Mondial rear window

But I quote someone much wiser than me from the site:

"Instructions for repair of rear windows in Mondial


For those that may attempt this in the future, here's how I did it:

1. Remove the side grill (you're working on a Mondial, right?). One phillips head screw in the top rear corner. CAREFULLY, push the entire grill towards the front of the car to release the plastic hooks at the front ends of the fins. Again, CAREFULLY pull the ends of the fins away from the body, working each one out a little at a time (not all at once). Mine was gunked with years of wax buildup and took some coaxing. Don't break the hooks - they are a molded part of the grill assembly and are fragile plastic.

2. Remove the black metal access panel inside the grill opening. Two phillips head screws at the top (two different sizes, keep 'em straight) and one at the bottom (that actually screws into the rear window track bracket). Inside you have access to the window motor wiring. Test away.

3. Mine tested n/g and had to come out. Jack up the car and remove the rear tire. Yes, the rear tire. Remove the forward section of the wheel well tub (several phillips screws). This is to get access to the rear window track mounting bolt. I've read reports that it doesn't need to come out but I found that the extra 1/2" it gets you is a great help when working to remove or replace the regulator assembly.

4. Remove the interior trim piece that goes against the window. One screw at the rear end. Remove the screw and wiggle it loose.

6. Put the top down and remove the two bolts that connect the top frames to the car next to the window opening. Remove the bolts and fold the brackets out of the way. Be careful of the wave washers behind the plastic trim cups behind the brackets. Don't drop them down the seatbelt slot like I did. Also, don't drop the small spacers on the bolts. The next trim piece will be loose now - it is only held in place by the plastic cups. Remove the trim piece.

7. I took off the plastic edge trim that runs the length of the window slot inside and the rubber window seal on the outside. Two reasons: The inside piece will get you and extra 1/8" of space (space is at a premium) and the outside rubber seal won't get greasy when the window track rubs on it, smearing the glass later.

8. Remove the glass. I pried my glass out of the bottom channel - CAREFULLY. Next time I would remove the rear nylon wheel (as seen through the side access panel) and unsnap the front nylon wheel from the channel and take the window and channel out as a whole. I put it back in as a whole so I know it fits.

9. Remove the rear window track. Remember the wheel well opening? There is one bolt at the top through there. There was the bolt you removed when taking off the access panel (it should be out already). Also, inside the car there is a nut and washer at the top that bolts down the top fabric tail flap. Remove the nut and washer and fold back the fabric tab. Behind the tab is one last bolt (a track mounting bolt that is also used for fore/aft adjustment). Mark the location of the bolt and remove. The track should come out now - twist, lift up, drop down and out. Or just plain wiggle it out. It's free.

10. Remove the two top bolts holding the lift mechanism to the body (from inside the car). There is a bottom bolt that sits in a slotted "fork" and will release when pulled up. It may need to be loosened though.

11. Put the track about 2/3 down if you still have the wires connected to the motor. If not, run test leads to power the motor into position. Makes life easier. I used an insulated alligator clip on the male motor connector and a banana plug on the female connector. Worked perfectly.

12. The assembly should come up and out now. Tilt the top forward as it comes out and the two cable "loops" will clear.

Put the mess on your bench and give it a good cleaning. I used 409 and acetone for the metal only parts. I used a plastic-safe electrical parts cleaner in a spray can for the rest. DO NOT remove the cable from the motor unless you are prepared to find dozens of tiny ball bearings when they fall out. Here, thick grease is an advantage. The bearings run around inside the motor shaft between the hollow shaft and the cable. Two clips hold the "bearing return tube" onto the end of the motor shaft. Kinda hard to explain this. I removed the clips, removed the tube, cleaned everything, and then packed the tiny bearings back in one at a time. Then reassemble the tube and clips.

I used the entire can of cleaner and wish I had another. I cleaned the spiral windings of the cable with an old toothbrush and cleaner. Remember, the tiny ball bearings run around these spirals. I repacked and regreased with white lithium lube. Just enough, not too much. Don't fill the tube that holds the extra length of cable with lube as it will cause a hydraulic lock and will cause resistance in the mechanism. Just clean it out and lube the cable only.

Run the motor/track assembly on the bench with test wires to be sure all is OK. If everything checks out fine, put 'er back in. Installation is the reverse of removal with one difference: When you get to the nylon wheel into the window bottom channel mating I used a pair of LONG nose pliers to squeeze them together until the wheel popped into place. Other than that, everything else was pretty straight forward. It is also helpful to have the test wires handy in case the lift mechanism needs to be powered during installation. Be careful not to bend the cable "loops". If they kink, they will bind the cable.

Bottom line: It runs 100% better but only when run directly from the battery. That fix is next.

Final note: I am offering this a history of how I did it and what worked for me. If you don't feel comfortable doing the same then don't. Pay a good mechanic instead. I felt that if I broke it I had no one else to blame but myself. Use this info at your own risk.

And remember, your mileage may vary."

 

Shouldn't this be in Techical Q & A ?