C3 LH Power Window motor

[Gary R.]

Hi Guys
My 72's LH pw motor died after 45 years, with the window in the down position. Probably happened to plenty of you as well. I couldn't get it to move, all the usual things done to it - tapping on it, boosting it with a starter, adding ground to it, no matter it was dead and I couldn't get to the 2 glass mounting nuts! I read where some guys drilled holes in the inner panel to reach them but I wasn't about to do that so I removed the 3 long screws holding the motor cover to the gear box and remove the cover. I turned the armature to start bringing up the glass and then grabbed it by hand and pulled it right up. Got it out, removed all the tracks and ordered a new motor. If it lasts 1/2 as long as the original I'll be happy I'll be 80 in 22 years!
Just thought I would pass this along if anyone else runs into the same problem. I looked for brushes in the motor but couldn't find any, just black carbon.

[Lawrence M.]

Re: C3 LH Power Window motor

Gary,
Thanks for the tip. I'll save it hoping I'll never need to use it.

[Larry M.]

Re: C3 LH Power Window motor

Years ago I printed out the attached post, as I thought it might help me some day (I'm glad I did, because it doesn't seem to be found using a search).

It gives some nice options for power window motors for early C3s.

[Domenic T.]

Re: C3 LH Power Window motor

Hi Guys
My 72's LH pw motor died after 45 years, with the window in the down position. Probably happened to plenty of you as well. I couldn't get it to move, all the usual things done to it - tapping on it, boosting it with a starter, adding ground to it, no matter it was dead and I couldn't get to the 2 glass mounting nuts! I read where some guys drilled holes in the inner panel to reach them but I wasn't about to do that so I removed the 3 long screws holding the motor cover to the gear box and remove the cover. I turned the armature to start bringing up the glass and then grabbed it by hand and pulled it right up. Got it out, removed all the tracks and ordered a new motor. If it lasts 1/2 as long as the original I'll be happy I'll be 80 in 22 years!
Just thought I would pass this along if anyone else runs into the same problem. I looked for brushes in the motor but couldn't find any, just black carbon.

Gary,
you left out the part where your arm gets the deep marks and you loose the hair from your arm. Really, Those usually needed the armature cleaned & undercut and a set of brushed. If I remember right the bearings would swivel. I found brushes for my 67 that were out of something else. also found them in the old hardware store. On my wiper motor or headlight motors I made a jig to shape the brushes.
That was one of my jobs when I was in high school 58-62.

Dom

[Gary R.]

Re: C3 LH Power Window motor

Dom
Well I didn't get caught by the regular spring but did cut my hand on one of the inner panel edges! The original motor I will hold on to, got in the new motor yesterday from Brian Bair, installed it and it works great. I would like to find a better lube though, the white lithium I used about 4 years ago was getting hard and dried out. I put some fresh grease on the motor pinion and rack teeth but I will look for something else, I might as well plan on doing the RH side too, that is slow and original so it's just a matter of time when it gets stuck or the glass falls into the door.

The only thing I wasn't crazy about is the new motors have parallel power tabs, the orginals were 90* off so you have to use an adapter cable and that is a little sloppy plugging into the motor. Also there is no rubber pad on the new motor so you will have to make one up from weather strip from HD. There is a good amount of flex in the steel door panel so the pad help cushion the motor moving.