e30 power window blues

[berserkdroid]

Dear Sifus,Its been a while since i last used the rear power windows on my '91 e30 m40, so i decided to give them a run today...and they don't work! That's strange because they haven't been used enough for them to fail...and both at the same time? I decided to investigate.First off, the switches. No problems there, contacts were clean and everything functional. Circuit breakers? All okay.Swapped the switches around and still nothing was happening. Removed the door panels, checked the power to the switch and the motor and there's power getting to both.Then i noticed a little "thuk" sound from the motor everytime the power window switch was pressed, either up or down and for both doors. Ran the test again later at night and noticed that the cabin lights go dim whenever the switch was pressed.So it sounds like the motors are trying to work, but are stuck.Sprayed WD40 around the place, no improvement. Had a look at the mechanism, looks complicated and partially hidden.So does anyone know of a way on how to take these suckers apart and service them? Or at least a place that is competent enough to do it? Don't want to pay $$$ for new motors laa...

 

[jagmalhi]

bro i had the same problem..remove your panel at the door, remove the plastic coating, then while pressing the button use a hammer or something to knock knock sikit the motor area..sometimes the thing jammed..i dunno how to tell u which area to knock,hard to say in words..but if i see i know.haha..

 

[berserkdroid]

Thanks bro. Ok so generally which side? If i am facing the panel and door switch, ketuk at the left side of the motor or right side? Up part or down? :dontknow:

 

[jagmalhi]

err..u hit the underside of it..the housing panel is in the middle right?just lightly ketuk it from bottom in an upwards motion..thats what my mech did and it works fine now of course, do it at your own risk ya,for mine worked for yours i hope it works too! cuz i had the same symptoms as yours..power and electric fine,motor working etc..after knock a bit it works fine..good luck!

 

[python_dev]

mine did that too when I first got the car.. turned out to be just oxide on the switch.. bit of spray and everything worked..

 

[berserkdroid]

err..u hit the underside of it..the housing panel is in the middle right?just lightly ketuk it from bottom in an upwards motion..thats what my mech did and it works fine now of course, do it at your own risk ya,for mine worked for yours i hope it works too! cuz i had the same symptoms as yours..power and electric fine,motor working etc..after knock a bit it works fine..good luck!

Thanks bro. So i ketuk ketuk the motor and nothing happened then i tension and bantai the thing...and it MOVED! :4:

So after i had done my victory dance around the car, happiness turned to frustration because in order to make the motor turn I must wallop the thing hard and each time it only moves 2 centimeters (Therefore in order to bring the window up and down i would have to be continuously whacking the door with a hammer, betul betul macam kereta flintstones!). Like dis cannot lah. :banghead:

Looks like the motor has to be taken out and cleaned good and proper. So back to square one: Does anyone know how to take the thing out or know anyone competent who can?

 

[jagmalhi]

huhu awww shucks man..that sucks..maybe you're right,motor needs servicing..err..how to take out motor i dunno la..but i know this place in kota damansara,my mech for 'regular jobs',..good pricing man..cuz baru open his own shop,so prices like tesco haha..or got this indian fellow near damansara jaya area also good prices and efficient..there i send for a bit more complicated bmw repairs..and his pricing also good

 

[evilnickwong]

My '91 E30 also used to have this problem. My mechanic's response to it was also to just bantai the door while holding down the button until it came down.

So actually, the problem is the motor is too weak to get it moving from the rubber seals. What I did later was line the window seals along all edges with a slippery silicon grease (something my dad used when diving last time) so that the rubber won't stick to the glass so much. Now, I don't have to hentam it anymore for it to be able to come down. Of course, making it a habit to wind the windows up and down once a day helps too. Just make it a routine of sorts every morning b4 you go work. Hope that helps ya.

 

[berserkdroid]

Ok, so here's an update.

Took the rear left motor assembly out (a real pain if the window is up as there are two bolts holding it that must be removed), and opened the thing up.

Note: In order to do this you must have the appropriate tools. Maybe I'll post a step-by-step if anyone's interested.

Had a look inside the motor and guess what? It was RUSTED!

Now I'm guessing that is a result of condensation inside the motor housing, which means that it's a design flaw as the whole motor unit was mostly unused and sealed against water.

Verdict: Must be replaced.

Next one, the right rear motor. Rusted, but not as much. Cleaned it, and was happy to see it work. Installed it and...Nothing.

What the heck? It worked earlier! So gave it a wallop with a hammer and that made it move, but sluggishly. Even with the window linings lubricated, the motor still couldn't push the window up properly without assistance.

Verdict: Probably have to replace this one as well. :20:

Now for the big question - Does anyone have these motors...