How do you replace a power window motor on a 93 Saturn SC2?

Answer 1

Replacement of the window motor on an SC2 (or SC1) is probably the most difficult and protracted of any car ever built. If you succeed on this model, you will be qualified to do the same job on any car ever built on this planet. It just takes guts and willpower. First you take off the inside door handle (and lock switch if you have electric locks). Removing the inside handle requires sliding the assembly forward 3/16 inch then removing the plastic retainers on the actuating rods with a flat screwdriver and lifting the rods upwards with needle-nose pliers. Then rear view mirror trim is taken off, then the interior trim panel comes off because this has to come off to drill off three rivers holding the window regulator (the up/down mechanism) to the door. Remove the mirror because it covers outer window seal, that has to come off in order to remove the outer (plastic) door panel. On the outer handle, press in two plastic mandrels and prize out two plastic rivets at each end of the door handle. Then prize the handle off the plastic attachment bar. The outer door panel is held on with torx bolts. If the window motor has failed in the down position, and the motor gearbox is still sound, you will not be able to raise the window to get at the motor. Removing the glass from the lower slider rail requires a very special tool comprising four pins to turn the two disc nuts that hold the glass to the slider. Without the tool, you have to drill out the threads of the disc nuts and replace the threaded portion with 10-32 � bolts or equivalent. The glass slides out and up easily and needs the forward edge tilted down to get it out of the door. (At this stage of the saga, check the motor connector pins for voltage � in case it is not the motor after all that has failed.) Grind off the mandrels of the four pop rivets holding the regulator to the inside of the door. Punch out the remains and drill out with a �� drill. Having someone on the other size to stop the rivets spinning will save a lot of time. Keep fingers out of the way of the mechanism if the window mechanism is down as the counterbalance spring is pre-loaded when the mechanism is down. With the motor and regulator on the floor or on a bench, drill out the three motor attach rivets with a �� or next size bigger drill bit. The motor I bought at Main Auto Parts for $60 came with three long bolts to attach the motor back on the regulator and four short bolts to attach the regulator to the door. It is easiest (least pre-load on the counterbalance spring) to install the motor on the regulator with the window lower slider in the up position. Note that the long, flat-head bolt needs to go adjacent to the regulator gear sector (using one of the other dome-head bolts will foul the gear teeth). Flat-head or countersunk bolts are best to secure the glass to the slider � with the bolt head outer most � otherwise the bolt tails will foul the door structure when the window is up. Check the window up and down several times before putting the panels back on the door.