Where to get window regulator repair kits?

[aventari]

2001 NSX, only 20k miles on it

I've searched and read tons of threads, so many have outdated/old info, I'd like to know the state of things.

Windows have never felt slow or made bad noises before.

Today I was driving, put the drivers window down, my passenger say he heard it clunk. I didn't. But I tried to roll it up and it started going up and then stopped with a clicking like teeth slipping so I immediately stopped and didn't try to move it anymore.

I'm going to pull the door panel and check it out, but I'm sure I want the Hugo kit, I've PM'd him, no reply yet.

Is that all I will need, or did something inside the motor break? Is there a good rebuild shop now?

thanks

 

[Old Guy]

I think Hugo may have ceased production of his kits. If you have PM'd him and you don't get a response, that would probably confirm it. If you really want the Hugo kit, post a thread in the 'want to buy' section. There are probably members with a Hugo kit that never got around to installing it and might be prepared to part with it.

That said, your problem does not sound like something that the Hugo kit is going to fix directly. Sometimes the regulator will make a loud pop noise when raising the glass; but, the glass continues to move. The cause of that pop is external to the regulator drive mechanism. The fact that your glass stopped suggests a problem internal to the drive. I suspect that something jammed causing the teeth on the drive wheel inside the drive to start slipping. Only removal of the window regulator and pulling apart the regulator drive will reveal whether there is a jam and whether the regulator drive has been damaged.

Hugo posted a You-tube video on how to install his kit and he also had a .pdf with the same info. Even if you don't have his kit, study the video / .pdf document. Aside from useful information on how to remove the regulator, his video / .pdf provides details on how to take apart the regulator drive and more importantly how to reassemble it correctly. You will need that info to find out whether the drive is damaged. The factory service manual provides better detail on how to remove and replace the regulator than Hugo's video; but, provides no information on taking apart the regulator because it treats it as a non-repairable item. I used a combination of the service manual and Hugo's video to guide me through the removal of the regulator and the installation of his kit. If you were to do the Hugo kit, give yourself 4 hours for the complete R&R on the first door.

There was a company that some members had used for doing window regulator repairs; but, I seem to recall a post a couple of years ago that they are no longer around or are no longer repairing NSX regulators.

 

[SMYLDOC]

Last year I used Window Motor World @ *(800) 252-2649‬
They did a nice job on mine, heavier cable
Good luck

 

[aventari]

Thanks so much for the info, I will probably pull the door apart this weekend and see what happened.

I feel terrible removing the door panel for the first time ever, when doing door stuff, I'm so used to busting a few plastic clips (and creating rattles) and/or tearing the plastic moisture barrier. There's no way around it though.

 

[Old Guy]

Word of advice or removal of the panel:

- do watch the video and read through the manual a couple of times before trying this.
- once all the covers and the attachment screws are removed and the electrical connectors disconnected, pivot the bottom of the door panel a couple of inches out at the bottom (so that it clears stuff when you pull up) and gently pull the door panel up. If your doors are like mine, nothing seems to want to move; but, with careful even pressure it will come up. As I recall, the top of the panel kind of fits under the edge of the inside window molding with the wiper on it. You want to be super careful with that inside molding because it is relatively soft metal covered with rubber and if you catch it when you are pulling up on the door panel you can easily bend it. Try to get the end of the door panel at the latch end of the door released a little and then use something like those soft plastic trim removal wedges to help guide the panel out from under the molding as you pull the panel up.
- the plastic liner is attached with a mastic which I swear never dries out. It is awful gooey stringy stuff; but, it does allow you to pull back the liner without damaging it if you are careful. Have acetone or a good solvent on hand along with rags because this stuff sticks! A previous owner on my car did not want to deal with the door liner so they just chopped and ripped away making a real non sealing mess.
- When removing the regulator, do not mistakenly loosen the window guide adjustment bolts unless you need to do glass adjustment. Correct door glass adjustment is a big deal taking up a few pages in the service manual - probably makes regulator replacement seem trivial.
- When reinstalling the door panel, do be careful tightening the screws on the tabs around the perimeter of the door panel. Very easy to snap the tabs off. I went to Lowes and I found some trim screws with larger diameter heads which do a better job of distributing the load on the tab. I also put a couple of layers of silicon self amalgamating tape between the tab and the door sheet steel to provide a little cushioning. On my car, when the door panel was in place the retaining tabs at the back of the panel right around the door latch area did not lay flat against the door steel. A previous owner had tried screwing the tabs down tight snapping off the tabs ( and resulting in an annoying door rattle). After replacing the section with the tabs on it, I put enough layers of silicon tape under the tab to make up the gap so that the tab was not being flexed when the screw was tightened down.
- If you do brake off tabs or you already have broken tabs, the tabs are on ABS trim pieces which are separate from the door panel itself and the trim pieces are available; but, not exactly cheap. Broken tabs can be repaired / replaced with 1/8" ABS sheet (you can find it on Amazon) and ABS solvent cement. With care, you can make a durable repair.

 

[aventari]

Thank you so much for that info. All of these little tricks are why I hate interior stuff so much.. The first time you do it, it's so hard to know how everything is fitted together and plastic tabs are so easy to break.

This is even worse because the car is basically new with only 20k miles and nothing's ever been apart so everything will be tight and not want to budge.

I'm not cut out for nice car ownership, working on it is too nerve-wracking. Patience isn't my strongest virtue .. but of course you pay someone else to do it and they'll break half the tabs and tear up plastic just to finish a couple hours quicker.

It amuses me that I'm fine tearing down and rebuilding a motor or tranny or fabbing up a rollcage on any other car, but I'm scared to remove a door panel on the NSX.