Flextrack Replacement: we are going to tackle replacing plastic flextrack that holds the windows and allows them to roll up and down. This usually leaves the offending window stuck in the down position, yet you can hear the motor turning. The other two problems relate to sticking locks and lock linkages. I will walk you through the repairs step by step and list what parts you will need to accomplish the tasks. So, gather the list of parts and tools in the “Toolbox” below, and let’s get to work!
These repairs will have you disassembling your door panels and removing several interior components. Basic hand tools are all you will need, and possibly a helper to make things a little easier. These repairs should take around 45 minutes or less each to complete.
Here’s a brief list of what you’ll need for this task:
Flathead screwdriver
Philips head screwdriver
5/32 Allen Wrench
T20 Torx Bit
T15 Torx Bit
Gear-wrench set
Needle nose Pliers
White Lithium Grease
Hacksaw with metal-cutting blade
We will begin by disassembling the door panel. Use the Philips head screwdriver to remove the screws around the outside edge of the door panel, as well as the trim plate for the power window switch. Next, you will need to remove the two screws that hold on the reflector plate to the armrest. They are located on the under-side of the armrest. Then, remove the two large screws that hold the armrest to the door panel. Then, use an exacto-knife to GENTLY pry off the woodgrain-covered metal tabs over the pull-handle ends. Be careful as these will easily bend and are a pain to get straight again. Next remove the four screws that hold the plastic tabs onto the pull-handle. Now, leaving the door handle attached, you will be able to reach in at the bottom of the door closest to the front of the door, and disconnect the speaker wire clip and the power mirror clip (driver side only). If you fail to do this, you will end up damaging the door panel, the speaker, the mirror, or all of the above. Once you have disconnected these wires, you can then use the 5/32 Allen wrench to remove the door handle and plastic grease cover. Next, carefully remove the door panel and set out of the way.
At this time, you should be looking at a plastic vapor barrier that is attached to the door shell with a black RTV gasket maker. If not, you should replace it. You can purchase standard heavy-duty plastic vapor barrier at any auto parts stores, and some home improvement centers. You can use either clear silicon or black RTV gasket maker to attach it to the door shell. If your rig still has the vapor barrier, use your exacto-knife to gently cut the gasket material holding it to the door, taking care not to cut into the vapor barrier itself. Set the barrier aside, and we’ll move on to the regulator. You will see the 8 to 10 Torx bolts where the window regulator attaches to the door, and you will be removing these with a T20 Torx bit. Next, you will be disconnecting the window from the window lifter arm. You have to do some of this by feel without the aid of seeing exactly what you’re doing. If you reach behind the glass, you will find two bolts that connect to two plastic nuts with flared ends. I found that the easiest way to do this is with a set of ratcheting wrenches. I got mine on sale at Sears (Craftsman Brand). This will speed up the process quite a bit. You can use a pair of needle nose pliers to hold the plastic flared ends in place while using the wrench on the other side to remove the bolts (the plastic ends will spin unless held in place). Be prepared, as the glass now has nothing holding it. You will need to raise the glass by hand and support it (I use a small block of wood that goes into the door opening and wedges against the door linkages.
Once all the bolts for the regulator are removed, you can then gently slide the entire assembly forward inside the door, towards the front of the vehicle, while tilting the top back at a 45 degree angle or so. Do this until the top of the assembly is visible through the largest rear opening in the door panel. Once visible, you can continue to shift the entire regulator assembly until the top is “hanging out” the door panel. ((**NOTE: YOU DON’T NEED TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE REGULATOR ASSEMBLY FROM THE DOOR SHELL IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THIS REPAIR **)). Then, remove any remaining pieces of the flextrack by sliding straight off of the grooved regulator metal track. You can also use the motor to push out any portions that are still connected to the gears. Be careful and keep your hands away from any moving parts. I also HIGHLY recommend wearing a pair of Mechanix or similar gloves to protect your hands. You need to use a T15 bit for the Torx bolt that holds the window lifter arm to the flex track. Make sure to keep this part, as you will be re-attaching it to the new flex track.
Take some white lithium grease and coat both sides of the metal track all the way down to the gears. This will help to ensure a smooth actuation of the flextrack.
To install your new flextrack, you need to slowly “feed” the track onto the metal regulator arm. The end with the round circle goes on last. Make sure to take your time so that you don’t accidentally break the new flextrack. Slowly continue to feed the track onto the metal arm. Once you have the track fed all the way down to the power window motor, slowly “bump” the window lever to move the motor down. This will pull the flextrack farther down the metal arm. As you do this, though, be mindful that while one hand is using the power window switch, the other hand needs to ensure that the flextrack is straight when it reaches the metal arm on the opposite end. If you don’t, as the flextrack reaches the metal arm, it will snap off the little plastic tabs on the underside of the flextrack, rendering it useless. Once you get the flextrack all the way on to the metal arm, you will need to reattach the window lifter arm to the flextrack. After this, you can slowly move the metal regulator assembly back inside the door. Again, take your time as you don’t want to break that new flextrack by banging it into any internal parts within the door. Once the assembly is back inside the confines of the door shell, you can re-align it with the bolt holes that hold the assembly to the door. Carefully re-install each bolt, but only tighten them ¾ of the way as you will need to allow the regulator to flex a little bit until everything is buttoned down.
Once the regulator has been loosely bolted to the door, you need to reinstall the glass bracket to the flex track. Check the action of the window using the switch. Make sure that everything works well and that the glass goes all the way up and down. There will be excess flextrack on the end of the metal regulator, and will most likely break off once you move the glass up and down. This is normal. If it hasn’t broken off, you can trim it using a thick pair of wire cutters or snips. To do this, you will need to lower the window and note the location of the excess flextrack hanging off the end. Then, as you will have incredible trouble reaching the excess with the window down, you will need to raise the window up until you can fit your arm behind the glass. Then, trim off the excess at the point you noted. That’s it. Once everything has been tested and trimmed, and everything works properly, you can torque the regulator bolts to factory specs.
These repairs will have you disassembling your door panels and removing several interior components. Basic hand tools are all you will need, and possibly a helper to make things a little easier. These repairs should take around 45 minutes or less each to complete.
Here’s a brief list of what you’ll need for this task:
Flathead screwdriver
Philips head screwdriver
5/32 Allen Wrench
T20 Torx Bit
T15 Torx Bit
Gear-wrench set
Needle nose Pliers
White Lithium Grease
Hacksaw with metal-cutting blade
We will begin by disassembling the door panel. Use the Philips head screwdriver to remove the screws around the outside edge of the door panel, as well as the trim plate for the power window switch. Next, you will need to remove the two screws that hold on the reflector plate to the armrest. They are located on the under-side of the armrest. Then, remove the two large screws that hold the armrest to the door panel. Then, use an exacto-knife to GENTLY pry off the woodgrain-covered metal tabs over the pull-handle ends. Be careful as these will easily bend and are a pain to get straight again. Next remove the four screws that hold the plastic tabs onto the pull-handle. Now, leaving the door handle attached, you will be able to reach in at the bottom of the door closest to the front of the door, and disconnect the speaker wire clip and the power mirror clip (driver side only). If you fail to do this, you will end up damaging the door panel, the speaker, the mirror, or all of the above. Once you have disconnected these wires, you can then use the 5/32 Allen wrench to remove the door handle and plastic grease cover. Next, carefully remove the door panel and set out of the way.
At this time, you should be looking at a plastic vapor barrier that is attached to the door shell with a black RTV gasket maker. If not, you should replace it. You can purchase standard heavy-duty plastic vapor barrier at any auto parts stores, and some home improvement centers. You can use either clear silicon or black RTV gasket maker to attach it to the door shell. If your rig still has the vapor barrier, use your exacto-knife to gently cut the gasket material holding it to the door, taking care not to cut into the vapor barrier itself. Set the barrier aside, and we’ll move on to the regulator. You will see the 8 to 10 Torx bolts where the window regulator attaches to the door, and you will be removing these with a T20 Torx bit. Next, you will be disconnecting the window from the window lifter arm. You have to do some of this by feel without the aid of seeing exactly what you’re doing. If you reach behind the glass, you will find two bolts that connect to two plastic nuts with flared ends. I found that the easiest way to do this is with a set of ratcheting wrenches. I got mine on sale at Sears (Craftsman Brand). This will speed up the process quite a bit. You can use a pair of needle nose pliers to hold the plastic flared ends in place while using the wrench on the other side to remove the bolts (the plastic ends will spin unless held in place). Be prepared, as the glass now has nothing holding it. You will need to raise the glass by hand and support it (I use a small block of wood that goes into the door opening and wedges against the door linkages.
Once all the bolts for the regulator are removed, you can then gently slide the entire assembly forward inside the door, towards the front of the vehicle, while tilting the top back at a 45 degree angle or so. Do this until the top of the assembly is visible through the largest rear opening in the door panel. Once visible, you can continue to shift the entire regulator assembly until the top is “hanging out” the door panel. ((**NOTE: YOU DON’T NEED TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE REGULATOR ASSEMBLY FROM THE DOOR SHELL IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THIS REPAIR **)). Then, remove any remaining pieces of the flextrack by sliding straight off of the grooved regulator metal track. You can also use the motor to push out any portions that are still connected to the gears. Be careful and keep your hands away from any moving parts. I also HIGHLY recommend wearing a pair of Mechanix or similar gloves to protect your hands. You need to use a T15 bit for the Torx bolt that holds the window lifter arm to the flex track. Make sure to keep this part, as you will be re-attaching it to the new flex track.
Take some white lithium grease and coat both sides of the metal track all the way down to the gears. This will help to ensure a smooth actuation of the flextrack.
To install your new flextrack, you need to slowly “feed” the track onto the metal regulator arm. The end with the round circle goes on last. Make sure to take your time so that you don’t accidentally break the new flextrack. Slowly continue to feed the track onto the metal arm. Once you have the track fed all the way down to the power window motor, slowly “bump” the window lever to move the motor down. This will pull the flextrack farther down the metal arm. As you do this, though, be mindful that while one hand is using the power window switch, the other hand needs to ensure that the flextrack is straight when it reaches the metal arm on the opposite end. If you don’t, as the flextrack reaches the metal arm, it will snap off the little plastic tabs on the underside of the flextrack, rendering it useless. Once you get the flextrack all the way on to the metal arm, you will need to reattach the window lifter arm to the flextrack. After this, you can slowly move the metal regulator assembly back inside the door. Again, take your time as you don’t want to break that new flextrack by banging it into any internal parts within the door. Once the assembly is back inside the confines of the door shell, you can re-align it with the bolt holes that hold the assembly to the door. Carefully re-install each bolt, but only tighten them ¾ of the way as you will need to allow the regulator to flex a little bit until everything is buttoned down.
Once the regulator has been loosely bolted to the door, you need to reinstall the glass bracket to the flex track. Check the action of the window using the switch. Make sure that everything works well and that the glass goes all the way up and down. There will be excess flextrack on the end of the metal regulator, and will most likely break off once you move the glass up and down. This is normal. If it hasn’t broken off, you can trim it using a thick pair of wire cutters or snips. To do this, you will need to lower the window and note the location of the excess flextrack hanging off the end. Then, as you will have incredible trouble reaching the excess with the window down, you will need to raise the window up until you can fit your arm behind the glass. Then, trim off the excess at the point you noted. That’s it. Once everything has been tested and trimmed, and everything works properly, you can torque the regulator bolts to factory specs.