Emergency window lifter crank operation?

I have my window lifter motors apart rebuilding them and am trying to figure out how that crank is supposed to work.

I tried the crank once years ago, but nothing would budge, so rather than break something, i didn't force anything.

I see in the bottom of the cable drum that there is a spring,and also two metal round balls, or maybe rounded pins, or something, on each side of the center spring.

I also see a bunch of tiny engagement teeth of the back side of the drum, that locks it in rotation with the large outer gear.

Now, in order for the cable drum to turn independent of the large gear, those teeth must disengage from each other.

I can't make those rounded balls in the bottom of the hole move in anyway, as I assumed that may be a mechanism to lift the drum off the gear housing to allow it to spin free, but had no success.

How is this thing supposed to work? Anybody ever look inside one of these cable drums?

Thanks,
Doug

 

Just needed more force to get the balls to move and lift the drum off the locking serrations.

BTW, McMaster Carr PN 3458T75 is a super nice, stainless, very flexible 7X19 strand 1/16" replacement cable for these. A 25 foot coil costs about $20.

Doug

 

How did you get the drum apart?

Compress the large blue belleville spring on a press until you could access what appears to be a captured snap ring around the shaft?

Or does it come apart when the balls are pushed out of the way, via the center hole, using a rod?

Doug