How to Take Off a 1996 Sunfire Window Crank

When General Motors redesigned the platform that the Chevy Cavalier and Pontiac Sunbird were based on in 1995, the Cavalier remained but Pontiac discontinued the Sunbird. Taking the Sunbird's place was the similarly named Sunfire. The 1996 Sunfire came standard with manual windows that have a door panel-mounted crank to roll them up and down. This crank is not overly difficult to replace, but General Motors hid the mounting mechanism out of sight, so it requires a special tool to remove and replace.

Things You'll Need

• Window crank removal tool

Instructions

Removal

1. Turn the window crank so its arm is aimed upward.

2. Position the window crank tool so it is behind the crank’s arm and its forked end faces down. Slide the window crank removal tool behind the window crank until you feel the tool engage the crank’s metal retaining clip.

3. Place your hand under the window crank and press the window crank tool downward to disengage the metal clip. If the clip falls out, catch it with your hand, as you will need this U-shaped clip for installation.

4. Pull the window crank from the regulator shaft and pull its bearing plate – the circular plastic plate – from the regulator shaft.

Installation

1. Line the U-shaped metal retaining clip up with its slot in the window crank, so the open end of the “U” is facing the crank’s arm. Press the U-shaped clip into the slot until it clicks into place.

2. Slide the bearing plate onto the regulator shaft.

3. Line up the hole on the rear of the window crank with the regulator shaft; both components have splines, so proper alignment is imperative. Press the crank into the regulator shaft until you hear the metal retaining clip snap into place. Pull outward on the crank to assure full engagement.

Tips & Warnings

• Other tools can complete this task, including a shop towel, two flat-head screwdrivers or even two knives, but these tools are not designed for this task and may break the window crank. Do not attempt to remove the window crank with any tool other than the one designed for the task.

References

• Alldata: 1996 Pontiac Sunfire Door Window Regulator Handle Service Procedure
• Cars.com: 1996 Pontiac Sunfire Specs and Features
• MSN Autos: Pontiac Sunfire Overview
• Edmunds.com: Pontiac Sunfire Review