The left front electric window of my 2000 Buick Century operates too slow. Despite the severe cold weather, the other 3 windows operate decently. I’m wondering if I could lower the window, and lube the window tracks as much as possible with silicone spray, or must I remove inner door panel, and the vapor barrier, drill out rivets to remove the mechanism to access the channels and possibly have to service the motor?
Lubrication randomly applied in the tracks is likely to collect dirt, making the problem worse.
Stop by the GM dealer’s parts window and request an “exploded view” drawing of the inner door panel and window installations. When weather warms up, remove the inner door panel and check the alignment of the mechanism and the parts. Perhaps the problem can be corrected without undue aggravation. And lubricating the articulating parts of the mechanicals will do far more good than trying to randomly spray lubricant though the door slot.
Thanks so much for your reply, Same Mountainbike. Makes sense to me. And my thanks and appreciation to any other replies I may get for this post!
A trusted, local, independent mechanic recommends silicone paste in the window channels:
Lower the window and smear the paste up and down the vertical channels. It takes maybe 10 up/down window cycles to distribute it. You can certainly try the silicone spray.
My experience has shown that when a power window operates slowly the motor/regulator requires replacement.
https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=532714&cc=1383421
What happens is the little plastic pulleys on the regulator wear out, making it harder for the motor to operate the window.
And since this is the drivers window which gets used the most, it should be of no surprise that the motor/regulator are worn out.
Tester
More than likely the window motor is wearing out.
IMOO lubing the run channel will not help. Also there would be no need to pull the regulator after the trim panel is pulled.
Meaneyedcatz, I’m not being a wise guy, I am just wondering, what does IMOO stand for, In My (some word beginning with “O”) Opinion? And are you saying that after I get the trim panel off, the regulator doesn’t need to be pulled because the motor is what should be replaced and that can be done with out removing the entire regulator assembly?
In My Own Opinion.
It’s just like IMHO but without the “humble”. {
Just kidding, meaneyedcatz.
It won’t hurt to try the spray silicone lube. It’s cheap and easy to apply. I have had moderate success lubricating the window channels all the way down by using the straw that comes with the can. It will cling to the channel like rain on a window. I buy it at Wally World.
If it doesn’t buy you at least a temporary fix, you can always replace the motor.
My vote is that the motor is likely failing. I will also add this. I’m not certain if this applies to your particular model or not but some GM cars of this era require some extra care when removing the motor/regulator.
Instruction may refer to drilling a small hole in the regulator and pinning it with a small bolt and nut. Failure to do so can cause the regulator to fold up lightning fast due to spring tension and if any fingers are in the way a trip to the hospital for surgical reattachment may be in order.
Again, I’m not sure on your model but research this before ever wading into it. I learned about this the scary way if not the hard way. Luckily my digits were not in the way.
When in doubt read the instruction manual… 