electric window motor replacement, but the window is UP

you should be able to take the panel off with the window up if you get all the screws out and the push clips out lift up on it it should come off, look up 1996 chevy 1500 door panel i think you will find it

It's not coming out because the top section of the regulator that attaches to the window is higher than the opening :-/

Even the Haynes manual says "lower the glass completely". How do you get it off if you can't do that??

So it is the regulator that you need to take the bolts out and lower the window to where you can get to it But the window will drop so be careful

I have it taped, so hopefully it won't drop. Would removing the speaker and that other vent panel give me simple room to work on the window motor? 4 rivets on that plastic panel, but it is also cemented in with some sort of mastic lol. They sure didn't want it to move. And maybe removing the speaker will create an excuse to order new speakers lol.

You guys are trippin, last one I worked on the trim panel removed easy, the attachment by the inside door handle was the difficulty. Had to make something to correct it after repair. The motor attaches to a wound set of cables. it all comes in the regulator replace kit. The gut who repaired it with just a motor before did not fix it. Is yours not cable operated? The motor winds and unwinds the cables? You can provide power and ground to operate it with switch removed. if that is the cause of wont roll down. I would think, but I cant see yours from here. and that year could be diff. or something. After I replaced the whole set up it has worked for years.

The gut? no, the guy.

I didn't buy the whole kit, just the electric motor. Applying power to a motor that doesn't work doesn't make the motor work. And no it is not cable operated. It has a rather heavy looking steel cross bar kind of thing in there, and the only way it wouldn't be working is if it was bent (which it isn't - - YET. At this rate I still might manage that, too. Here is a picture of it... and wow a pretty good price too lol. Everywhere else they were over $100 and out of stock! Cool, maybe I will replace the regulator, too, now :-) http://www.1aauto.com/window-regulator-passenger-side- front/i/1awrg02289

Also, the TRIM panel wasn't the problem to get off. It is the inner panel I have been struggling with.

It seems your vehicle has a set-up used before the one I replaced. The old regulator that is geared, bummer. sorry. I am unfamiliar with the second stage of the inner panel as well.

At the shop, if we had a stuck window motor, we would apply power and ground (good switch) or jumper it, (bad switch) then connect to produce "down" then thump the bastige. the motor can get 'froze' by moistage and require thumpage producing downage, yuk yuk. AKA use a ford wrench or the heel of a strong man's hand. I have not seen many failed motors but many stubborn regulators and moist copper turning green inside? hope this helps.

Oh, if you switch the switch and the dome light dims, it's good to thump. if not, then you need to make power and ground. When a pickup is almost 20 and the right side goes out, sometimes a wire from the master switch that goes up and out thru the covered harness into the drivers side firewall or side bulkhead at the "A"pillar , more correctly, has a break in the wire. if that was true, and several strands were broken, the wire would not carry the current, or would carry no current. the volts might be there but not enough amps can flow? very possible. so, are you getting from the master switch? the same juice required to operate the other side? if yes, thump away. Sorry the vehicle's age makes this a variable, but the drivers door gets opened all the time maybe three or four times as often. Then we had to jumper and thumper. maybe they needed both? or maybe that customer opted for replacing even though we found a wire concern in the drivers side. kinda sucks, but thats how the testing steps must be performed to save time and money for the customer. they made me....aaaahhh ! I didnt build it ! aaaaaahhh.

If theres a bunch of riveted black ABS plastic inner panel keeping you out, you dont have the riveter or the rivets, definitely complete the substitution process of using jumpers. if your motor breaks free and starts working ? Then get the volts and amps inline with copying the other side's readings. its a btch, but the wires a speedy fix if you find what I think could be possible, always the GM stuff. their motors did not have as high a failure rate, but were susceptible to the rain here in the seattle area.

If you find a ground issue, (ohms to B- gnd greater than .5 ohm) Use jumpers pieced together, brought from the battery post. There has been much discussion about gnd issues for c/k pickup. The neg must be gnd to frame engine and body, all within .5 ohm. The gnd strap from the head goes to the engine bulkhead (firewall ) to harry homeowner. sometimes people take that off? See what you have, just takes a sec. But many ground straps have required improvement for these vehicles, jussayin.

I show 95-98 being quite similar and 95-2000 being similar trim panel. The rivets are not aluminum, they are steel for many components. if some have been replaced, they can shear off. Then the component can block normal window travel ? Steel rivets have to be purchased from a fastener company, seems everybody else sells aluminum rivets. I suppose you need more patience and after diag tests make you keep tearing it down, you can see what did happen in yours. Yeah, they want strength for the door not to flex dramatically. The older ones like you say you have are very limited access and extensive use of steel. without pics I can just compare to internet pics to get the idea just what you are dealing with, sory bud. dont give up. You can get the riveter at harborfreight but the fasteners may be parts store, fastenal, or similar. If I was there, it might be nuts and bolts before we decided it was enough without running all over for the things you would end up needing. ebay can give you sets to order for pushpins. Happy c/k

Hi, yes this truck does have ground issues. I am forever havin to tweak on the ground cable on the fender. It comes loose and wreaks all sorts of havoc. Sadly this time, not that one.

run a longer cable and use a new bolt with a locking nut or one from the eng to the frame

But it is so much FUN to see what tricks the truck can do with a loose ground cable lol . Also I get to impress guys who can't drive my truck. SMH... pop the hood. tighten the cable... "She doesn't like you." (j/k I am going to do that very thing when I replace the battery shortly)

A well made cable that has a lead to the body a main to the frame, and then goes to the engine is the least cost and least labor. We have bared them and wrapped a 'P' bracket around to the frame then continued to the block. the strap at the head, and the straps from the bed to the frame have been a great help. if you wanted to correct it. but your ground to the body is not your window motor issue? What do you measure?

A window motor does not ground to the engine or the frame, that's my say from 'sperience. C/K ground issues stem from metal preparation before assembly, so the individual straps were used or added later hopefully. People replace all kinds of stuff part after part, then cumma wimpin, broke. Thats how we helped them.

Ok so here is what I did. I revisited my main ground issue and I think I fixed that. NOW I have 12volts to the window switch on the driver's side and 8.5volts to the window switch on the passenger side. Remember it is the passenger side that won't go down. I have not yet managed to get that freakin panel off to get TO the motor and the regulator, but now the motor is makin a noise like it is trying to work. It wasn't doing that before. I tested those switches by probing the back side where the connectors plug in. So with 12 v on the driver's side and only 8.5 v on the pass. side, does this mean my actual problem is in the wiring to that switch, and not the motor at all? Because I will surely be lovin life if I don't have to get that motor out at this point, but the wiring is not going to be a picnic in the park, either...

YEAH, right, that was what I was sayin, the driver door opens many times more, in fact some vehicles, always vs. hardly ever. The wire can begin to break strands reducing available voltage. The cover for the harness in the driver side can be removed from the "A" pillar then the place it bends may be found there. It just feeds through into behind the instrument panel. I believe we replaced a section that extended away in both directions from the bend. it was accessible up from below the instrument panel. You can make your own idea, but stay clear of repairing the break with just a connector. it would bend there. wherever it ended up held, it would break again eventually. You do not want to shorten but lengthen it would seem, just thinking about it. THAT IS GREAT ! it IS an easy repair, and you may not have to rebuild the inside of the door. GM's motors have always been decent and if they stick, it takes all the available volts to push the amps, you are going to eliminate the ohms to less than .5. You want to just read your test lead resistance. ....like a rock, brother.

oh, if your window drags, you can use soap spray where it slides through its seal and the felt strips squeegee it. if the "flocking" is rubbed off the window run weatherstrip around the windows outside lip or perimeter, the window run weatherstrip will need replaced to ease operation, I get mine from an a/c delco warehouse where a buddy has an acct. for his euro part business. saves like 40%. If you had a tax # you could fill out the form at your a/c delco supplier, perhaps ? The real stuff can last and sometimes forever. My 72 needs a hose soon because its over 40 years now. hahaha. it was needing upper rad hoses too often, so that's where I went to get a real GM part. That has lasted almost 10 years since. Hopin you get that relaxing day at the park soon.

The resistance reading would be from the master switch to the passenger switch. it would be high. you want nothing for that reading unless your leads have a few tenths. many meters can be zeroed. The resistance is like a restriction in a water hose, you unkink the hose and water flows, just as when the resistance is removed, the current(amps) can flow. the volts are like the tank being tall and up on the hill. savvy?

Yeah, I don't think my leads are long enough to check resistance between the switches though.

You can attach any conductor and clip it. Even household wire for home electrical, just pick one conductor

The vehicle battery is disconnected during a resistance test. take a reading and select scale till you can make sense of the reading. if its above a half ohm, its trouble. it would be interesting to have the reading results you measure. These part replacer fixers who read this could benefit, and it would help us both make sense.

K I will see what I can do with the resistance check tomorrow. I wanted to put 12v directly to the old motor so I could see if it would turn... the lead was fused and I blew the fuse lol. I didn't think about it only being a 7.5 amp fuse in there. (There's a 20 amp fuse in the vehicle's fuse box, but not the same type of fuse) Don't have the right type of fuses here to replace it and finish running that check and I really want to be sure it (and the regulator) are actually working with 12 volts applied.

Are you saying you somehow blew the fuse in the DVOM meter? Or you used a lead from the truck that had 7.5a fuse. When you jumper the motor to test you would ground one side, then run a lead from the pos. post (B+) any copper wire would do, even from the neighbor's tool box, or an extension cord? You can put pretty ends on it later. After figuring out why none of these brand new cars have horns that honk, hahaha

What I did was... cut the ends off a dollar store extension cord to run from the battery to the motor, so I had 16 gauge wire to work with. I fused that wire that I ran from the battery because I was running direct current to the motor. Has nothing to do with pretty ends. But the fuse thing that I cannibalized, actually, from a spare trickle charger, only had a 7.5 amp fuse in it.

I had no idea what was going on with that, thanks, sounds like we think alike, except motors that move weight are wired with a circuit breaker rather than a fuse. I normally would not protect that circuit for a momentary test. but I would have a plan for oops, disconnect if it started to get warm. Yeah, seat motors and window motors can use breakers, then when it gets bound up or blocked, you have full oompf till it trips, then notice, then correct blockage, then it resets and you can get the glass up or the seat positioned. When windows are slow from damage or maladjusted, the breaker lets you get it closed fully knowing you are going to be looking into it later. You run the window down yet ? just go around the protection and trust. after you know which direction and where you want your jumper connected and your ground, if it goes the wrong way, switch em. right? after you see the motor work on 12v, you just need to fix that master to right wdw. switch wire

By the way, this job pays 1.1 hr including diagnosis. We charge the customer time and material for a wire repair, but not over a 1/2 hour additional, because we are thieves, hahahaha. If he doesnt want the motor after we find it, we attempt to get straight time, then our kids eat franks and beans because we suck.