Window Roller Repair / Slider Replacement / Rollers

[Roadmonster]

'95 Roadmonster has some great information on replacing window sliders that are a common problem in our cars and wagons. When the slider breaks, the window won't go up or down, and it looks crooked in the tracks.

Tom asked if we could make another sticky, so here it is.

Here is a link to Tom's original link on automotiveforums.com:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=562839


This next link is referenced in Tom's link, and has been around since 2004.
This has GREAT pictures in it, and should be extremely helpful to someone
who has not done this before.

http://impalassforum.com/tech/interior/windowfix/index.htm

I myself used a kit from the NAISSO Superstore back in '03 because it
had really good instructions and photos. These links will save you a few
bucks.

Also, here are the part numbers:

GM P/N: 10161510 - Plastic Door Panel Fasteners (20 Pack)
GM P/N: 9666748 - Nylon Window Roller Bearing (5 Pack)

If anyone has more information on the window slider replacement, please
feel free to post.

Even better, if you have pictures, post them up!

Thanks guys, and thank you Tom! 🙂

Stewart

 

['95 Roadmonster]

Some may find that tool that helps you remove the inner door panel to be very helpful. It is a good idea to have some of the inner door panel clips on hand as from experience you are bound to break some of the clips in the removal process. Remember these clips have been through a lot and are at least 11 years old up to 16 years old (at the time of this post,) so they can become weak and brittle over time.

 

[Roadmonster]

Some may find that tool that helps you remove the inner door panel to be very helpful. It is a good idea to have some of the inner door panel clips on hand as from experience you are bound to break some of the clips in the removal process. Remember these clips have been through a lot and are at least 11 years old up to 16 years old (at the time of this post,) so they can become weak and brittle over time.

I agree Tom.

The door panel clips really should be replaced every time the panel is off.

Sometimes Autozone will have these clips in their "HELP" products. If so, they are really cheap.

Our door panels have enough problems already. They were not designed / made very strong.

Having them flapping around loosely probably is not a good idea.

Stewart

 

[TheFleshRocket]

Those links are probably helpful once the door itself is removed, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get the door panels off.

I removed the screw by the door handle and the plastic bezel around it. I removed the screw at the bottom rear of the door panel. I popped out what seems like all of the pop rivets. (Speaking of which, any auto parts store should have those, hopefully? I know I broke at least a few.)

But I can't the top of the door panel off. It's held tight where the door strap (what you grab to pull the door shut from the inside) is, and peering past the panel, I can see what appears to be two screws. The screws appear to start from the door panel side and screw into the door. But I can't get to the backs of the screws to loosen them, because they seem to be hidden by the strap. The strap doesn't just pull off (duh, if it did, the door wouldn't close) and I tried tugging on the imitation marble (best way I can think of to describe it) trim that runs along the strap. I got a little of it to come up, but it sounded like I was breaking the plastic. Not good.

So how do I finish getting these door panels off?

 

[Krzdimond]

a picture is worth a thousand words.....

 

[TheFleshRocket]

Thanks, Krz!

I replaced the rear roller on the passenger-side back door and the front roller on the passenger-side front door. The back door was pretty easy, all told. The front one was a real pain in the butt. First, I couldn't get the black piece with the seat/window controls to snap out like the one in the back door did, and I couldn't get the harnesses to come off the controls from the bottom either. So I ended up working with the door panel hanging there.

Second, there wasn't enough room to get two hands on the pliers to snap the ball into the socket on the new plastic piece. (Maybe I'm a girlie man, but I needed both hands on the back door piece, and I couldn't do the front door with one hand.) Unlike the back door where there's room enough to get both hands in (at least when doing the rear plastic piece--I didn't look at the access to the front one), the front door is a one-handed job, at least for the front roller. I tried for most of an hour, from as many different positions and angles as I could think of. I finally got pissed, whipped out the Dremel, and cut out several inches of metal. That gave me enough room to use both hands and get the ball snapped in.

I spray painted the bare metal so it wouldn't rust.

Third, I ended up with two broken mounting brackets for the push pins on the inside of the door panel. I was able to superclue them back into place, but who knows how long that will hold.

All in all, I got the whole damn job done. Someone had been into the front and rear door panels once already and they weren't properly reattached, so I got them securely mounted. That cut down on a few squeaks and rattles.

 

[Krzdimond]

You're welcome.

it is always a good idea to replace BOTH rollers while you are already in there. The original sliders WILL break, sooner or later.

You can purchase the push pins (christmas trees) at any auto parts store, just bring in the old one to match up.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

The reason I didn't replace the other rollers in each door was because I wasn't sure how easy it would be to break off the existing plastic pieces. (I guess they're probably not that hard to break off.) And by midnight, I was pretty frustrated and tired, so I didn't want to make the job take any longer than absolutely necessary.

The next time one goes out and that window still has both of the old-style rollers in there, I'll budget a bit more time and do them both.

 

[rvharvey]

I installed a nylon roller in place of the broken slider in the driver's side front door of my 92 rm. I drilled a hole in the metal near the end of the track large enough to insert the end of a C-clamp. Pressing the ball into the roller was a breeze. Sorry, I didn't take a picture and I am NOT going to take the door panel off again unless I have to!

 

['95 Roadmonster]

Sorry, I didn't take a picture and I am NOT going to take the door panel off again unless I have to!

Oh but wasn't that half the fun ??!!😀

 

[MrBuick (Magnum)]

Holy crap those rollers are expensive...

 

[kiltedscotsman]

This is handy, the 95 roadmaster wagon i just bought, the driver window goes down but wont go up again... I bet its the roller thingy......!

 

[Grumpy]

I notice no one mention the most important item required for this repair. A box of bandaids. I skinned knuckles I didn't know I had. Thank god for little bitty C-clamps though.

 

[Roadmonster]

Just noticed that Summit carries the improved rollers.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=RNB-74444&FROM=MG

$5.95 for two is cheaper than my local dealer.

They want more than that for one.

Next Summit order, I'm gonna order a couple of extra sets.

Stewart

 

[MrBuick (Magnum)]

when I added them to my cart, summit said there was 0 instock, and they woul ship by 12/30/1899... LOL

 

[Roadmonster]

Cory, the date I got was 4/29/08...

Strange.

Stewart

 

[danadalaw1978]

I had my '96 RMS about 2 weeks when the front slider on the drivers door snapped(and of course I was in a drive thru, in the rain), I looked all over for OE replacements, but finally found nylon rollers at Auto Zone(Dorman pt.# 74444). Since someone had already mangled the door panel by pulling in all the wrong places, it wasn't hard to remove, the fun part was using epoxy and clamps for the next few days reassembling the panel, piece by piece, waiting for the epoxy to cure. It's all done now, and better than ever, now all I have to do is fix the other three door panels. YEAH!!!

 

[sdowney1]

I just used a Dorman roller.

The ends of the slide rail are bent in AND a big rivet in the way.
I managed to straighten the bottom bend. The rivet head and upper bend I dremel ground lower. I still had to pry using a tire iron the nylon roller past the rivet.

I cleaned the track and regreased and it works ok. I have done it before and no point to replacing good ones. The ones that went were the rear closest to the latch.