Jason Griffith wrote:
>
> so rumor has it that cs's have absolutely lethargic window motors in the
> back windows.  just reading about cleaning & oiling, is that all that needs
> to be done to speed these windows up a tad?
>
> jason

Howdy Jason,

Thirty year old electric windows can be subject to many degradations of
power which contribute to sluggishness. A complete tune up of the window
system would be as follows:

1, Switches - corrosion can build up on the contacts and the plug in
socket  - Remove each switch, disassemble by sqeezing the long axis of
the sides of the switch case near the chrome bezel ring and carefully
pry the bezel upward. If you break the bezel it can be glued to the
switch body on reassembly. New switches are around $30. Empty the
contents of the dwitch onto a work surface and clean the inside of the
switch with spray contact cleaner, a tooth brush, and use emery paper to
remove any burnt buildup at the contact points in the switch. Put a
small dab of silicone dielectric grease (No, NOT Astro Glide. You people
in San Francisco... Stop tittering!) on each sliding contact and the
small ball and bar part and reassemble. On the new type circular prong
and socket switches, clean each male prong and female socket with
contact cleaner, dab on silicone grease and reassemble.

2. Wiring - check each connector to see that it is tight and the wires
are not frayed or insulation burnt or cracked.

3. Motor/gear assembly - After removing the side pannel clean the window
gear mechanism of all clotted grease (it can get thick and gummy and
slow things down considerably). Clean the sliding contact points of the
regulator arms and the window guides of all grease, If your window was
not working, turn the motor shaft by hand to make sure the motor is not
jammed and that the nylon gears are not chewed up. Now try the newly
cleaned switch to see if the motor works. If it is not jammed but the
switch still does not operate the motor, apply power directly to the
leads to determine if the motor or wiring is at fault. Replace as necessary.

Check that the circular rubber stop on a metal shaft at the top of the
mechanism is in good shape. It is held on to the mechanism by a nut and
can come adrift, allowing the window to go past the normal limit and
jam. If the part is not there, search in the door or quarter pannel
cavity where it MAY be found rolling around causing that annoying rattle
that you have been living with for X amount of time. Relube the gears
and sliding parts with a THIN COATING OF NEVERSIEZE. Resist the
temptation to slather it on - when the solvents eventually evaporate you
want a thin film of graphite on the parts - not dirt catching globbs of
muck such as you may have found when you cleaned the mechanism!

Reassemble the whole mechanism, test, and put the pannels/seats back in.
Your windows should operate much faster now!

Hope this Helps,
Mel Miller
2 X 72 3.0 CSi