Replacing and Adjusting Front Window Regulator on S70

[flash3b]

The driver's window of my '98 S70 GLT had not been closing properly for a while. When fully raised, it was usually cocked at a slight angle, with a small gap between the rubber channel and the glass at the top rear corner. I could force it to close properly by pulling the glass back between my hands while someone else worked the lift switch. When the window was partly raised, I could wobble the top of the glass fore and aft quite a bit.

Since the problem seemed to be getting worse, and the wind noise from the little opening was very annoying on the highway, I decided to see if I could fix it. I figured some part of the window regulator must be loose or broken.

I took off the interior panel from the door and disconnected all the wire attachments. Then I decided to try removing the window regulator. I couldn't find any instructions for this online, so I spent quite a while figuring it out on my own. Once I got the regulator out, I found that nothing was broken. There wasn't even any significant wear.

But I found there are several adjustments that can be made, and fiddling with these fixed my problem--after I put everything back together. (At least pulling it apart gave me a chance to clean and re-grease all the moving parts inside the door.)

(See attached photo.)

Removing the upper plastic cover (1A) and the inside door release (2) allowed me to get at the two plastic wheels or bushings that connect the regulator arms to the channels on the bottom of the glass. (The access hole under the door release was covered with some kind of gasket material.) I reconnected the wires to the window motor as shown, and reconnected the window switch after removing it from the door panel, since I had to run the window up and down a lot.

The glass can be adjusted to a level position by loosening the nut marked A in the photo. Moving the nut down raises the front of the glass. I adjusted this after running the window up to about ¼ inch below the top channel, checking that the top edge of the glass was parallel to the rubber. I had to reach in through opening 2 to lift the glass a bit while adjusting the position of the nut.

Next I tried adjusting the position of the glass fore-and-aft. Lowering the window until the bottom front channel was visible through opening 2, I could see that the green plastic bushing is held in place in the channel by a flat spring clip. It has 2 little teeth that engage holes in the vertical surface of the channel. Prying the front tabs of the clip away from this surface allows the bushing and clip to slide a tiny bit in the channel, adjusting how far back the glass is pushed into the rubber rear channel of the door. This seems to be important for keeping the glass engaged evenly in the rubber channels. After I adjusted this, I checked the top edge of the glass for level again, and it still seemed to be fine.

Finally, I adjusted the nut marked B. This is a stop which limits how high the window goes. I loosened it and ran the window all the way up into the top channel. Then I marked the glass with some masking tape, even with the edge of the rubber at the top. I lowered the window so that the tape was a few millimeters below the rubber, pushed nut B upwards as far as it would go, and tightened it. I wanted to make sure the regulator was stopped by the post behind this nut, and not by the window jamming into the rubber channel. It took a couple of tries to get it right. Now the window seems to work perfectly. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

If you suspect the regulator is broken, or if the motor needs to be replaced, here is how to remove it. (It is the whole panel marked 3 in the photo.) The door release 2 and the plastic cover 1A must be removed. (I pulled off cover 1B also, as well as the speaker at 1C, but this proved unnecessary.) Lower the window until you can see the two green bushings at the bottom of the glass through these openings. Support the glass at this level. (I used a piece of very heavy steel wire hooked under the glass from the inside then hooked over the top of the door.) The ends of the regulator arms have ball studs which stick into the bushings. You must remove a wire clip (like a hairpin) from each ball stud, then pry the studs out of the bushings. It may be easiest to do this after the eight retaining bolts (marked in blue) are removed.

With the bolts removed, the tricky part is getting the arms and sector gear of the regulator out through the hole in the door. Leave the wires connected to the window motor and to the switch module. By carefully adjusting the position of the arms, you can get the bottom edge out, then readjust them to get the top edge out. Once mine was out, I cleaned off the old grease & relubricated all the pivot points & the sides of the sector gear with lithium spray grease.

If you need to remove the motor, it is held onto the regulator by Torx-head screws that come through from the back side. The plastic bushings can be removed from the channels in the window if necessary, but the wheel or bushing that runs in the channel on the backside of the regulator doesn't seem to be removable. If you want to take the glass out of the door, it comes out fairly easily if you drop the front end down and lift the back edge out first. I removed the bottom weatherstrip first for a little more room. (It simply pulls out of a channel in the door's sheet metal.) If replacing the window was your goal here, it could perhaps be done without removing the regulator from the door, but I'm not sure.

[brettj]

Thanks so much for this, flash3b. Super helpful.

I'm almost having a reverse problem in my S70 (1998). The driver's seat window works normally until the window gets almost all the way down (about 2" left), at which point it stops and tilts slightly forward. It's not he motor (and I don't think the regulator?) because the glass quivers as if the motor is still trying to pull the window down.

Do you think it might be a similar adjustment problem? If so, it doesn't seem like nuts A & B in your diagram would be the ones to adjust, do they?

Thanks!

[flash3b]

It's been quite a while since I worked on these windows. But I seem to recall that there is a lower section of window channel inside the door which can break. That might be your problem.

If I remember correctly, this short section is attached to the door itself by a torx-head screw that is visible just below the red marker light. But I can't remember how it attaches to the upper channel. You should be able to reach it through the opening marked 1A in my photo.

By the way, my window hasn't given me any trouble since I made the adjustments described above, 2 years ago.

[georgeg73]

I replaced the rollers (I used a large screw driver blade to spread the clip and get it started.), repaired the broken bracket for the guide for rear of the window, adjusted and tightened nut A, and the front of the window still drops when rolling up and I get a loud clunk when rolling the window all the way down. I noticed the window pops out of the front guide when rolled all the way down too (I think that's the source of the clunk.), not sure if this is the problem or a symptom of some other problem. When I had the regulator out, I noticed significant play in the arm for the forward roller. I attempted to stake the star pin and arm together to eliminate the play, no luck. I suspect that is where my problems is. Any idea of what the problem is and what the fix is?

[flash3b]

Without seeing your window, I can't really tell what's going on. If one of the joints in the regulator is loose & you can't fix it, I would imagine you need a new regulator. A new one is pretty expensive, but I just found a used one with little trouble from an online dealer for $50. Sorry I can't be of more help. As I said, I haven't been inside my front door for 2 years now.

[georgeg73]

I'm thinking of replacing the whole door because it has some other "issues" like the ring that controls/limits the door swing is broken and the door will fly all the way open and bounce back. Time to start the junkyard search. Thanks.

[MICAHPOWELL]

i am having the same problem as georgeg73, and it is absolutely maddening. i have been screwing around with this this for a while a cannot get the thing adjusted correctly. already replaced the regulator as well due to the excessive play (used regulator of course) and it seems to have just as much play as the original. its literally driving me crazy.