Workshop Basics

Ed shows you how to service your manual window winders.

Asmoothly-operating window is a thing of joy that gives a quality feel to any classic. One that’s arm-achingly stiff, drops inside the door with a crash or sounds like fingernails down a blackboard, however, contributes to the depressing feeling that the whole car’s days are numbered. Thankfully, the operating mechanism usually needs nothing more than simple adjustment and a basic service.

The mechanism leads a hard life. A lot of force is exerted in winding the glass up and its home inside of the door tends to be a damp environment. To cap it all, they seldom see a spanner or a blob of grease until they start to pack up completely. There are two basic types of mechanism. One uses crank-arms to raise and lower the glass and the other a cable running around a drum and various pulleys.

Cable types can usually be adjusted easily to account for wear. Crank-arm types have less scope to dial out wear, but they’re less prone to total collapse.

Remove the winder handle and doorcard to get to the mechanism. Consult your manual for details. You should find a plastic weathersheet glued onto – or suspended in – the door frame. Replace it securely to avoid leaks into the cabin. If it’s absent, make a new one from polythene dampproof membrane from a DIY shop and attach it with contact adhesive or hang/staple/ sew it onto the hangers provided.

Restore clarity

Use petrol or a similar strong degreaser to remove greasy smudges from the glass after work.

Lubricants

Lubricate the rubber channels with silicone spray, silicone oil or silicone grease. Mineral oil and grease are perfect for the mechanism, but they’ll make the rubbers sticky and swollen.

You will need

Penetrating oil, multipurpose grease, silicone spray, oil or grease.

Winder removal

You might need to make a tool or use some ingenuity to remove the winder handle.