the wooden ones fail or when the passenger side gives up. Thanks for that link!
Are you still in the US and do you still have your F150?
Thread Starter
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Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Delaware
Hiya maarschalk. Good to see you are still around.
I don't think it would be considered "dangerous" to have used the wooden pins. I think they would break under enough stress to cause damage to some other window part like the factory ones would. I was just looking for a low-budget fix for a 20 yr old truck that I bought just to sit at the house and use only when I need to tow or haul something heavy. It is not my daily driver. I am not looking to drop a lot of money into this truck.
I do think though that I will buy the pins in the link you provided just in case they become unavailable by the time the wooden ones fail or when the passenger side gives up. Thanks for that link!
Are you still in the US and do you still have your F150?
I don't think it would be considered "dangerous" to have used the wooden pins. I think they would break under enough stress to cause damage to some other window part like the factory ones would. I was just looking for a low-budget fix for a 20 yr old truck that I bought just to sit at the house and use only when I need to tow or haul something heavy. It is not my daily driver. I am not looking to drop a lot of money into this truck.
I do think though that I will buy the pins in the link you provided just in case they become unavailable by the time the wooden ones fail or when the passenger side gives up. Thanks for that link!
Are you still in the US and do you still have your F150?
Yeah a few spare parts of a few $ wont kill you either!
No, I was only 6 months in the US. Actually I kind of forgot about this forum allready...
I changed my truck for a 4x more fuel efficient (and 4x smaller) european car. Trucks are very uncommon here unfortunately.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 682
Likes: 0
From: Anderson. South Carolina, CSA
Small cars are not alot of fun. But I know that in Europe, that is the norm. Good luck to you my friend in whatever you do. Maybe....some day....if you are fortunate....a Ford truck will be in your future.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 682
Likes: 0
From: Anderson. South Carolina, CSA
Update
Wooden pins failed after about a month. Worth a shot at a cheap fix anyway. But..as luck would have it, I had bought the replacement parts maarschalk mentioned in his post and after the wooden dowel pins failed, I put them in both doors. Still a cheap fix!
Here is the link he provided.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/91-97...Q5fAccessories
The repair is the same as in the pics I posted, just use the plastic parts instead of my poorly chosen wooden pins.
Here is the link he provided.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/91-97...Q5fAccessories
The repair is the same as in the pics I posted, just use the plastic parts instead of my poorly chosen wooden pins.
Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: Currituck, NC
to replace the broken piecies (if you wanna go the cheap way) i just put some nuts i had layin around in it... still works fine
