I guess I give up on the windows

[PhotonFanatic]

I've done everything you can do to fix the slow power windows in my 87. All of the door rubber has been replaced. All the rubber has been lubed with Syl Glide. There's new AcDeclo brand motors and regulators. New switches. The relay mod is installed so they draw directly from the battery. The battery is a new deep cycle. Most of the truck's grounds have been replaced recently. The windows are still slow. To the point that sometimes they don't actually want to roll up. As though no work was done at all, and everything is still all original.

I do have to mention one last thing I haven't done, so maybe "everything" wasn't the right word. But I don't think I'd attempt this one. Not unless I had both doors off the truck and they were being totally rebuilt... You might be able to bend those tracks inside the doors, that the glass slides in.

I'm referring to the metal tracks that the felt/rubber sits inside of. If that shifted even just a little, it could make your windows run slow or get stuck sometimes. But how would know know exactly how to bend them back? It may be a difficult job to get them bent exactly right. Such that I'd really like to have both doors off the truck, then you could test the speed every step of the way.

So I was wondering if anyone ever made them go fast. Or at least, made them work at the factory speeds. I know these windows were never "fast" but they were adequate when they were new. Maybe to solve the problem for good, you have to buy those upgraded motors for the windows that are made to run extra quick. But IIRC they're $250 each.

 

[farules]

I recently put new bits and pieces on mine and it is still near painfully slow. With the quality of parts these days...I'm not sure there is a fix.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

I just fixed my 79 last winter and the new motor and old regulator cleaned up works great! Super fast! No mods. Although the seals and felt are original and have a lot of use. So not fresh and new.

The clean and lube was the real change. I would bet with the new window track felt it's binding up and the tracks need adjusted. Just enough to not bind but also not window rattle.

 

[wuznme]

Redid my windows, all new regulators, channel, channel rubber and glass. Harness upgrade.

The driver window works as should, passenger side will only go to 2in from top; but it comes down super fast, way faster than drivers, like twice the speed. I think the glass may be slightly off in the channel which is causing this to happen. Been so busy with other things, I just help it up when need to. Will get to it over winter.. lol

 

[squaredeal91]

My 78 is sometimes sluggish to no movement, and hauls a$$ other times. On mine it's the switch that's got a bad connection. With switch coming through panel hole I can wiggle it and manipulate performance.

 

[Scott91370]

My 85 works great UNTIL I put in the new felt. It has gotten better but still far from fast or powerful.
And everything - wiring, motors, regulators are all new.

Even back when these trucks were new the windows were never good.

 

[Snoots]

Other than alignment issues, make certain that you have a great (not good) ground connection between the body and the door. GM motors have 2 hots going to the motor (up and down) and need a ground to operate.
Even if you use a voltmeter to check the voltage at the motor and it checks 'good' you may not be getting the amps required by the motor.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[GTX63]

Post #6 and #7 are where you should probably focus. Yes, electric windows in the 70s and 80s were slower than today's power windows. I know it sounds silly, but life was a half step slower then, and people were content to wait 8-10 seconds for the window cycle to complete before throwing it into gear with the other hand and texting with another hand and steering with another hand.

 

[85K304SPD]

Moral of the story: Save your time and money and just live with the slow windows, after new seals and felts are installed. Thanks, one less thing to worry about. I did notice that they do get faster over time and with wear. When I got my truck the windows were both stuck to the seals and didn't roll up or down at all. Now, with all the new stuff, they are slow and smooth. Like GTX said, they are from a slower time...

 

[PhotonFanatic]

My 85 works great UNTIL I put in the new felt. It has gotten better but still far from fast or powerful.
And everything - wiring, motors, regulators are all new.

Even back when these trucks were new the windows were never good.

Yeah I'm thinking brute force is the way to go. If "adjusting" the tracks and regulators didn't help. If I knew how to do such an adjustment. Brute force with a better motor sounds good though. I might do it someday, but not anytime soon cause the ones they sell are expensive. I'm sure you could get cheaper ones, but they might be loud. Which would be pretty embarrassing lol

Other than alignment issues, make certain that you have a great (not good) ground connection between the body and the door. GM motors have 2 hots going to the motor (up and down) and need a ground to operate.
Even if you use a voltmeter to check the voltage at the motor and it checks 'good' you may not be getting the amps required by the motor.
Just my 2 cents.

Do you happen to know where these ground connections can be found? I'm assuming there's wires running through the rubber tubing that goes from the door, into the cab. But the ground wire has to terminate somewhere.

 

[Finkaire]

I have crank windows and the drivers window almost took two hands to roll up. Lubricated the arms, track and siliconed the original felt. Worked great for awhile and needed to repeat the process several months later.

 

[Old Guy Bill]

Back in the mid ‘90s I had a sweet ‘86 Silverado with power windows.
When the original window motors started slowing down I had the exact same issue as you with replacements, way too slow. I went through all the track alignment, felt etc.. nothing helped.
After trying several different sources for replacement motors I got a set that worked perfectly… There we’re a lot more choices for parts then, I don’t remember the supplier but I did pay a lot more for the replacements that worked.

 

[Old77]

1973-1991 Chevrolet Suburbanelectric window kit for front doors

Manufacturer of top quality power windows for classic cars, classic trucks, muscle cars and street rods. Our aftermarket electric windows replace the manual window and are a true direct bolt in. We manufacture power windows for a Model A to 1987 Chevy Truck. American made regulators.

www.nu-relics.com

 

[Ricko1966]

Yeah I'm thinking brute force is the way to go. If "adjusting" the tracks and regulators didn't help. If I knew how to do such an adjustment. Brute force with a better motor sounds good though. I might do it someday, but not anytime soon cause the ones they sell are expensive. I'm sure you could get cheaper ones, but they might be loud. Which would be pretty embarrassing lol



Do you happen to know where these ground connections can be found? I'm assuming there's wires running through the rubber tubing that goes from the door, into the cab. But the ground wire has to terminate somewhere.

It appears the window motors ground to the door probably through the window motor body itself like a starter. On another post I told you where the most important 3 grounds are battery to body so the entire body is a ground for anything attached to it. Battery to frame so the entire frame is a ground for anything attached to it battery to engine so anything attached to the engine has a ground.Notice your starter doesn't have a ground, to the battery it grounds through the block to the battery. Notice your headlights don't have a ground wire going to the battery they ground to the body. Everything on that truck grounds through the body, the frame or the engine.

 

[PeteJr]

Redid my windows, all new regulators, channel, channel rubber and glass. Harness upgrade.

The driver window works as should, passenger side will only go to 2in from top; but it comes down super fast, way faster than drivers, like twice the speed. I think the glass may be slightly off in the channel which is causing this to happen. Been so busy with other things, I just help it up when need to. Will get to it over winter.. lol

I feel your pain. Same for me. New rubber and motors.
Driver side fine, passenger side is the issue. Talked to buddy last night, he has the same issue on his '84, mine's an '83.