350z WIndow Motor (Regulator) Replacement

[cs2000]

Hi guys, we don't seem to have a good guide for this on our forums, so as I performed this job today, here's the guide for it  

The entire process is around a 30 min job

 

Parts

Nice and simple, you need one part, either a left (Passenger) or Right (Driver) side window motor. These have come down hugely in price and are available brand new for under £20-30 nowadays, links below to Amazon and eBay parts, as usual, Amazon seem to be more expensive for these things with no added value IMO.

 

Passenger Amazon

Passenger eBay

 

Driver Amazon

Driver eBay

 

Both Motors eBay

 

 

Tools

Again, super simple install, you need:

10mm socket (with extension bar)

12mm socket

Philips PZ3 Sized Screwdriver

Duct Tape (yes, really)

 

 

Step 1 - Door Card Removal

There's no photos here, its very simple

1) Open the door handle and pop out the black trim behind the handle, undo the screw behind that using the PZ3 screwdriver or the 10mm socket on an extension bar.

2) Pop off the silver trim (very carefully) on the door handle using a screwdriver/butter knife. Undo both screws you can now access at the top and bottom again using the PZ3 screwdriver or the 10mm socket on an extension bar. Remove door grab handle.

3) Remove the electric window switch/arm rest trim, it just pops off by lifting up the back first. Disconnect the plug from the window switch buttons and remove the new screw (or two, depends which side you're working on) you can now see, again using the PZ3 screwdriver or the 10mm socket on an extension bar.

Note: If working on the drivers side, remember to remove the screw hidden under the plastic cap inside the ashtray in the door

4) Pull the door card from the door starting at the bottom left, its take some pulling pull will pop off bit by bit.

5) Then, you need to tilt the card by pulling the bottom slightly towards you and lift up to unhook it from the top of the door.

 

Step 2 - Prep

1) Take your Duct/Duck tape and tape the window CLOSED. By this, I mean run some tape all the way along your window glass and rubber trim on the outside of the door. This ensures the window stays up and fixed into place which makes later re-assembly a whole lot easier without a piece of glass flopping around inside your door skin!

2) We need clearer access to the inner door, so we need to remove those flexible springy wires that attach to the inner door handle. On the inside of the drivers door card, follow the black springy things back to the door handle on the door card. Life UP on the white pieces, popping them free of the retaining clip and wiggle the ball on the end of the cable out of its socket.

3) Remove fully and set aside safely.

 

Step 3 - Panel Removal

Ok, photo time!

1) Unclip the window motor cable by pressing and pilling on the connectors shown in blue. Once unclipped, CAREFULLY but forcefully shove the whole white connector block towards the car, at some stage it will release off of its plastic retaining clip and strip a chunk of skin from your knuckles, that's your sacrifice to the car gods meaning the rest of your work is now blessed and will go smoothly. Lastly, poke the rubber grommet back inside of the door.

 

2) Undo the 12 bolts shown here in blue with a 10mm socket and keep them all together as theyre all the same.

 

3) Next, undo the 3 bolts shown here in Green with a 10mm socket, keep these in order as two are the same and one is different. These hold the window motor in place.

 

4) Undo the 2 bolts shown here in Pink with a 10mm socket, and put aside, they're the same. These hold the top section of the window rails in place.

 

5) Lastly for now, undo the 2 bolts shown here in Red with a 12mm socket, and put aside, they're the same. These hold the bottom section of the window rails in place.

 

6) This will be tough as the inner panel is sealed with some adhesive goop to the door skin, but find somewhere where you can get your fingers and start lifting the metal panel away, it will only come so far due to the wires shown at the bottom in red still being attached. You just need to pull it from the door enough so that it drops down and gives you access to the inner door skin. Don't use anything sharp as you don't really want to damage the sealant.

 

 

Step 4 - Motor Swap

1) When you pop off the metal panel, you'll see the window motor, cable spool and bracket just laying there. Flip it over and undo the three gold screws as shown in blue with the Philips PZ3 screwdriver. These will be exceptionally tight, make sure you have a good solid grip and use some penetrating spray if required. The screws are all the same, so set them aside.

 

2) Remove the old motor and insert the old one in its place, re-attaching with the same screws.

NOTE: The motor is on what's called a "Worm Drive" meaning if the shaft of your new motor isn't in the right place to fit unto the spool holder, you cant just turn the shaft to get it to line up. You will need to connect your window motor and window switch controls for whichever side your working on and press the window up/down button to get the shaft in the correct spot for installation. In my case, it was off by a tad, so a tiny blip on the window switch made it spin just enough so I could pop it into the spool holder. Kinda hard to explain, but you'll figure it out.

 

Step 5 - Re-assembly.

Reassembly can be fiddly, so il do my best to explain the order I found works best.

1) Push the rubber grommet attached to the window motor cable through the large hole in the inner metal skin.

 

2) With the new motor attached to the bracket and cable spool, lift up the metal inner door card you removed earlier and whilst holding the motor with your arm inside the door from the top, place it roughly over its three mounting holes and hand-thread in the three mounting screws so the motor doesn't disappear into the door somewhere.

 

3) Next, with your fingers and hands squeezed in wherever you can, attach the lower front window rail with the 12mm bolt, again, just hand tight, but otherwise this thing is IMPOSSIBLE to screw in if you don't do it now, this is the bolt shown in Red in the earlier metal skin bolt removal fest. Don't worry about the rear one, its nut protrudes much further and can easily be accessed later.

 

4) Look to where you removed the Pink bolts earlier in the removal guide, you should see a hole now visible, insert the bolt into here and hand tighten it.

 

5) Now onto the Rear rail, again, look for the protruding bolt at the bottom of rail, locate this with its hole in the inner skin and re-attach with the 12mm nut removed earlier

 

6) Follow this up and as with the Front rail, you should see a hole ready to take the one remaining gold 10mm bolt that you have, thread this in

7) Now go around and tighten up all of the gold bolts. There are no torque specs I could find, so the usual, hand tight with a 6 inch ratchet is plenty tight enough.

😎 Almost there! Lift the entire inner skin up and shove it around until all of the 12 outer edge bolt holes all line up. The inner skin does have some little bumps that kinda click into place on the actual door when its in the right location. Insert all of these 10mm bolts and tighten up with the same 6 inch ratchet, that's plenty enough torque.

9) Reconnect the window motor electrics and slide the connector back onto its clip.

NOTE: Now is a GREAT time to test to see if your motor works and the window is smooth. Temporarily connect up the window switch to its plug and test window operation. Worth saying that if you replace the passenger side motor, the window switch on the drivers side for the passenger window will NOT function without the passenger side window switch actually being plugged in!

 

10) Grab your interior door card and re-hook it over the top of your actual door. Line up all of the connectors and tap the door card firmly so the connectors all pop back into the door. Ensure your window switch control wire is poking through the gap where the armrest goes so you can plug it in!.

11) Plug in the switch controls, fit them back into the door and attach the Armrest pad.

12) Re-insert the two 10mm bolts here that hold the inner frame of the door card to the door itself using the ratchet or PZ3 screwdriver

13) Re-attach the grab handle and re-install the two 10mm bolts using the ratchet and extension or PZ3 screwdriver.

Note: If working on the drivers side, remember to insert the screw and plastic cap back inside the ashtray in the door

14) Open the door handle and insert the screw behind that using the PZ3 screwdriver or the 10mm socket on an extension bar. Pop back in the black trim in behind the handle,

 

 

Step 5 - Testing & Calibration

Get inside the car and turn the ignition to On, try the window motor you just replaced to ensure it still works. You now need to re-calibrate the window motor so it does the "auto drop" when you open the car door and isn't triggering "pinch detection"

 

1) Pull up on the window switch till the window stops. It may drop due to being un calibrated and the "pinch sensor" being triggered.

1a) If it did drop, pull up on the switch again and let off. The window should stay up this time (you just over-rode the pinch protection.)

2) Now with the window fully closed, pull up on the switch and hold for approx. 3 seconds.

3) Now push the window switch all the way down until the window stops then let off the switch.

4) With the window all the way down, push the switch down again and hold it for approx. 3 seconds.

Note: The bottom limits of your windows travel are now calibrated

5) Pull up on the switch till the window goes all the way up.

6) Now with the window all the way up, pull up once more on the switch and hold it in the up position for approx. 3 seconds.

Note: The upper limits of your windows travel are now calibrated

 

 

And you're done! Super simple hardware wise and a very cheap fix. I did mine today for a grand total of £16.00 and 30 mins of my time, all ready for the summer!

Edited February 26, 2022 by cs2000
Images

[Irn Bru]

Well documented guide, thanks

[napp]

spot on mate , very well documented 

[Androlyn]

Yes very good, will use this guide shortly, shame the photo's have gone.

 

[Zalas]

Used this guide during the last few days. Spot on! Done in about 1h10.

 

One thing very useful - PH3 screw driver bit in a impact driver makes very short work of the three motor/regulator screws without destroying them (Step 4, bolts in blue)

 

My support bar next to the skin was surface rusted, took the time to spray some Dynax onto the skin, bottom of door inner and the support bar. Well worth doing.

 

Al

Edited April 25, 2023 by Zalas