How to fix a broken electric window winder on a Jeep Cherokee XJ 2001

Without warning, the electric motor mechanism started to make a really loud crunching and ratcheting sound whilst closing my drivers side window. Having read previous forums on this rather common issue with Jeep Cherokee XJ’s that basically say that you shouldn’t operate the window any more after this sound to prevent any further damage, I decided to wait. Luckily my window was up and it wasn’t raining.

I investigated the un-serviceability and found that the normal breakage point where the coil meets the window mechanism and the teeth break wasn’t the case in mine, it was the interface between the motor housing and the coil tubing. It had become detached and was running in and out preventing movement of the window. If I had continued to operate the window, the coil may have detached from the tubing and the window may have dropped, never to go up again.

The process below details a really easy fix in order to get your window working once more.

Tools required:

Cross-point screwdrivers large and small, 10mm socket and wrench (I used my drill), Gaffer tape, Stanley knife, 12mm drill, PVC Solvent Cement or Araldite, a modicum of skill.

Time for fix: 1 hour. (Allow overnight to ensure glue has bonded before using window again).

Firstly, if you are able to, lower window to just over half-way and use gaffer tape to secure. Disconnect the battery to avoid it draining as the interior light will be left on for the duration due to the door being open.

Remove door card by removing the 3 inner screws under the arm rest, one inside the door opener and one at the top left next to the wing mirror.

Grasp the lower RHS of the door card and in a short swift movement, pull the corner out by an inch or so in order to release the first of the poppers. Work your way around the door popping out the poppers. Once all out, the door card should be just hanging by the top edge. Push card upwards to release it from the window jamb.

Looking inside the door, you will find two electrical connecters for the window switches etc and the two rods that open the door via the inner and outer handles. Un-pop and rotate the little plastic holders that hold the rods to the door card and remove the rods. Remove the connectors and set the door card aside.

Next, you need to peel back the water membrane in order to access the window mechanism. Luckily, mine was the re-sealable type. Earlier models may require some additional sealant.

Here you will see the window mechanism that attaches to the window (good job we lowered the window!) and the motor and window guide attachment points (all 10mm bolts). Undo all of the 8 bolts using the 10mm socket.

Un-clip the motor power connector and you are ready to remove the whole assembly. (Do not attempt to remove the window mechanism without first undoing and unshipping the motor –you will cause damage to the rest of the mechanism).

The following picture shows how to remove the mechanism:

Rotate the window rail so that it aligns with the top right and bottom left of the opening. It’s a squeeze but you will need to pop the lower left out and pull the rest of the mechanism out carefully, avoiding any undue stress on the plastic tubing.

You will notice that the pic above shows my motor still in it’s place. As my tubing had become detached, there was no need to be too careful in this case. Your’s may be different!

Once out, I found that the plastic tube/sleeve had cracked and detached from the motor housing. This is a common problem with most people having to spend out on a replacement assembly as there are no piece-part spares available.

However, with a little ingenuity, it can be fixed for the price of some glue, as follows:

Remove the 3 bolts holding the plastic cover onto the motor housing, above and put the motor assembly aside. You should be able to slide the coil out from the tubing leaving you with the motor housing and the blue tubing (which can also be detached from the housing).

Place the motor housing in a vice, you can clearly see the broken insert left behind (above) and drill out the insert very carefully with the 12mm drill bit. Aim to drill down approximately 20 – 30mm. Remove the swarf and put aside.

Now take the broken end of the white tubing and very carefully tidy up with a stanley knife to make a good squared-off end that will eventually end up back in the hole you just drilled out.

Take some sandpaper and rough up the inside of the hole you just drilled and the new end you have just cut so that the glue will have a good keyed surface to bond to. Test for a good fit before glueing. Important bit here: Like me, you’ve probably forgotten the orientation of everything so in order that I didn’t get it all wrong, I put everything back together dry and made sure it was all the right way round!

Once happy, proceed to assembly. Ideally, use Araldite Rapid for a good strong bond. Make sure you leave it to dry for the correct time before re-fitting to the car. I found it would be a good idea to take this opportunity to re-grease the motor interface as I had to wipe away some of the grease because of the plastic swarf generated by the drilling. I used CV grease in this case as it looked pretty similar. Don’t use any type of grease that would dry out! Re-assemble the motor.

Refitting

As per good old Haynes manual, refitting is the reversal of removal! Caution! Try not to put too much ‘bending force’ on the tubing you have just fitted.

Ensure, first, that the window is fully up and taped in place to allow room for this next bit. With the motor assembly in your left hand and the window rail on your right, make sure to ease the top of the rail and white tubing into the top right of the door opening and the motor into the bottom left. Once the motor is inside the opening (and not bolted in just yet), place the blue tube in and jimmy the lower end of the window rail into the bottom left of the opening taking care not to put too much bend pressure on the tubing you’ve just fixed. Once in, locate the motor housing and secure with 3 bolts. Secure the window rail with the other 3 bolts and gently unship the taped up window and secure the window rail to the window with the remaining 2 bolts. Re-connect the power lead to the motor.

At this stage, I would resist the temptation to try it out unless you are sure that the glued parts have set properly. If happy, proceed to put everything back, not forgetting the door lock bars like I did and then I couldn’t open the door! I left mine for 12 hours (overnight) to ensure that the glue had bonded properly.

An easy fix for the cost of a dab of glue! (and your time). Bargain.