how-to remove
Start by removing the inner door panel. If you don’t know how this is done, take it to someone who does.
Tester
Having just done my wifes o3 windstar window motor I had to drill out some rivets and replace them with bolts, contort myself like a guy in a freak show, and finally got it all back together. It was a 2 hour job, If I had 400 bucks to pay a guy to do it it would have been worth it almost, 75 bucks for parts. Basically remove the panel, drill out the rivets, remove everything and put it back together.
Window regulators are some of my favorite jobs, but out of the 400.00 to do that windstar figure the mechanic recieved 1.0hr pay , less if warranty. You must be quick and not make mistakes, you earn you money with window regulators.Some cars can be very easy and cars like S-Blazers and Camaros can be tough. Older cars generaly are worse, the big rivets can be a pain, at least you typically don’t make a mistake with diagnosis, never had good luck with tailgate windows, they have almost too much adjustment potential. Window regulators can be too much for some DIYers
letting us know what make, model, year, and window helps.
I have found the most important part of doing window regulators is the panel removal and re installation. If you yank the panel off and break the clip brackets the panel wont fasten correctly and looks… well, like an amateur did it! also, the door panel must be FULLY weather tight after too, or you (or the wife) will be REALLY annoyed in the winter when the left thigh becomes as cold as the outside, and your right thigh is sweating from the heat you must have on to make the inside warm. Again, that would look like an amateur job. the devil is in the details.
One more topic, often the regulators are NOT the model your VIN indicates. I had to go back to chryco dealer 4 times to get correct one. I finally had to remove the old one, and take it in to match it. It turns out my van was built the day they switched models of regulators, but the computer didn’t catch this.