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Electric window stuck half way... until I took the door card off

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  • Electric window stuck half way... until I took the door card off

    I have barely looked at the car for months now while I've been working my balls off, but I do take it for a spin now and again to keep things moving etc. recently I did so and had the windows down for some air. The passenger's side window only went half way up though. It went down again, and up and down several times but didn't get any further than half way. (At one point a couple of months ago neither window would move at all and I couldn't lower them, but when I went back to the car later they worked.)
    So anyway I took the door card off to look for a problem with the runner being jammed or the cables being snagged/worn etc. I didn't see anything obvious, reconnected the switch and the window decided to work again. I don't see anything obvious but there must be an issue of some kind.
    So I'm thinking relay maybe? switch problem? or runners need to be lubed. I'm probably not the only person to have experienced this so I thought I should ask for the collective wisdom (cough) of the forum members
    cheers
    nj
    --------------------------------------------------------------------
    1990 CQ20v
    2001 3.0 B6 A4 Avant Quattro Sport

  • #2
    Hi Noel,
    I've had this problem with the ignition off, the battery didn't have enough power to raise the window. I had to start the car to raise the window fully.
    Another thing to consider is the grease inside the window motor has solidified and needs refreshing.

    Comment


    • #3
      Or a screw that is too long in the door card jamming the window coming down....

      Comment


      • #4
        thanks lads. the car was running when i was trying this and it went up (halfway), down again, up (halfway), down again, up (halfway), down again etc etc. But it seemed like it was struggling as it got near the top. It was odd though that after I took the bloody door card off and tried it a couple of times it went up properly. and fully down and up again. I didn't play with it too much as I didn't want it to stick down.
        grease in the motor is a possibility, yeah. When I finally find time I'll open the motor and regrease it. I have a spare just in case I make a complete **** of it and the innards explode though
        I don't think it's a screw in the doorcard because it was working fine.. until it wasn't But I'll check things out anyway just in case.
        --------------------------------------------------------------------
        1990 CQ20v
        2001 3.0 B6 A4 Avant Quattro Sport

        Comment


        • #5
          oh yeah. it was only one door by the way. other side works fine. so prob not a battery issue.
          --------------------------------------------------------------------
          1990 CQ20v
          2001 3.0 B6 A4 Avant Quattro Sport

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          • #6
            more like a "5h1t's getting old" issue.
            --------------------------------------------------------------------
            1990 CQ20v
            2001 3.0 B6 A4 Avant Quattro Sport

            Comment


            • #7
              The electric window motors are current limited, to prevent injury and to prevent burnout in the motor. If the channels are tight because of lack of use, that limit may have been reached. Try using silicon spray down the channels and see if that fixes it....

              Comment


              • #8
                i'll go with some spray to start with and if that works i'll try to find some silicone grease for longer term protection. I'll need some for my 'new' locks when I fit them anyway (I have mismatching locks right now) to protect them from moisture freezing in them during the winter. Last year I had some issues during winter (-35 is a bitch) so hopefully this year will be better the new locks, plenty of grease and maybe the remote locking kit if I can find time to fit it.
                --------------------------------------------------------------------
                1990 CQ20v
                2001 3.0 B6 A4 Avant Quattro Sport

                Comment


                • #9
                  Dodgy switches. Both my Driver and passenger window have suffered. Try playing with the switches, and lubricating with WD40, this seemed to cure the "old and dry" switches for me.

                  Cheers,

                  Steve
                  The Perfectionist
                  sigpic
                  Audi Class Concours winner Stoner Park 2014, ADI Concours D'Elegance Class Winner 2008, Runner up 2014. Winner, S2Forum Show'n'Shine Billing 2006 & 2008.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I'll give that a go too Steve. All of the above (plus wishing on a star) certainly won't do any harm
                    Although I've said that before and managed to balls 10 things up whilst trying to fix 1... hmm....
                    I'll also need to keep an eye out for space LHD switches I think.
                    --------------------------------------------------------------------
                    1990 CQ20v
                    2001 3.0 B6 A4 Avant Quattro Sport

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Late update, as the car has been in the garage for months now. But I've decided to get some outstanding jobs done. The window has been working ok, but I had to change the door locks so when I had the whole lot out this afternoon I took another look at the window mech. What I hadn't previously realised the significance of, was the fact that the 3 bolts holding the motor onto the inner door frame were broken. So I had the motor cable tied to the frame. Today I thought I'd sort that out and take the 3 bolts off a spare motor I have, so after doing the door lock I fitted the motor properly with the 3 bolts. When I tested the window it went half way up and then couldn't make it any further. I realised the cables were tightening to the point that the mechanism wouldn't go any further, and the motor being properly in place was part of the problem.When the window was all the way down the cables were very slack though...
                      So.. I decided that the cable wasn't balanced properly (I don't know how to explain this properly. Like.. there should be a bit more cable to one side and less on the other). I figured the problem was inside the motor so I took the whole frame out again, with the window lowered, and opened up the motor. I would have been great just to swap motors with cables and all, but the f-wit that sold me the motor decided to cut the cables instead of detaching them properly. The things you don't expect to have to tell people eh? So anyway, I opened the motor and pulled out the cable wheel from the centre. The cable was a bit tangled inside somehow so I unwrapped it, rewrapped it and then refitted it, but offset by 120 degrees (compared to how it had been). That seemed to take up a bit of the slack on the side that was loose, and gave a bit more cable to the side that was too tight. Now this faffing about took a while and I did a bit of swearing. I thought about taking photos but I was so covered in grease that I just got on with the job. Apologies to any future forum user who was hoping for a couple of images to explain that better.
                      So I refitted everything and it all seems to be working nicely. I'll probably pick up a spare passenger's side (UK driver's side) motor and cables at some point though, just in case this one explodes.

                      And now i'm off to do the door lock on the other side and fit a remote central locking kit
                      --------------------------------------------------------------------
                      1990 CQ20v
                      2001 3.0 B6 A4 Avant Quattro Sport

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I had tangled window cable as well.

                        Mine had frayed ever so slightly and that had caught somewhere and upset the smooth letting out and reeling in that a fresh cable should do. It was only one strand that frayed so i dealt with it and amazingly it worked. Mine is still very slow though so one day i might try your technique of offsetting the slack, i know my glass channels are slippery, switch and power supply all good so good shout.

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                        • #13
                          Yeah I think new cables would ease my mind for sure stevie. Dunno if they can be bought these days though? Hell, I didn't know if you can even buy the bloody motor! I'm so pissed off at the breaker cutting the cables on the spare I bought. Not worth arguing after it's been posted from the UK to the a-hole of Finland though
                          --------------------------------------------------------------------
                          1990 CQ20v
                          2001 3.0 B6 A4 Avant Quattro Sport

                          Comment

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