so I fixed it for free. A quick search of the web revealed numerous similar window failures but no solutions. So I wanted to post this up to help anyone in the future.
I have a 92 Accord with a rear window that would stop 1/2" from the top. I took the door panel apart and saw that the motor and regulator needed to come out. Looking straight down from the top I could see that two small cables were interfering with each other and in a severe bind.
I removed the motor and regulator and found that the upper cable hanger was broken. I was able to find the piece that had snapped of inside the door. Now this cable hanger originally wrapped 180 degrees around the regulator track. I was able to drill a through hole from the broken part through the track and through the back side of the cable hanger.
I put a machine screw through the hole with a nut on the backside. I clipped the end of the screw and ground it flush. I put some locktite on the fastener for good measure.
NOTE, the screw needed to positioned in the middle of the cable hanger where the surface was sloped. There was no flat area for the screw head to clamp to. I used a dremel tool to remove material and create a flat section for the screw head to rest on.
Now for the hard part, I had to take the cable spool apart and rewind it. The cable spool is in two halves that mate with teeth. The top half can be ratcheted in one direction but locks up in the other direction. To effectively wind this spool I placed the window seat at the bottom of the track and wound the large portion of the spool (which is the bottom half). I then wound the top half and carefully placed it all together. The following part is hard to explain. By holding the bottom half of the spool with a screwdriver and rotating the top half of the spool while also pushing against the tension spring you can take the slack out of the spool. The ends of the cable wind around the spool in opposite directions.
Like I was saying this may be hard to understand but for future reference if you have this project in front of you it will make more sense.
I have a 92 Accord with a rear window that would stop 1/2" from the top. I took the door panel apart and saw that the motor and regulator needed to come out. Looking straight down from the top I could see that two small cables were interfering with each other and in a severe bind.
I removed the motor and regulator and found that the upper cable hanger was broken. I was able to find the piece that had snapped of inside the door. Now this cable hanger originally wrapped 180 degrees around the regulator track. I was able to drill a through hole from the broken part through the track and through the back side of the cable hanger.
I put a machine screw through the hole with a nut on the backside. I clipped the end of the screw and ground it flush. I put some locktite on the fastener for good measure.
NOTE, the screw needed to positioned in the middle of the cable hanger where the surface was sloped. There was no flat area for the screw head to clamp to. I used a dremel tool to remove material and create a flat section for the screw head to rest on.
Now for the hard part, I had to take the cable spool apart and rewind it. The cable spool is in two halves that mate with teeth. The top half can be ratcheted in one direction but locks up in the other direction. To effectively wind this spool I placed the window seat at the bottom of the track and wound the large portion of the spool (which is the bottom half). I then wound the top half and carefully placed it all together. The following part is hard to explain. By holding the bottom half of the spool with a screwdriver and rotating the top half of the spool while also pushing against the tension spring you can take the slack out of the spool. The ends of the cable wind around the spool in opposite directions.
Like I was saying this may be hard to understand but for future reference if you have this project in front of you it will make more sense.
