We found these instructions online and decided to post them here. These can be used on most all GM cars and can be used as a guide on most any cable style window/motor regulator assembly found on most all late model cars & trucks. We can provide you manufacturer specific instructions for your vehicle with your order. Please call us at 1-866-770-2771 if you would like specific instructions for your vehicle.

The front driver’s side window on my 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP 4 door
sedan just stopped working. I wasn’t that surprised since GM (General
Motors) cars are somewhat known for having problems with their power
windows.

Hopefully by reading my “how to”, following the instructions, and
looking at the pictures, you’ll be able to swap out the motor and
regulator quicker than I was able to. Plus you won’t have to leave your
car at the dealership and pay hundreds of dollars for “Genuine GM Parts”
and a technician’s labor time.

This guide should be most helpful for owners of 97-03 Pontiac Grand
Prix sedans. I’m guessing that the 2 door Grand Prix coupes and other GM
sedans probably have similar parts but I’m not sure. Owners of the following General Motors
W-Body cars should be able to use this power window motor &
regulator replacement guide - the Buick Regal, Chevy Lumina,
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile
Intrigue, and the Chevy Impala.

The following is just meant to be a guide and I take no
responsibility if anything happens to your car.

Good Luck!

In these first two pictures you can see the driver’s door
with the window locked in the upright position and the two plastic covers
that hide the Torx screws. Once you gently pry off the plastic covers with a
flat head screwdriver, use a Torx screwdriver to remove the two screws. If
your Torx screwdriver is not magnetic, expect the screws to fall down into
the bodywork. You can get them later once the panel is off.

 

In the first picture above you can see the Torx screw
that is hidden behind the plastic covers. Once you get those screws out, pry
up the master window switch by lifting it up from the back end where there
is a clip holding it in place. The top of the switch by the power mirror
control is held in place by a plastic piece that is delicate and will break
if you’re not careful. Notice the green screwdriver prying up the back end
of the switch.

Remove all the connectors from the underside of the
driver’s master window switch by pushing on the tabs with a flat head
screwdriver and gently rocking them out. Then you can pull off the door
panel by exerting outward pressure on the door handle and pulling with your
fingertips at the gaps that form around the panel. The panel is held in
place by plastic clips. If you have never removed the panel before it might
take you a few minutes to get a hang of it. The clips will look slightly
messed up once they’re out but you can always buy new ones at any auto parts
store or just re-use them. Some of the clips may have remained on the car in
the metal. Just wiggle them out with your fingers or a pair of needle nosed
pliers.

Once you have the door panel off, take out all the
plastic plugs or clips that may have remained on the metal car door and put
them back on the panel where they belong. Then you can move on to removing
the plastic that covers the large access holes in the frame.

The plastic is held in place by a tar like adhesive. Make
sure you keep the majority of this glue in the correct spots on the metal
and the plastic.

 

The two pictures above are just more shots of me removing the clear plastic from the Grand Prix metal door frame. Make sure you wear an old T shirt that you don’t care about because the black tar adhesive will stain your shirt. Some of the members of the Buick Regal and Chevy Impala message forums have informed me that I didn’t have to make a cut into the door’s plastic sheet covering. I guess since I spent so much time trying to get the frozen power window down, I was looking to take shortcuts.

You’ll probably be able to remove the wire harnesses by
pulling them through the hole in the plastic, but I found it easier just to
cut a little exit route out the side of the plastic.

In the picture on the bottom you’ll see the window motor
has been unbolted, pulled out and taken apart. All the bolts on the
regulator and motor are 10mm.

My window was jammed in the track and it was impossible
to move. I unbolted the regulator and cut the metal wires that move the
window up and down. After fiddling with it for a while and tapping on the
track I was able to slide the window down. Once the window was in the
halfway down position I could see the two bolts on the metal and plastic
piece that holds the glass to the regulator.

Getting the window to slide down was the hardest part of
this whole process for me so don’t despair. Apparently GM doesn’t grease the
tracks so I had to cut the metal guide wires, play with the regulator, and
gently push down on the window to finally get it loose and access the last
two 10mm bolts.

Once the old regulator and window motor are out of the
car, you’ll need to secure the window in the completely up position. I used
some regular masking tape but I’ve read that painter’s tape would be better.
I didn’t notice any adhesive residue but a little Goo Gone would take care
of that in a jiffy anyway.

The picture above shows my brother inserting the new equipment.

First the motor goes in and then the regulator. We
loosely threaded the 4 10mm bolts to hold the regulator up. Then we attached
the power & control connector to the motor before attaching it to the frame
using the 3 slightly longer 10mm bolts.

Once you have all 7 bolts loosely threaded in you can
tighten them up and remove the tape from the window. Gently lower the window
down until the two holes on the window bracket line up with the bolt holes
on the regulator.

My aftermarket motor & regulator combo came in the
correct position for installation from the factory. The large hole in the
metal frame gives you easy access to the window bolts when the window and
regulator are in the halfway down position.

Here are some more detailed pictures of the new motor
and regulator being inserted into the frame behind the metal.

As I mentioned the motor goes in first and then the regulator follows.

The key to this part of the window motor & regulator swap
is to have the glass at the optimum position so that the bolt holes on
the regulator match up with the plastic mount on the window.

Whatever you do, just don’t get frustrated and start banging around
inside your door frame or you could end up with some cut wires or a
convex ding in the outer door paint work.

The pictures above show the window resting on the
regulator. As you can see, the bracket on the window is lined up with the
arm on the regulator. Insert the first 10mm bolt but don’t tighten it
completely.

Above is the bolt on the right hand side of the regulator
that secures the window in place. Be sure not to over tighten any of the
bolts. I tightened them just slightly more than hand tight.

Above you’ll see that I re-applied the plastic to the door panel. I had already
tested the window before doing that.

The last step to complete your Grand Prix window motor
and regulator replacement is just to re-attach the plastic door panel. Make
sure that all the ribbed plastic fasteners are straight and in the correct
places on the back of the panel. Nothing looks worse than a sagging door
panel.

Line up a few of the fasteners at the top and push them
partially into the holes. Then line up the clip for the tweeter housing and
the other fasteners on the sides and bottom before pushing them all in.

You’ll hear a popping sound when you push them into the
metal holes as the plastic ribs seat themselves.

After you make sure that the panel is flush all the way
around and each fastener is properly seated you can screw in the two Torx
screws. I used a little piece of tape to keep the screw on my screwdriver so
that they wouldn’t fall down into the panel.

Finally, pop the little round plastic covers back on the
holes and you’re done!

It’s much nicer driving my vehicle around with all four windows working
again. My Grand Prix GTP may be a fast car with a powerful 3.8 liter
supercharged V6 engine and sleek curves, but with a broken driver’s window
it makes me feel like I’m driving a piece of junk when I pull up to a drive
through window.

Hopefully this repair guide has been helpful to you during your power window
motor & regulator replacement on your W-Body style Regal, Lumina, Cutlass,
Monte Carlo, Intrigue or Impala.

September 27th, 2007
Categories: Saturn, Window Motor/Regulator, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick . Author: Joel

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