308 window cable...how many revolutions??

Matt,
There should be 4-5 grooves and basically everyone should have cable on it. If you turn it one too many times, the cable would overlap at a point and 1 turn less would leave 1-2 grooves without cable.
If, however, you have too many or too few turns, it should become apparent once you install the cable on the pulleys as it would be muchh too long and viceversa.
Once you know the "loose" amount of cable is correct, you could install it WITHOUT clamping it to the window and then operate the switch to go all the way up (or down) until the cable runs out (for the given direction).
Now push the window switch to the other direction so that a bit of cable begins to rewind on the spool. At this point (and let's assume you selected the up position) raise the window, by hand, as far up as it will go and clamp the cables to the window.
Now the cable should be in the right position allowing the window to go the full up and full down. I am making any sense?

While the up position is probably the best way to go (as it is an "objective" position while the down is "subjective" depending on the wear on the rubber buttons on the bottom ) it would help immensely to have a friend hold it while you tighten the cables.
You may find, however, that in the full up position it could be a bit inconvenient to access the nuts of the window clamps. If this is the case, just make 2 reference marks on the cable and the clamps, actuate the switch until the cable reaches a more comforteable position and lower the window until the marks coincide and tighten the bolts.

Disclamers: I have only done the 2 motors on my car. I am writing this out of memory. Probably this is NOT the professional way to do it. (but my windows work very well).

You may need to tweak the above a bit but it should work.

Best of luck.

If the cables are in poor shape (nicked etc.) it may be difficult to replace them. I did my driver's side fine but the passenger's side had the cable so messed up (from PO attempt) that I replaced the cable with a new one (from SEARS) and it made the job a whole lot easier. (new cable was soft and limp).

 

TIP:
Use masking tape to hold the window in the up position while working on it.

 

Tip #2

Shove a rag into the ends of the window regulator (where the cable comes out of) to keep the wires from unraveling. Once everything is installed, pull the rag out. This of course assumes you remembered to leave a long end out to grab the rag from

 

Matthew

I've just done this job myself and the answer to your question is 3 3/4 turns - including the "loose" one that runs around the door pulley system. Iinitially it doesn't matter how many of each end are wound on so long as its just under four in total. With the window up (use Verell's tip of holding it in place with masking tape) I had approx 1/4 turn on the "upward" cable exit and 3 1/2 turns on the lower, side exit. If you PM me your email address I can send you a useful archive post with a full description written by Verell and others with some pictures. Once you've got it all back installed but before you reclamp the glass to the cable, run the motor back and forth a couple of times, marking the cable with a bit of sticky tape to check where you should clamp it. The cable travel is slightly longer than you need for full window travel so set it such that when the window is fully up and fully down there is still a little cable left on the drum to avoid snatching and stretching the cable. It should make sense when you try it.....!

The attached scrappy freehand sketch may help.

When you reassemble, it helps to keep a little tension on the cable to avoid a rats nest but once you've got the cable threaded but still a little loose and not clamped to the window, run it back and forth very carefully with the motor and it will find its way into the grooves. You do need to keep an eye on the drum to make sure the cable doesn't tangle and snag when you're doing this.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Hello Matt,
I did it the following way:
First I put 2.5 revolutions on both sides of the cord. Next, I got someone to tighten the cable while I installed the motor. After the motor was in place, I put the cables on all the pulleys while the second person still tightened the cables. If you have too many turns on the cord, you will - as somebody else already mentioned - notice that you don't get the cable on all the pulleys, if you have less turns, the cable will be too loose.
My guess is that you could equally well have one side of the cable totally unwound as long as you have the appropriate (higher) number of revolutions on the other side, since this is exactly what happens when you operate the window (one end of the cable unwinds while the other side winds up).
I noticed that if you put too much tension on the cable with the tensioner pulley, the system does not work (did not know why).
B.t.w. I had to install the motor four times until I got the mechanism going.

Hope this helps!
Jan

 

Don't forget your tool kit has the window crank lever in it. This was a godsend for me when I was doing a lube on all the cable pulleys. Insert, push and turn...I had a spool "unwind" and had an overlap problem. Using the hand crank and not the motor was beneficial in this circumstance. Major PITA! Been there and done that...I didn't get Verell's tip on the tape until it was too late, USE the tape PeterB.

 

Hello,
just a small addition. There's a great helper tool for keeping the wires from unraveling while fiddling with the window motor assembly during reattachment.
No clue where to get this clamp; it came together with an used window motor assembly I purchased from T.Rutlands some years ago.
Verell, maybe a new Unobtainium project ? It makes life so much easier while reinstalling the window motor.

Best Regards from Germany

Martin
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I would have killed to get my hands on that tool!! I did the complete job last year including replacing the cables. The first door took over 6 hours, the second less than 2. In lieu of the tool, I wound up the spool as drawn above and used masking tape to keep the 2 end tightly together so they would not unravel creating a rats nest. After installing the motor assembly in the door, I ran the cable around the pullys. When I got to the last pully, I pulled on the cables to break the masking tape. There is an adjuster pully. Use that to contol the tension as you work the cable around.

I put together about 10 pages on notes and pictures. If you PM me your fax #, I'll send it over. Maybe it will help.

 

Matt

you might find the guys who contributed to this thread from the archives might be able to help if you PM/email them.

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23400&highlight=window+cable

Good luck

Paul