[Chrysler300] Power Window Wars

["'DeBusk Thomas L.' tleed@xxxxxxxx [Chrysler300]" <Chrysler300-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A little while ago, the three little nylon gear plugs in the front passenger window motor in my Hurst vaporized. Not to worry. I just replaced the ones in the driver's side last summer, so with the benefit of experience, I figured the passenger's side would be a breeze. And since Advance Auto sells the exact parts I needed as "Window Regulator Gear Plugs", Item #74410 (for late-model FORDS!), I knew exactly what I needed.

If only life could be so easy.

Of course I knew the mechanism is spring-loaded. But a client called me on the phone while I was working. Nearly took my fingers off when the clock spring let go! (Focus, focus.)

Now if someone wants to chime in with a safe, foolproof way to unload the spring pressure, then I'm all ears, but that's not my most pressing question.

After I got finished re-installing at midnight last night, the window was very sluggish going up. Just about refused. Well, I had the car on the battery charger intermittently through the winter, and I hadn't driven it yet this summer because the window wouldn't go up. But the battery was low when I started the window work a few days ago, so I put the charger on it. I have a super-duper modern charger that tells me the battery percentage and volts currently in the battery. After charging and before starting on the window, it was at 100% charge. But by the time I was ready to raise the window, the door had been open for a couple of hours, and the dome light had been draining the battery. I had taken the charger off the battery when I started working on the window, and it now showed only 80% charge when I hooked it back up.

After only 15-20 minutes, the charger showed 95% charge, which is a little odd, because it shouldn't charge that fast if you have 80%. But the window worked significantly better. In fact, both front windows had been super-sluggish when the charger read 80%, but both worked OK when it was reading 95%.

So here's my question. Is there a "proper" amount of tension on the clock spring when you re-install it? I basically just mounted the center on the split pin and then wound the arm around to the post it engages. Considering how much tension is there, I was just happy to get it installed. I wasn't really thinking about putting extra tension on it. But if I understand it's purpose correctly, it's there to support the weight of the window; the motor just moves the window. What I'm asking is how much of the weight of the window is the spring supposed to carry? A lot? Or just a little? Is it possible to put more tension on it by installing it a certain way, or by putting it in a vice and mechanically leveraging the arm? Is that either possible, desirable, or necessary?

Given my scenario, I'm trying to figure out whether I need to go back into both doors and "tighten up" the springs, however you might do that, because they're not "carrying their weight" sufficiently, or am I dealing with a weak battery that's trying to tell me it's time to replace it?

Thomas DeBusk

------------------------------------
Posted by: "DeBusk Thomas L." <tleed@xxxxxxxx>
------------------------------------

To send a message to this group, send an email to:
Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or
go to http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/join and select the "Leave Group" button

For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm

For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/search.htm#querylang
------------------------------------

Yahoo Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    Chrysler300-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    Chrysler300-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    Chrysler300-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo Groups is subject to:
    https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/