Driver's side door fell down inside

[Heidi]

I have a 1999 Grand Am and the driver's side window

slowly dropped inside the door. I can hear the motor

still working. I am kind of short of funds and would

like to try and fix this myself. Can somebody walk

me thru this? Thank you very much

[Jeremy airjer W]

Your going to need a window regulator. most likely what happened is the cable broke that moves the glass up and down. Supper common for these vehicles.

Getting the door panel off is the hardest part. After that its just nuts and bolts. Sometimes you'll have to drill out a couple of pop rivets as well.

[Dan Thiem]

There are two nylon or plastic guides or clips on the regulator. The cables run through them and the are known to break. Expensive little buggers too at around 30 clams each. Also there are two sashs that are glued to the glass.

Did the window strain and go down crooked before this happened?

[Jeremy airjer W]

Dan, I didn't know you could get just the guides? More often than not by the time we see them the cables are so kinked, frayed and twisted it wouldn't be worth trying to salvage.

[Dan Thiem]

Yep you're probably right. But ya, you sure can get the clips seperate. Learn sumpin new every day huh Airjer? Yes!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Now he's smaaat....he's really really smaaaat!!!

[Heidi]

Thanks fellas. I tried pulling the panel off and 4 plastic

fasteners freed up. Two on each side I recall. You have to

"horse" it off and I am afraid of breaking it and it won't be able to be put back together. Is it ok to pry it open with more force? There is two screws I took out before

trying to remove the door. I assume once I get it off, the

rest should tell me what the problem is. It just seems that

it is very hard to pull the panel off and I don't want to bust anything. Thanks for the help.

[Fishbreath1]

Quote:

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There are two nylon or plastic guides or clips on the regulator. The cables run through them and the are known to break. Expensive little buggers too at around 30 clams each. Also there are two sashs that are glued to the glass.

Did the window strain and go down crooked before this happened?

---

I don't know a ton about Grand Am's, but aren't there a bunch of them in bone yards? Couldn't this gal head to a salvage yard and get what she needs to avoid the 60 clam cost?

[Steve Bakken]

There should be a fairly large screw or two near where you pull on the door to shut it. Also maybe one up behind the door handle. They're cleverly hidden behind plastic caps. The entire perimiter is just push in clips that can USUALLY be re-used once or twice. Don't be afraid to pull on the edges. Only way to get those buggers loose. If it feels hung up in the center yet, check for more screws, there's only about three, though. Once it's loose, you'll have to unhook the two rods from the handle and the lock lever. Just a plastic clip that you swing around to the side and then the rod will lift right out of the hole. That should be about it. Hope that helps.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Those door panel clips can be stubborn. They is a tool available to help remove them and they are relatively inexpensive (sometimes I use it sometimes I just grab and pull). They are located around the perimeter of the door panel. Like Steve said if its hung up around the center of the panel than there is still a screw or two that need to be removed. I Think (its hard to remember specifically) the door handle stays on the door frame. There is a screw that needs to be removed for the cover that sits behind the door handle. Typically the window switch will pop out also to allow for easier removal of the connectors.

As far as a salvage yard for the parts I would be all for it if it was something else. These are very common problems for the grand am and grand prix. The part you get could fail upon the first use or be fine for quite some time. I would rather get a new part and at least have some confidence that it would last as long as the one that was replaced.

While your in there I would spray the window tracks/channels with a little silicon spray, available at any parts store. Typically after installing the new regulator I find that the window will go up slow. a little spray and its back to normal. Even solved an annoying screech when I rolled down the window in my Saturn!

[Jeremy airjer W]

Heidi, did you get it fixed?

[Heidi]

yes I did. Thank you all for the help.

The neighbor helped me.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Glad to hear it!!