Stubborn Passenger Window

[ShirleySerious]

The front passenger window on my '00 RX300 has been acting a little haywire as of late. When it's closed, sometimes it goes straight down, some times it will stop halfway. Once it is all the way down, getting it back up is a chore. It takes careful button manipulation to get it to raise again. Pulling the switch up all the way will not make the window go up. It acts like this with both window switches, and only on this particular window. Anyone know what's going on, or is it inhabited by spirits?

[blk_on_blk]

This could be due to the overload feature on the window. All power windows have an overload sensor in them, meaning if the load to 'roll up' the window is too high, then they will automatically reverse and roll down (to keep little kids and pets from closing their necks in a window as it rolls up). Sometimes when the load is not distinct (like just drag from excessive wear rather than an actual obstacle in the pathway), they just kind of freak out. One thing you can do is to clean your windows very well, then wipe them down with Rain-X, which is basically a surfactant (something that reduces the surface tension of a surface). Apply the Rain-X on a clean, dry window (mainly on the outside, but you can do the inside, too, if you want), then buff it out to clear. This will leave a nice slippery surface on the window and reduce drag as it moves up to close. Try this, and if your problem goes away, then you know you've got too much drag in your window system. If nothing changes after doing this, then you may have an actual sensing issue with the safety-roll down feature.

[GoldenStateSilverSport]

The front passenger window on my '00 RX300 has been acting a little haywire as of late. When it's closed, sometimes it goes straight down, some times it will stop halfway. Once it is all the way down, getting it back up is a chore. It takes careful button manipulation to get it to raise again. Pulling the switch up all the way will not make the window go up. It acts like this with both window switches, and only on this particular window. Anyone know what's going on, or is it inhabited by spirits?

I have the exact same issue. Gremlins in my window system. When I slightly push down on the window button, it rolls down my window from the closed position all the way down..and when I try to roll it up, i have to try and do so ~20 times until it will roll up - same behavior on the passenger window side..i'll try cleaning it and see if tha thelps

[code58]

name='ShirleySerious' post='337933' date='Oct 27 2008, 05:29 PM']The front passenger window on my '00 RX300 has been acting a little haywire as of late. When it's closed, sometimes it goes straight down, some times it will stop halfway. Once it is all the way down, getting it back up is a chore. It takes careful button manipulation to get it to raise again. Pulling the switch up all the way will not make the window go up. It acts like this with both window switches, and only on this particular window. Anyone know what's going on, or is it inhabited by spirits?

I have the exact same issue. Gremlins in my window system. When I slightly push down on the window button, it rolls down my window from the closed position all the way down..and when I try to roll it up, i have to try and do so ~20 times until it will roll up - same behavior on the passenger window side..i'll try cleaning it and see if tha thelps

There is a gentleman on the other Lexus forum that had a similar problem and I believe he flooded the channel that runs horizontal in the door with either WD40 or spray White grease. I agree with that fix and I also used spray silicone to flood the felt that the glass actually runs in. I believe the horizontal channel is more likely the culprit. The unfortunate part is you have to remove the inner door panel to do it. You are in danger of damaging your motor by continuing to tax it that way. Once you remove the inner door panel you might want to remove that channel and clean it thoroughly if the grease has dried up in it before you regrease it.

[RX in NC]

All vehicles' window glass channels need to be lubricated periodically in order to keep them functioning properly, particularly on vehicles that live outside year-round. As pointed out above, if you don't do this periodically you'll eventually lose a window motor or a window regulator as a result of your glass binding in its channel and exerting too much pressure on the components responsible for moving it up and down. Neither one is a cheap or quick repair in most vehicles....

You can certainly use a silicone spray like WD-40, but it tends to evaporate rather quickly meaning you'll need to do this job more often. For decades I've preferred to use a silicone-based lubricating compound called Sil-Glyde. It comes in a 1.5-ounce tube and can be squeezed into the channels then distributed using a toothpick or piece of small-gauge wire. Then, rolling your window up and down will distribute the product all along the channels. Unlike WD-40 or any other spray in a can, Sil-Glyde stays where you put it because it isn't a liquid that runs down inside your doors just following the laws of gravity. A little goes a long, long way and it does not evaporate like WD-40 will. I've had my current tube for at least 10 years, maybe more. The product is not just for cars - it is also sold to lubricate the channels in your home's windows. I also put a dab of it in my garage door opener channels once a year or so to keep it functioning smoothly. Normal operation of your garage door distributes the Sil-Glyde exactly where it needs to be....

You can find Sil-Glyde and products similar to it in auto parts stores, big box home improvement stores, hardware stores, etc. I find that as long as I use it very sparingly in our vehicles' window channels every couple of years, all windows in all of our vehicles continue to operate smoothly and with no binding whatsoever. We live in a "moderate" climate here in central North Carolina - those of you way down south or way up north may need to use the product on a more frequent basis than I do....

[BillyShaft]

X2 on the WD40

WD40 is great for identifying the source of a squeak, but it lasts for days at best. I like a spray white lithium grease for my Jeep stuff that gets nasty and filthy and has to withstand creek-crossings and junk like that.

I will need to see if I can find some of that "Sil Glyde" for more civilized applications. :)

[artbuc]

All vehicles' window glass channels need to be lubricated periodically in order to keep them functioning properly, particularly on vehicles that live outside year-round. As pointed out above, if you don't do this periodically you'll eventually lose a window motor or a window regulator as a result of your glass binding in its channel and exerting too much pressure on the components responsible for moving it up and down. Neither one is a cheap or quick repair in most vehicles....

You can certainly use a silicone spray like WD-40, but it tends to evaporate rather quickly meaning you'll need to do this job more often. For decades I've preferred to use a silicone-based lubricating compound called Sil-Glyde. It comes in a 1.5-ounce tube and can be squeezed into the channels then distributed using a toothpick or piece of small-gauge wire. Then, rolling your window up and down will distribute the product all along the channels. Unlike WD-40 or any other spray in a can, Sil-Glyde stays where you put it because it isn't a liquid that runs down inside your doors just following the laws of gravity. A little goes a long, long way and it does not evaporate like WD-40 will. I've had my current tube for at least 10 years, maybe more. The product is not just for cars - it is also sold to lubricate the channels in your home's windows. I also put a dab of it in my garage door opener channels once a year or so to keep it functioning smoothly. Normal operation of your garage door distributes the Sil-Glyde exactly where it needs to be....

You can find Sil-Glyde and products similar to it in auto parts stores, big box home improvement stores, hardware stores, etc. I find that as long as I use it very sparingly in our vehicles' window channels every couple of years, all windows in all of our vehicles continue to operate smoothly and with no binding whatsoever. We live in a "moderate" climate here in central North Carolina - those of you way down south or way up north may need to use the product on a more frequent basis than I do....

Ditto on the Sil-Glyde! RX, I assume you have to remove the door panel to lude the window tracks?

[RX in NC]

Depends entirely on the vehicle. Our current array of my Ram (10 years old next month) and my wife's RX (5 years old next month) do just fine with me applying the Sil-Glyde to the window channels and then operating the window up and down six or eight times to maximize distribution. Don't know how our new Jaguar S-Type will do since we've only had it five weeks....

On my old Datsun 260Z back in the 70s and 80s, I did indeed have to take the door panels off every time because the regulators were poorly designed and not durable enough to last more than three years or so. I know I replaced the drivers door window regulator at least four times in the 13 years that I kept that car. It got to where I could do that job blindfolded....

Start with applying the Sil-Glyde to your channels with the glass down, work it in with a wooden toothpick so you minimize any damage to your channel rubber, and then open and close your windows a few times to distribute the product. If that seems to do the trick with no binding or pressure build-up over the years, you may never need to pop your door panels off....

[code58]

Depends entirely on the vehicle. Our current array of my Ram (10 years old next month) and my wife's RX (5 years old next month) do just fine with me applying the Sil-Glyde to the window channels and then operating the window up and down six or eight times to maximize distribution. Don't know how our new Jaguar S-Type will do since we've only had it five weeks....

On my old Datsun 260Z back in the 70s and 80s, I did indeed have to take the door panels off every time because the regulators were poorly designed and not durable enough to last more than three years or so. I know I replaced the drivers door window regulator at least four times in the 13 years that I kept that car. It got to where I could do that job blindfolded....

Start with applying the Sil-Glyde to your channels with the glass down, work it in with a wooden toothpick so you minimize any damage to your channel rubber, and then open and close your windows a few times to distribute the product. If that seems to do the trick with no binding or pressure build-up over the years, you may never need to pop your door panels off....

The problem often is not the felt channels but the metal horizontal channel in the door that the roller runs in. If it is greased when built new, the grease (along with the dirt that has collected in it) dries up and becomes stiff. If it is assembled dry (I have seen them both ways) it collects dirt and causes binding. In more years of doing body and mechanical than I want to admit, I have seldom ever seen the felt channels to be the culprit, it is virtually always the metal guide channels that the rollers run in that are the problem. The felt in the vertical channels sometimes contributes in a minor way but are not the main problem. When I said that a poster (moderator) on another forum used WD40 in the channel (horizontal) what it did primarily was flush the old grease and dirt out and cause it to work again. He still had to remove the door panel to do it. I am not a strong advocate of WD40 and personally don't use it often, choosing rather to use other products that I consider superior. Whatever you chose to do, to do it correctly for long term satisfaction, the trim panel will more than likely have to come off.

[RX in NC]

I agree that removing the door trim panel will allow you to do a better job of lubricating all components comprising the window apparatus, no question. But my point is that depending upon your vehicle, you may not have to. Some models are better designed and more permanently lubricated than others. Depending upon what you have, and what lube you choose to use, you may be just fine by lubing the vertical channels for many years. As I said, it has worked very well for my nearly 10-year-old Ram pickup (admittedly built with much stronger components than any typical "car" - very rarely does ANYTHING on this truck ever break)....

My advice is to keep your vertical channels lubed on a regular basis. "Regular" can vary by vehicle, climate, and how often you routinely roll your windows up and down - for me and our vehicles, it's every couple of years. Then, if you notice straining or binding in your particular vehicle's window movement, it may be time to pop that door panel and lube the entire assembly, just as you said. But you may not have to do that, ever, and many folks get uncomfortable when they have to start removing trim pieces because depending on how well they are designed and attached, they don't always reassemble as well or as smoothly as they originally did (particularly if they are held in place by cheap plastic clips that tend to get brittle as the years pass)....

So again, I believe this window lube issue can vary greatly out there in the real world. Just be aware of it, and use quality lubrication products for best results. If you decide to pop your door panels, be very observant how they come off and then go back on, and be prepared to have to purchase new plastic clips (usually at very high profit margins) from your dealer....

[BillyShaft]

If you decide to pop your door panels, be very observant how they come off and then go back on, and be prepared to have to purchase new plastic clips (usually at very high profit margins) from your dealer....

x2 on what RX said

When I popped my door panel on my 2003 I ended up breaking a couple of these clippy things. I would buy a few of them in advance if I were to do it again just to be prepared. See the diagram below. Page two of that diagram shows more of the window workings...

Front door guts and parts diagram

Good luck on your maintenance!

[GoldenStateSilverSport]

Clarification - When you say lube the "Window Channel", what exact does that refer to? I tried to Google "Window Channel" and it appears that it's the "track" or railway" where the window slides along? (I think it's like rubber or felt on the RX)? So if I were to lube this piece, I'd roll my window all the way down, and sparingly apply this Sil-Glyde up and down the vertical "channel" on each side of the window?

[RX in NC]

Exactly. But keep in mind, you want to use only a small dab of Sil-Glyde in each channel. Place it near the bottom of the window frame and work it upwards with a wooden toothpick. Then, let your window glass do the final distribution by operating the window up and down a half-dozen times or so. Repeat as needed....