Window Regulator Question

[elav]

Hello, I have a '98 Boxster and when I first got the car several years ago I replaced the door latches and a few of the micro switches and the windows have been operating as expected for several years. I just replaced the convertible top with a "new to me" top that had a better plastic window. Everything was working well for a while and then I notices that the driver's door window doesn't drop much any more when opening the door (causing it to catch). I took off the door card today and was expecting to find some loose cables in the window regulator and was going to try the zip tie hack, but all of the cables seemed very tight. I couldn't really pull the cables back around the green ends. I did find a small piece of green plastic floating around the door but couldn't tell where it was coming from. I heard the motor running when I open and close the door so I know the motor and micro switches are still working.

Is there a built-in adjustment to tighten the cable? If I need a new window regulator, I'll get one but would love to try other options first.

[elav]

I just realized that I had the window fully up when I was trying to find if the cable is loose. Do I need to lower the window for the cables to loosen?

[Lowski]

I had similar behavior with my passenger window. The window would try to drop when the door handle was pulled, but wouldn’t move far enough down to clear the top. During all my research I haven’t come across any internet info for window regulators with built in adjustment for cable tension.

I tried the cable tie fix and it wasn’t stable enough. The green housing end was popping out of its receptacle. I tired adding an inline bicycle brake adjuster, but I couldn’t get enough slack to get it in place. During all messing around I ended up dislodging the cable from a pulley. Then I cracked the pulley trying to get it back on. After that the only option was a new window regulator.

The cable tension on mine was snug to tight. It shouldn’t matter if the window is up or down. The cable tension should stay fairly constant due to the design.

The green piece may be one of the cable housing ends. Probably from upper portion where it’s hard to see.

[elav]

Thanks - I lowered the window half way and it seemed like the cable was a bit looser, but perhaps not. I was able to pry one of the green stops back a bit and get a zip tie in there. It helped some, but it still isn't moving as much as it should. I think I'm on borrowed time and will need to buy a replacement at some point. Did you buy a genuine Porsche regulator or an aftermarket one?

[A 986 S]

Take a look at the tension spring on your regulator. When I replaced the regulator on my Boxster to solve its window-not-dropping problem I found that the spring on the old regulator was almost fully expanded. Presumably, this made the spring unable to tension the cable enough for the regulator to work properly. Both the zip tie fix and the cable adjuster fix can compress the spring to increase the tension on the cable but neither worked well for me. Replacing the regulator really isn't that hard although adjusting it properly can be a bit of a trick. Good luck with your project and let us know it comes out.

cheers - dj


more on my regulator adventures here - https://rx19jones.wixsite.com/a-986-s/2024
and here - https://rx19jones.wixsite.com/a-986-s/2024