Holden Commodore Electric Window regulator Part 2

Part 2: How to repair Electric Window regulator on a Holden Commodore VX and VY.
2 part video and probably too much detail. Sorry if I ramble on but I wanted it to include all details.

[@JaredWoodruff]

This happened to my 1999 Commodore (Olympic Edition) yesterday... pulled the side off and found the old plastic pieces snapped off and the bearings raw up against the glass, Can't complain it lasted 20 years i guess. Great video, i had no idea how i was going to get it sorted but now it doesn't look to bad. Cheers!

[@darrylcampbell4411]

Wow. my last comment was two years ago. Well now we are in lockdown and my new mechanism has arrived so tomorrows the day. cheers. From NZ.

[@lynpatnat]

Great. At least it gives you something to do while locked down. We are still in the all clear on Western Australia. Enjoy

[@darrylcampbell4411]

Awesome video man. Ive watched a few times now as I need to do mine. looks like a fiddly prick of a job but Ihave to do it as mines on the drivers side. No good in summer or the drive through at maccas.good detail. cheers.

[@bradreinke9160]

Explained by true Mech! Thank You mate! You saved me a tonne of time! 👍😎🇦🇺

[@christianwhite2192]

Thanks again mate. Life saver

[@ganjagames2053]

you first one do it in youtube thanks

[@gideontikitau5905]

Hi guys, I have a situation, my VX Commodore drivers door panel is hard to remove due to the window still 1/2 way up, it's a powered window, it's got power to the switch console, but doesn't work, the passengers and rear windows work, but the other two don't, so, can door panel be removed with window stuck 1/2 way up? Any suggestions please!

[@robmmartin]

Two outstandingly good videos, thank you 'lynpatnat'. They made the unenviable job so much easier, thanks. And as you told others, the task is not that bad. Having an assistant to hold and move the window into position for re-assembly is also a good policy. My wife excels at such assignments and made the winder reassembly task a breeze. Your suggestion for tapping the new winder mechanism was also excellent, thanks, in lieu of using rivets. 6mm x 1mm Metric Fine Thread with no need to change the hole size in the pre-drilled winder mounting holes. You just need to increase the hole size in the door frame as you suggested - before reassembly. 1/4 inch drill works perfectly. I had some hex head/pan head HT 6 x 15mm bolts on-hand and they work perfectly with a flat and spring washer under the head. Much better than replacement rivets - especially if you ever have to repeat the procedure. Contrary to your apology, I could not fault your two videos. Both highly professional and incredibly helpful, thank you. AAA+++ A rock star in the making.

[@lynpatnat]

Thanks. Comments like that are very appreciated. I do need to get off my butt and make some new ones at some stage. I had power steering pipe rubbed through recently but it was 40c when I dropped the steering rack so I didn't video the job. Glad I could be of help with the windows. Cheers.

[@robmmartin]

@@lynpatnat Most welcome. Credit given where credit deserved. Thank you are two words easily said, but all too often forgotten.

[@Smash_Moore]

Great tutorial. No fluff. Helped me get mine back together.

[@lynpatnat]

Thanks. Happy to help. That reminds me I need to make some more videos at some stage. Cheers

[@Smash_Moore]

@lynpatnat your videos are getting good view rates. Get a nice logo and consistently upload and you might find you could make some money.

[@lynpatnat]

@@Smash_Moore I have thought that I need to improve my presentation. The logo is a good idea. So far I have just looked at what other people need and I think that will always be the focus. Monetization is a nice idea but it know how much advertising frustrates me when I look at videos so I have been avoiding that as much as possible. Maybe if I dedicated more time to the videos then perhaps I would need to consider it. I enjoy helping people. It's nice to see things being fixed rather than thrown away. Thanks for the info is definitely in my list of things to think about.

[@Smash_Moore]

@@lynpatnat nice one. keep up the good work.

[@BUSHBASHS]

Great video,very informative and made my job easy. Thanks 👍

[@lynpatnat]

Thanks. It's great to help someone.

[@stratosphere1]

Thanks for your video, it helped immensely.

[@razeezar]

Thanks for the VX vids! A couple of years back I swapped out one of my rear power window motors in my VX. This time I need to do the drivers door motor. It looks a just little bit more involved to do the front than I remember the back being (particularly with the rails), so it's good to know the little differences from an otherwise fairly similar swap-out. I definitely recommend getting a 2nd pair of hands to help out, it makes a fiddly job a lot less fiddly.

[@cmelad]

Thanks very much for the videos and the practical tips.

[@kirkashwell9365]

Nice job very helpful thanks

[@zacsborntorunrunningadvent3441]

Good man.

[@kiwibonsai2355]

Who ever ticked the box to use rivets needs a slap 😜

[@lynpatnat]

Yeh we have to agree.The rivets make the job just that bit harder. Easy to remove but what do you do to replace them. Bolts with nuts are too fiddly. Tap the threads then use bolts seems to be the best option.

[@kiwibonsai2355]

@@lynpatnat yeah for sure, it also rips the Holden pride when plastic clips are marked and damaged when removing to get to something... Thank you for making the time to making the vid, it seems I have a few missing teeth at the top so full replacement needed.

[@lynpatnat]

@@kiwibonsai2355 If you replace the assembly "Flea-bay" is the place to get it but when you put it together test it out before fitting the door card on. The last two we have done have had the motor wires reversed so the motor goes up when it should go down. You can swap the wires on the motor mechanism plug using a small screwdriver to unclip the leads. Or get used to up being down. I still need to reverse it on my sons car so that could always be another video. Great to see we can help people out. Most of the videos are made because we could not find the information we needed.

[@steiny3353]

@@lynpatnat ...I'm one of those. The rear left hand window would try to go up and down with a little clunk. I took the door card off and fiddled about, then tried pushing that white plastic part in and away it went, but every time it gets to the top it gets stuck there. The rear right side works, but it just wont go quite all the way up. You have to help it to get the last 10 mil or so. When I thought I might have to replace the window mechanism on the rear left, saw those bloody rivets and thought , this is going to be a mission. Good video mate. Thanks for the info.

[@earthsdefect1747]

Thanks mate

[@happyday8422]

Another fail from plastic! Obsolete it. Same here. Greeting u from usa. Good vid.

[@lynpatnat]

So true. I often pull apart machines that have failed to see why. One that sticks in my mind is the pull start mechanism on a "line trimmer". The pawls that engages when you pull the starter are plastic. I would bet money that on the prototype they were brass. I got hold of some scrap steel and ground up 2 new ones. 1 hour later and it was repaired so it will never break again. The bean counters add in redundancy. We can reverse it sometimes just by thinking about how it can be done. I think with a CNC machine you could set it up to make a better brass or sealed bearing version of the plastic tabs on the window slides but you would not sell many if them. These cars are getting older so the total value would be hard to justify. Thanks for your comment and I totally agree. We need to ask for products that last longer.

[@H00L3y]

What length screws did you use?

[@lynpatnat]

Sorry don't remember but the metal is only about 1mm thick. They won't need to be more than 15 to 20mm long. Too long and they may foul the mechanism so just keep an eye on that.

[@petepumpkin8418]

Damn, i think I'll just try and put a screw in somewhere to hold the window up.... my back window first had a one inch open gap that wouldn't close - then while I was playing around with it the window dropped in fully - it moves up and down freely - just doesn't stay up... now to find the right place to wedge it or screw it shut..

[@lynpatnat]

If you do that make sure you disconnect the electrics to the motor. Otherwise next time someone gets in the back they will guy the switch and who knows what will happen. When you look at the problem you will probably find the plastic rail clips/guides have broken. You could just put the ball back into the rail and disconnect the switch at the door button. Maybe tape the ball so it doesn't just out if the rail. It's not a fix but it should stay closed.

[@petepumpkin8418]

@@lynpatnat Yeah it seems like the rail/guides have disconnected already as the window is totally loose (yet I can slide it up or down) and the motors I can hear spinning but no longer doing anything. I guess taking the door trim would be the right thing to do but I'm too lazy at the moment. Thanks for your video. btw mines a cx8 Adventra.

[@lynpatnat]

@@petepumpkin8418 I think they are great cars. Very underrated. They cost a lot when new and we're well appointed. No way for Holden make any money making them. Removing the inside panel is quick. Do that and pull the plastic back then see what the job of that's needed. An aftermarket door mechanism is cheap. Just be aware most if the ones I've put in seem to be wired in reverse so you may need to swap the coins in the plug. That just takes a pointy probe. I'm not sure if the colours of the wires or what ones that you need to swap though. Drilling out the big rivets is easy and you could just use big self tapping screws instead of threading the holes. Just screw them in then take them back out one at a time and cut them shorter so they don't hit the window or the mechanism. You don't have to do the job in a day. You could have a look and order the parts and do it over a few weeks. It's well within the average persons ability. Cost should be less that $100 to have your car good for the next 10 years. Just check to see if the new actuator comes with the white rail clips. Some do and some don't.

[@chesmith8594]

Do you have a video of how to get the glass out by any chance

[@lynpatnat]

Sorry I don't have one taking the glass out. It can't be hard. Maybe some trim etc. Look to see a few GM car videos. That may be similar.

[@chesmith8594]

@@lynpatnat got it out mate ,cheers though

[@adamellul9273]

Can you change my two reg motors on my vx commodore

[@lynpatnat]

No but it's well within your ability. Just get a mate around and take your time. The hardest part is drilling out the rivets and replacing them with bolts in the new one. You are even in a sitting position for most of the work. Just get a piece of paper and write down the order of the dismantling and look at the video a few times. Have fun it really is easy.

[@secretglennsbusiness79]

My plastic bits for the runners are different, The balls are way bigger

[@lynpatnat]

Maybe they are aftermarket. I've only ever seen them one size. Someone else may have a better knowledge on that.

[@darrellgee1823]

You have not shown how the small rod goes in. Obviously its in reverse of removal but when you are not familiar and cant remember it renders this video useless. The one problem i have is the only thing you haven't shown. Rest of it was good. But im stuck now lol

[@lynpatnat]

Can you tell me the ROD you are meaning? Maybe I can explain how it goes. Sorry there will always be something I miss when doing the videos. I have to edit them so they don't become too long. Even then I often site too many steps.

[@darrellgee1823]

@@lynpatnat the short track rod that the third arm of the reg goes to.

[@lynpatnat]

You need to put the rod into the rail first. Slide the plastic clip with Rod attached into the rail. Then push the glass up to align the bolt holes. You may have to have adjust the regulator position using the electrics but I din't think I have ever had to do that. If you put the bolts in first you will never be able to slide it onto the rail. I got that helps. I'm going on memory so I hope I remember it correctly.

[@darrellgee1823]

@@lynpatnat i get you. I thought I may have to use the power to get it all right. Im using rivets and i put them in first because thats another thing i needed to know and going by the video you screwed it in and still had that rod disconnected, you left it until last. So sounds like ive riveted it back in for prematurely and it will have to be re-drilled to remove it and start again

[@lynpatnat]

@@darrellgee1823 yep. It sounds like your have it sorted now. At least it's only 2 rivets. Of your use bolts or self tapping threads make sure your keep them SHORT out else the window will hit the bolts and may break. You will be an expert at this. Cheers.

[@dmystify1381]

...good fun isnt it...Not.

[@lynpatnat]

If you think this is a hard job. Try removing the Power steering rack and replacing it when it's 40c on hot driveway.