The drivers side window in my 94 sl600 made clunking sounds going up sometimes. Now it is off track and you can just hear a whirring sound when you hit the switch to make it go up and down. The window is disconnected. The door looks pretty eloborate. How do I get in there to fix it and what will I find to be fixed? Any body repair people here?
There is a small piece of plastic behind the chrome handle. Pry it out to reveal the screw which removes the chrome housing. That is where a massive screw is attaching the door handle to the door. There are some more screws underneath the armrest. I think you might have to pry the lower cover (been a while since I worked on R129 and W140). When you pry the entire door cover, please be careful and use proper tool that resembles like two-thong screwdriver. Don't just tear the cover off the door. Otherwise, the cover won't seat properly again. You will probably need to buy new plastic anchors if they get sheared in the process. They're pretty cheap to replace. Then lift the whole cover vertically to remove. Make sure you properly disconnect any cables from the cover.
Once you can see what is happening inside the door, look for some clues of damage or mishap.
If the window frame jumped, try to see where the frame came loosened. It could be the bolt and nut that came loose: look for them in the bottom of door.
If the window frame is still anchored to the track and can be moved up or down, a few possibilities here: broken plastic pieces that anchor the cable to the window frame or the winding mechanism; broken teeth on the gear wheels; or cable itself is snapped in half.
Ok, here's the bad news: it is very likely that you might have to replace the ENTIRE winding mechanism rather than just broken parts. The days of buying individual parts are long gone.
My brother was incensed when a tiny, (yes, really tiny about 1/4 inch by
1/8 inch) plastic prong that anchored the cable to the winding mechanism broke in his wife's 1993 Toyota Corolla. He was more incensed when Toyota car part fitment department wanted $380,--- for the replacement. Yes, $380,---! Not just for one tiny part but entire winding mechanism. Being imaginative, we figured a better repair for $15,---.Oliver
SW wrote:
Sounds like a broken window regulator. I just replaced one on my 80
300SD yesterday. It's a big help to have a service manual, so you know how it all comes apart. The good news for me, at least, was I got an aftermarket one on Ebay for $70.Only problems I had were :
1 - One of the threaded holes in the replacement one were not cut correctly and after getting it into position inside the door and starting the other bolts, I had to tap the damn hole. Fortunately, I had the 6mm tap. And I know why. I remember having to do this on the last one I bought about 6 years ago.2 - After getting the whole damn thing in, I went to adjust the stop that limits how far down it can go. There is a screw and stop on the window regulator. And to get to it, there is a round hole on the inside door sheet metal. Well guess, what. The old one had an allen head screw, so the hole in the door is plenty big for that. But the replacement one has a regular hex head bolt and the hole in the door aint big enough for a socket! Boy was I pissed! Luckily I was barely able to get the bolt out, replace it with the allen head one from the old one, and do this without the damn stop falling off inside the door! You;t think the guys that make these things would realize this stuff, but apparently not. Still bettern that paying $$$$ for one from Bavaria.
So, all in all, it went pretty well and she's running up and down nice and smooth!
OK, I am convinced it is the window regulator as it seems to be missing teeth or something. Sometimes they catch and sometimes they don't. So I have the left hand door stripped to the point of the plastic shield off. There are a few open places and I can sorta see some of the mechanism in there. Looks maybe like the motor is behind a big spring in the door. Is the regulator in there somewhere? Does the inside portion of the door come off so I can get to the window mechanism? If not, how do you get to it all? This is a really complicated auto. Thanks
OK, I am convinced it is the window regulator as it seems to be missing teeth or something. Sometimes they catch and sometimes they don't. So I have the left hand door stripped to the point of the plastic shield off. There are a few open places and I can sorta see some of the mechanism in there. Looks maybe like the motor is behind a big spring in the door. Is the regulator in there somewhere? Does the inside portion of the door come off so I can get to the window mechanism? If not, how do you get to it all? This is a really complicated auto. Thanks
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