How to Remove Electric Window Motors
If your car has turned into an oven because an uncooperative window, the time may have arrived to remove your electric window motor so you can replace it with a new one. The electric window motor mounts onto the inside of your car door panel. A small gear at the end of the motor meshes with a device called a window regulator. Applying power to the motor turns the gears, which raises and lowers the regulator, moving the window with it. Rather than paying a mechanic, you can save a few dollars by removing the electric window motor yourself.
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Things You'll Need
- Tape
- Adjustable wrench
- Socket wrench
- Socket set
- Phillips screwdriver
- Pry bar or door panel removal tool
Instructions
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1
Park your car in a location that will give you enough to work with the doors open. Shift the car into park, and set the emergency brake. Roll all the windows up to the closed position. Turn off the car.
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2
Open the door with the window motor you want to remove. Run a piece of tape from the inside of the window, over the door and onto the surface of the outside window. Repeat this step with at least two more pieces of tape to keep the window in place while you work.
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3
Open the car hood. Disconnect the negative (black) battery terminal from the car battery with a socket wrench or adjustable wrench.
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4
Remove any hardware from the door, including armrests, ashtrays and decorative pieces. (Armrests are usually held in place by Phillips screws on the undersides.) In some cars, you must also remove the mirror handle and mirror casing.
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5
Remove the door panel; use a pry bar for this task, or rent/purchase a car door panel removal tool from an auto shop. Start on the outside edge of the door panel, and gently wedge the pry bar underneath the panel. Gently work the bar back and forth until the panel starts to come loose. Gradually move your way around the panel, loosening as you go.
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6
Pull the panel off the door gently. Look for any electrical wiring harness connections attached to the door. Pull all these connections out by the plastic sockets on their ends; do not pull by the wires.
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7
Locate the electric window motor---in most cars, mounted on the door panel toward the bottom. It will be directly adjacent to the window regulator, an accordion-shaped device. Unplug any wires connected to the motor.
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8
Unscrew the bolts holding the electric window motor in place on the door with the socket wrench. Gently pull the motor away from the door. You may have to lean it slightly forward to disengage the motor gears from the regulator.
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References
- Photo Credit car by the door image by Furan from Fotolia.com
