Okay... Having fixed most of my more urgent issues, I am ready to get started on this one.

I have scanned numerous old threads about power window problems, but they all seem to be different from mine in one small way or another. Thusly, to save wasted effort, I am hoping that the experts here can put me on the right track from the very beginning. I promise to keep posting updates until this issue is resolved or I officially give up. (There are far too many threads where the original poster "disappears" and you never know if a suggestion solved the problem or not. Grr!!!)

Here's the facts:

I bought my 2000 SLE in June. It is in good shape, and appears to have been well cared for by the prior owner. The situation below was existing when I bought the car.

Everything door-related works except that only the driver window goes down. Locks and fob work fine. Two of the other three windows make a single thumping click instead of going down. The third (RH rear) sounds like it is moving but it is not, and the moving sound stops after only a second. All of the non-responsive windows remain "up" at all times.

Below are more details: (you can't have too much info when troubleshooting, right?)
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Key Fob: all functions in car respond normally (locks, trunk, alarm)

Power locks: Everything on car works as it should. Fob works, driver door and passenger door switches both work, all four doors respond properly.

Driver door: Master door/window switch lowers driver window only.
Master door/window switch works correctly for both driver and passenger side mirrors.
Master door/window switch does not make any other windows go down.

RH Front Door: Lock switch locks/unlocks all four doors, mirror responds to driver switch control, door "clicks" once when master driver switch tries to make window go down but glass does not move. Switch on this door also creates the "click." Window has been in full-up position during the entire time I've owned the car.

LH Rear Door: Window situation same as front passenger door in every detail.

RH rear door: Window is full-up and never moves. Switch on this door gets no response whatsoever, but master driver switch gets door to make a whirring sound for 1 second as if motor activated. After 1 second it stops. Reversing master driver switch gets same noise for another second, as if window going back up (but again, no movement).

Other: Interior lights go on/off as they should when any door opens/closes, radio shuts off correctly when door opened, "door ajar" messages appear correctly on DIC for each door.

Did I give enough info?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Ken_W

_________________
2000 SSEi "Gypssei" - 206k miles - Light Bronzemist Metallic - stock
1999 Grand Am GT - 168k miles - Red - stock DEAD -- transmission died
2004 Pontiac Montana Ext 2WD - 207k miles - Blue Black Metallic - stock

As a test, on the right front, and the left rear door, hold the window button in the down position, then give the door a good slam or two, and see if the windows start working. It sounds as if the right rear window is propped up with something after the cable for the window regulator broke.

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*Gone, but not forgotten* - Black 2000 SSEi, HIR Headlights, Angel Eyes fogs, 3rd brake light overlay, hi-flo cat, 180 degree thermostat, HS 1.9 rockers, LSx yellow springs, Intense FWI, PCM, shift kit, push rods, and 3.4 Pulley. ZZP Power Log.

Just to clarify; are you saying

1) Continue to hold the button down while the door is being slammed, or

2) Hold the button for a bit, let it go, and then slam the door?

I tried the latter 4-5 times, on these two doors, and the problem remains. I could see no easy way to continue holding the button while the door was slamming, but if that's what is needed I will find a way.

Ken_w

_________________
2000 SSEi "Gypssei" - 206k miles - Light Bronzemist Metallic - stock
1999 Grand Am GT - 168k miles - Red - stock DEAD -- transmission died
2004 Pontiac Montana Ext 2WD - 207k miles - Blue Black Metallic - stock

It would be hitting drivers door switch, while someone else slams the door. I would be afraid to do this because it may fix the problem, but it may also break it too, revealing the cause.

_________________
~Randall~


1993 Buick Park Avenue - 197k - Some odds and ends done - Simply won't die
1994 Buick Regal - 78k - Bone stock - Always ready for a good kicking
1990 Oldsmobile 88 - Gone to a better place

Okay; tried the door slam thing five times per door, and nothing has changed. Had a partner slam the door while I sat inside with my hand holding the switch down.

What should I try next?

Ken_W

_________________
2000 SSEi "Gypssei" - 206k miles - Light Bronzemist Metallic - stock
1999 Grand Am GT - 168k miles - Red - stock DEAD -- transmission died
2004 Pontiac Montana Ext 2WD - 207k miles - Blue Black Metallic - stock

You can take the door panel off, and peel back the water deflector until you can see the motor attached to the window regulator. Remove the 3 bolts that attach the window motor to the regulator. Keep the wiring attached, depress the window buttons and see if the motor works. If it doesn't, the motor is likely bad. If it does, reattach the motor and see if the window moves.

_________________
*Gone, but not forgotten* - Black 2000 SSEi, HIR Headlights, Angel Eyes fogs, 3rd brake light overlay, hi-flo cat, 180 degree thermostat, HS 1.9 rockers, LSx yellow springs, Intense FWI, PCM, shift kit, push rods, and 3.4 Pulley. ZZP Power Log.

Where can I buy the clip zip tool to get the door pad off? The other suggested tool (pry tool) looks like something easily found at any auto parts store, but I'm not finding the clip zip tool anywhere. I'm probably not using the correct search terms maybe.

Ken_W

_________________
2000 SSEi "Gypssei" - 206k miles - Light Bronzemist Metallic - stock
1999 Grand Am GT - 168k miles - Red - stock DEAD -- transmission died
2004 Pontiac Montana Ext 2WD - 207k miles - Blue Black Metallic - stock

You really don't need to get the special tool to get the door panels off. You can carefully use a screwdriver, or putty knife starting along the bottom. Then you can just pull off with your fingers. Be careful with the ones toward the top, as they are easy to break off.

_________________
*Gone, but not forgotten* - Black 2000 SSEi, HIR Headlights, Angel Eyes fogs, 3rd brake light overlay, hi-flo cat, 180 degree thermostat, HS 1.9 rockers, LSx yellow springs, Intense FWI, PCM, shift kit, push rods, and 3.4 Pulley. ZZP Power Log.

It took me a while to get back to this, but the holiday weekend gave me some time.

Opened up the driver-side rear door. Noticed a few things of interest:

1) One of the green door pad clips was missing, and the plastic door pad bracket that held it was broken and will no longer hold a clip.

2) No signs of any water leaks, but the black butyl seal was smeared around in some areas. Clearly someone had worked on this door previously. As I slowly peeled back the water deflector, half of the butyl stayed on the door metal and half came up with the door pad. I am not sure that it will reseal properly.

3) The motor was disconnected from the door module! The electrical connector was dangling loose. I plugged it back in, and tried the window from the master switch on the front door. I could clearly hear the motor whirring slightly, along with a slapping/flapping noise, which I assume is the regulator cable.

4) The glass never budges, not even slightly.

My theory: Regulator cable broke, as happens all too often on these 00-05 Bonnevilles. Rather than fix it, previous owner simply disconnected motor and did something to permanently hold window in full-up position. This theory fits the other rear door also, except that the motor there has power. The front door is likely in a similar situation.

I reattached the water deflector as best I could and put the door pad and loose parts into the trunk, and then came back here to share my findings. I decided to hold off on further exploration of this or the other doors for the time being.

So; where to go from here?

1) Purchase/install new regulator?
2) Repair regulator cable, using procedure in TechInfo?
3) Remove water deflector completely and re-do butyl tape using Tremco product described in TechInfo?
4) Other?

I'm thinking of just working on this one door for now, as my "training door" so-to-speak.

As always, any thoughts and shared wisdom are much appreciated!

Ken_W

_________________
2000 SSEi "Gypssei" - 206k miles - Light Bronzemist Metallic - stock
1999 Grand Am GT - 168k miles - Red - stock DEAD -- transmission died
2004 Pontiac Montana Ext 2WD - 207k miles - Blue Black Metallic - stock

Some specific questions:

1) Regulators: repair vs. replace? Does the repair in TechInfo result in a longer-lasting regulator, or will it likely fail at around the same time as a new one? How long do these things typically last before they break again? (I seem to recall seeing around 20K miles somewhere)

2) Door deflectors: How do you decide whether to re-use what is there versus cleaning it all off and re-sealing with fresh butyl tape?

Ken_W

_________________
2000 SSEi "Gypssei" - 206k miles - Light Bronzemist Metallic - stock
1999 Grand Am GT - 168k miles - Red - stock DEAD -- transmission died
2004 Pontiac Montana Ext 2WD - 207k miles - Blue Black Metallic - stock

The replacement cost for the regulators have come down considerably since I wrote that article. Check the cost, then decide whether you just wish to buy new, or do the repair.

I have repaired regulators in my car, as well as my friend's. It's been about 4 years and they're still working fine. I'm not aware of any failures.

Take a good look at the seal that is left. If there is enough to properly seal all the way around the water deflector, just use what it there. If not, or it has dirt in it, or something to keep it from sealing, then you may want to replace it.

_________________
*Gone, but not forgotten* - Black 2000 SSEi, HIR Headlights, Angel Eyes fogs, 3rd brake light overlay, hi-flo cat, 180 degree thermostat, HS 1.9 rockers, LSx yellow springs, Intense FWI, PCM, shift kit, push rods, and 3.4 Pulley. ZZP Power Log.

Update: took apart my "learning door" (driver-side rear) and found that the regulator cable was broken. Amazingly, the window never came down, even though there was nothing holding it up and I had tried Archon's door-slam technique many times.

I decided to buy a new aftermarket regulator on eBay for $48 shipped, but will consider repairing the other door's regulators when I get to those instead of buying additional regulators.

When I went to remove the broken regulator, I had a heck of a time getting it out because the trolley was all the way up and I couldn't figure out how to lower it enough to get it past the glass. I wound up taking both trolley bolts out and wiggling it around for a half-hour before something gave and it finally came out.

The new regulator went in pretty easy, and I put the door back together without worrying about the butyl seal for now (I just made the best of what is already there). The window now works, it comes down easy but struggles going back up. I'm wondering if maybe the regulator is cocked slightly or something. It's not bad enough to remove and reinstall, however, so I'm considering this door FIXED.

Even for a simple thing like this, it feels really good to have fixed it myself for under $50. I imagine it will feel even better on my other two broken windows if I am able to repair them myself for under $5 each! (Using the procedure in TechInfo section.)

Many thanks to those who posted replies. I'm learning a great deal and getting results. :-) Will post about the other two doors if there is anything different to report, otherwise consider this case closed.

Ken_W

_________________
2000 SSEi "Gypssei" - 206k miles - Light Bronzemist Metallic - stock
1999 Grand Am GT - 168k miles - Red - stock DEAD -- transmission died
2004 Pontiac Montana Ext 2WD - 207k miles - Blue Black Metallic - stock

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but here's some advice.
When you buy the regulators online, you got a good price at 48 bucks. But, most of the companies that sell them sell a pair for about 65 or 70 bucks, so you could have saved some money by buying both back door regulators at the same time. Sorry.
Also, when I have bought the regulators on e-bay or other online stores, they have always worked well, but a little weak going up. I've noticed that if I take the new regulator and use it with the old motor from the regulator I removed, the windows work much better. I guess the motors used on the replacement regulator units are just not as powerful.
The dificulty getting the old regulator out or getting the window to go down a little tells me that someone either bent the track, or did something to prevent the window from falling down.
Sounds like you're doing everything I would do and you're figuring things out nicely. Keep up the good work and continue to ask for help on this site. There's someone here that has an answer for pretty much anything you can throw at them.

Ik this is an oldddd thread but I have Similar issue
2000 ssei bought it a week ago.
Only drivers window worked.no locks no mirrors.
Researched, did under seat splice and cleared moisture, now rear driver window works locks work but only the passenger mirror works now.

passenger side windows only click when any button is pressed,
And driver mirror is still dead... pulled the fpd panel found two frayed wires directly at the motor. Gonna replace that but what about the rpd and the dsd mirror? ? I'm at a loss...
Any help or links would be appreciated
Btw I diy... thanks in advance