Pontiac Grand Prix Window Regulators

Three Common Issues of the Pontiac Grand Prix Window Regulator

The window regulator of your Pontiac Grand Prix, along with the other parts of the window assembly, is essential because it works to ensure protection for the car's interior. However, it will eventually malfunction through years of constant use. If you're beginning to have a hard time controlling the window of your car, then you should do some troubleshooting to determine what the problem is. Here are some common problems you might experience:

Only one window is working.

If the driver-side window of your car is still working but all the passenger windows are already malfunctioning, then the problem may come from a faulty connection. The Grand Prix's window connection setup is a bit intricate. The driver's door serves as the master control for all four windows, and each passenger door has a control box inside that's connected to a module located under the driver's seat on the floor. It is very likely that the control box had water problems which could have ruined the wires inside. You should check the control box if it still has power. If it has none, then you need to find the exact control box replacement for your car's model.

The car window doesn't smoothly go up or down.

If your car window fails to go up or down properly, then loose bolts from the window regulator or a failing electric motor may be the cause. What you need to do is to remove and inspect these parts. There might be debris that got stuck in the mechanical gears which might have caused the window to malfunction. Once you have removed debris from these parts, you should test them again. If any one of the two still fails, then you have to find a replacement.

The window is sticky.

The window of your Pontiac has a gasket and seal to prevent rain from seeping inside the door. If the window opens slowly or the power-window button feels sticky, then you have to check the gasket and the seal if they're torn or loose. Aside from that, there's a certain amount of friction between the gasket and the window that may slow the window as it goes up and down, so you should lubricate the entire gasket with a silicone spray or protectant to reduce the friction.

• Window regulators make your power windows work at the push of a button.
• One cause of part failure is overuse and one component that’s often a victim of this is the window regulator.
• Windows that don’t respond after a few presses of the switch may be caused by a cable that’s broken and is not properly connected to the motor.
• If you notice a change in speed when rolling your window up or down, you might be having a problem with the electric motor
• Faulty cables can often lead to jammed windows.
• A broken cable that is clicking inside the door panel when triggering the power window button is another indication of a problem.
• OE Pontiac Grand Prix window regulator replacements on CarParts.com are price anywhere between $35 and $290.

The Pontiac Grand Prix was originally introduced as a full-size sedan in 1962. It was later rebuilt using a midsize chassis starting from the second-generation model up to the fifth one, only to be brought back to being a full-size sedan in 1997. General Motors discontinued the Grand Prix in 2010, a year after its successor, the G8, got introduced.

Discontinuation is not the end of a specific model, such as the Pontiac Grand Prix. There are still a lot of them on the road today, meaning a lot of owners would still need to fix their cars should they break down. One cause of part failure is overuse and one component that’s often a victim of this is the window regulator. Here are the things you need to know about Pontiac Grand Prix window regulators.

Window regulators make your power windows work at the push of a button. If this fails, so do your windows. A failing power window is an inconvenience on the road so it’s best to resolve it as soon as you discover the problem.

Unresponsive windows

Windows that don’t respond after a few presses of the switch may be caused by a cable that’s broken and is not properly connected to the motor. It can also be caused by a broken power window motor or switch. Either of these two issues can be dealt with by disassembling the door panel and checking the window regulator assembly.

Windows that roll up and down faster or slower

If you notice a change in speed when rolling your window up or down, you might be having a problem with the electric motor. Window motors are tuned with specific speeds to prevent breaking the glass during operation. If it’s the power motor, there’s no need to replace the entire assembly other than the motor itself.

Jammed windows

Faulty cables can often lead to jammed windows. In most cases, the window would end up inoperable despite a working electric motor.  Some people report that the windows will not fully shoot or roll down. A broken cable is a result of overworked window regulators, which is sometimes due to kids playing with the windows.

Weird noises when rolling the window up and down

A broken cable that is clicking inside the door panel when triggering the power window button is another indication of a problem. Weird noises are due to a worn-out glass holding bracket or a busted sliding bar. This sound can also indicate a failing electric window motor.

The motor can fail due to debris getting stuck in between its moving parts. Ignoring this can cause the motor’s internal components to get fried, leading to a failing window regulator.

There are multiple model generations of the Pontiac Grand Prix and finding a component that universally fits all other models is not an ideal way to replace parts. What you can do is to input the complete detail about your vehicle like the year, make, and model. You can even indicate the exact submodel in the filter tab under the search menu. OE Pontiac Grand Prix window regulator replacements on CarParts.com are priced anywhere between $35 and $290.

The window regulator of your Pontiac Grand Prix Is designed to work efficiently with just a press of a button. However, through constant use and abuse, the regulator will show signs of wearing down and will soon be difficult to use. To prevent any kind of trouble from happening, you could perform preventive maintenance on the window regulator. Listed below are some tips you can follow:

 

Clean and grease the window regulator.

 

 

You can prolong the lifespan of your current window regulator by simply cleaning and greasing it. Buying a new one can be expensive and it is not advisable if the window regulator can still working normally. This simple maintenance trick only needs a few basic garage tools and a can of white grease to accomplish, but you have to make sure that you remove the old grease and oil off the regulator. You should also apply the grease using a paint brush to cover those hard to reach areas. And don't forget to remove the excess grease using a rag.

 

 

Test the window motor.

 

 

Another good way to maintain the window regulator of your vehicle is by testing the window motor in your own garage. All you need is a pair of jumper wires, a 12-volt battery, a socket set, and a multi-bit screw. What you need to do is to connect the positive terminals of the jumper wires to the positive terminal on the 12-volt battery and to one connector on the window motor. Likewise, the negative end of the jumper must be connected to the negative terminal on the 12-volt battery. If the motor runs freely at constant speed, then it is in good condition. If it turns slow or fails to rotate, then you have to clean the motor and try again.

 

 

Check the condition of the other parts.

 

 

When performing a regular maintenance check on your window regulator, you should also check the other parts of the window assembly because any one of the parts may cause the regulator to fail. You have to check the switch assembly, the wire cables, and the plastic pulleys. If any of these parts are already broken, then you have to replace them immediately.