For various search purposes, this is my experience trying to replace the Window Regulator and motor on a 2015 Chevy Sonic.
Maybe, a month or two ago, my passenger side car window started having issues rolling up and down. It usually would be that the driver’s side controls would not work, so. I would lean over and hit the passenger side controls.
It gotten worse a couple of weeks ago. It rolled down for the drive to work, it would not roll up again using any buttons. I went about searching online for a solution, and found that the most likely culprit was the window regulator or the motor. I found a video on how to replace it, it was simple enough to do.
After searching for the part online, all of the “big auto stores (Auto Zone, etc) showed the part, but none had it in stock. I found a seller online, it was like, $20 more to get the regulator and the motor, than just the regulator, so I did that. It took a while to get here. I had to hassle with a lovely tarp for a few days while parked at work, and we shuffled some stuff in the garage so I could park in there out of the weather.
It got here. I pried off the inside door panels, and, just to be sure, I hooked the unit up, loose from the car, just to make sure it worked.
Which it did not. I don’t think the problem is the part, I think my problem is elsewhere.
I set about swapping it anyway, just in case.
The biggest hassle, was loosening the window. In case you ever wondered how a window works, its basically a central turning piece, connected to a manual lever or more commonly these days, a motor. The turning piece has some cables, which raise and lower a little clamping tray piece that grips the bottom of the window.
In order to remove the assembly, I had to release the clamps and remove the window. In the down position, in my Chevy Sonic, the nuts that grip the window are basically impossible to reach. With the motor attach, you can’t manually operate the window, the motor can’t be removed from the regulator, without removing the window, because the screws are (stupidly) on the Window side.
I ended up removing the bolts holding the regulator in, so I could juggle things enough to get to the bolts holding the window. Car windows are fairly strong, but I was nervous as fuck about possibly breaking the window.
I got it freed though. I slid the window up all the way, then threw a bunch of masking tape around it to keep it up. The rubber window seal was pretty solid and would probably have held it, but I was not risking it suddenly dropping on me.
With the window removed, I swapped the regulator/motor pieces. I did get the new one to operate briefly, but only going down, like the original.
I swapped the two units back, since it wasn’t the fix, I can return the replacement one.
However, before swapping it back, since it was already loose, I went ahead and removed the motor so I could slide the regular shelf thing into an “up” position. I could position it properly on the currently “up” window. I had to be a bit careful here because I had to remove it to reattach the motor, and I did not want to lose my positioning, since the unit could slide up more.
Something else that I had to keep in mind here, when reinserting the motor. The screw holes did not quite line up. I could turn the motor to align them, but this would turn the regulator, losing my positioning. Instead, the adjustment is done by pulling the motor off, carefully, and repositioning it, before sliding it back in the geared hole.
After that, everything was immobile again so it was a simple matter er of slotting it back with the clamps around the window base, and reaching the regulator.
Fortunately, in the up position, there are holes in the door plate that allow you to tighten the window clamps easily.
I left both the window controls and motor power disconnected, so the window could not be accidentally operated.
I had a little trouble getting the door panel back on, I found it worked best to try to slide the top back in from the side closest to the mirror.
I don’t really know where to go next. I already tried swapping fuses, though the widows all seem to work off of the same fuse. I think there may be a short or something in one of the operational triggers, but its hard to troubleshoot because testing with other windows (I took apart the driver’s door for this), it seems like the windows don’t seem to operate when one of the triggers is disconnected. IE, I can’t disconnect the drivers or passenger one and still operate the window, both need to be connected.
Maybe.
I may look into replacing the passenger trigger anyway. Its the most likely culprit. I also tried some voltage tests with a meter but didn’t find anything conclusive at all.
For. Now, at least its up so I can stop hassling with the stupid tarp.
