SAAB 900 Window Regulator Removal and Lubrication, Completion

Now with the door panels removed, we can get the regulator out.

It might be possible to lubricate the mechanism without removing the regulator, but you'll do a more thorough job with it removed.

The green arrows in this picture show the bolts holding the regulator to the door.  Notice there are five of them.  I point this out (ha ha) because my Bentley manual says there are four.  Maybe earlier cars had 4, but mine doesn't.

The two red arrows show the two screws holding the window to the regulator mechanism.

Remove those screws first.  On later cars, this is a larger Torx fastener - a T25 (I think).

There are lockwashers under the screws.  Don't lose them.  Be sure to put them back on when you reassemble the regulator, lest the screws work their way off and your window rattles or comes off the track entirely.

With the screws removed, you can lift the window up off the regulator.  The manual would have you remove the top interior weatherstripping (there are clips holding it in), and then remove the window from the door.  You don't need to do that - just raise it up...

...and use a block of wood to support it.

There is a metal beam across the door you can use to support the block.  As long as you're careful not to move the block, the window will be up out of the way.

Then remove the five 10mm bolts holding the regulator to the door.

Be sure your regulator is in the 'down' position at this point - it will come out of the door easily.  I don't think it's possible to remove it if it's not all the way down.

You'll now be able to tilt the regulator assembly a bit to the left and see the motor.  If yours has not been touched since it left Trollhattan, you'll see the wire tie holding a plastic bag over the motor.  Cut the tie and push the plastic back.

Real human people built this car! 

With the plastic pushed back, you'll see the two electrical connectors on the motor.  Take a picture or make a diagram to ensure you put them back in the right locations.

The connectors pull upward to release.  I used needle-nose pliers to gently work them until they came free.

They've been on this car for 20 years and are still in perfect condition.

Now you can shift the whole regulator assembly to the left (this is the driver's side...the passenger side would go to the right).   Then move it up a bit, and swing the bottom out of the door opening.

The 'front' side of the regulator on the workbench.  It's pretty clean.  I thought I would find a lot of gummed-up lubricant, but it seems to have just evaporated instead.

The backside (hee hee backside) of the regulator.

You won't be able to run the motor (unless you want to hook it up for some reason), but you will be able to work the regulator arms up and down to determine where to lubricate it.

I wound up taking it back outside to spray with degreaser on all the pivots and tracks I'll lubricate.

I just used the degreaser very sparingly on the places with green arrows (on both sides in some cases).  Then I cleaned it up with damp rags.  Be careful not to get this stuff or the lube anywhere near the motor itself.

It's cleaner now.  Starting to apply white lubricant to all the pivots. You don't need a lot - just a thin film will do it.  Too much will attract dirt.

It wasn't too stiff, but after lubricating, it works much much easier. 

The cleaned and lubricated regulator about to go back into the door.

Put the regulator back into the door, connect it up, and reattach the bolts.  Then I reattached the window and ran it up and down a number of times. 

There is a toothed gear that will become visible when you do this.  I ran it up, stopped it, and then cleaned the old grease off the gear, and applied new grease.  I also shot a couple of the pivot points with grease while it was in operation.

Reattach everything in the reverse order and you're done.

The window is crazy fast now!  The motor made some real straining noise when raising the window before, and now it's quiet. 

The passenger side is not so bad, but I will take it apart soon as well.