Power Window -- Not Going Up

[mariamarsala]

Car: Toyota Camray 1998.

Problem: Window goes up about 2/3 of the way then stops. It starts out going up fine, then about 1/3 of the way up it starts coming out of the channel.

Done so far: Went to a glass/window specialty mechanic. They opened the door and insisted that someone much stronger than me must have have done something to the door because the channel was out of it's tracks so much. (I didn't do anything, nor anyone else do anything -- when I noticed the problem, I didn't play around with the door at all).
So he fixed the channel, said the fix would last a long time and didn't know why they channel go off the track as much as it did if I didn't do anything.

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Five days later and about 10 window openings the window would only go up 2/3 of the way again.
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What I heard before that happened.

1) the window going up but sounding like the glass was hitting felt type paper very strongly. (that was how it sounded to me)

2) the window all the way down, and I had to open/close the door (seat belt stuck in the door) but when I closed it it sounded differently than usual. It sounded like the glass was rattling back/forth in the door when I closed it.

3) window wouldn't go up all the way.


Before I go back to the shop, my intuition tells me that "something" is pulling the glass off the channel. And that if I fix the channel, the problem will come back -- but this time ruin the new channel.

Any ideas of the "what" can be causing the problem?

[Kep]

I am probably getting the wrong idea but when you say the channel was out of its tracks I get the picture of the two vertical channels that the window rides up and down in some how separated from the side of the car. That is difficult for me to imagine.

You have a "regulator" attached to the door that controls the window. It is a vertical rail pretty much in the middle of the door. There is a horizontal car that is pulled up and down along the rail by a cable that the window motor (via the finger switch) controls. The window is fastened to that car and in turn rides up and down in two channels at the front and back of the door. When working, all of these pieces line up nicely and move smoothly. Any misalignment can cause the window to jam. The connection to the door may be loose, the car may be loose on the rail, the window may be loose on the car or the channels may be loose on the door. Sometimes the cable pulleys fail or the cable may break (but since yours is moving that can't be the case)

You may get a little better idea of what is going on if you grab the top of the window when it gets stuck and try wiggling it in and out and back and forward while holding the up switch (watch your fingers). You may well learn which position frees it up and be able to speculate what is wrong.

Luck,
Kep

[mariamarsala]

I'm not well versed on the inner workings of the door, never saw one opened, but I will go see it opened next week. I'll explain the best I can.

I cannot "pull" the window up more than it goes it. Nor can someone stronger than me pull or wiggle it. It will go down all the way though.

Regarding channel/tracks. My error, I should have stuck with the word channel.

On the part of the window that is closest to the mirror (driver side) the channel allows the window to "flow upwards" -- that is where the problem is showing up.

I just called the auto glass store and this is what he said in plain language to me:
The window is popping out of it's channel on the side of the channel that is closest to the front of the car AND the pressure of it popping out of channel is warping the channel. The glass itself is jumping out of the channel and getting between the felt and metal of the channel, instead of it being protected by the two peices of felt that are between the metal channel.

What he said makes sense about the felt; mostly because the first indication that the problem was coming back was when I raised the window and I heard a strong noise like the window was pressing on the felt.

Well, I hope this explaination helps as I don't know much about car doors, cept to close and open them