Help - Looking for a power window roller wheel...

[KevLar]

I've got a '96 Disco and the latest problem is with the power window(s)... The windows freeze shut in the nasty Canadian winter and the power window motor is apparently stronger than the window raising mechanism I think I should change the outer window seals, but that's not the immediate problem.
Last winter, the spot welds holding the lever arm to the gear assembly on the driver's side window separated. I took the assembly out and had it MIG welded back into place. It now works fine and the motor will not be able to break the these weld beads. From the sounds coming from the front passenger side window, I'm sure this one is going to crap out too sooner than later
Anyhoo, last week, the rear passenger window on the driver's side refused to raise. After taking the power window assembly out, I found that the problem here was that the plastic (nylon / delrin ?) roller that rides in the window track had split in half and popped out of the track. This plastic roller is pinned to the lever arm that raises and lowers the window. Evidently too much pressure by the motor had crushed the little nylon roller wheel enough to crack it.
Not to my surprise, these rollers are not sold as individual units, and I am not about to pay who knows how much for a used assembly, let alone a new one.
So I am now looking for replacement roller wheels. I checked with a local plastics shop and they estimated $45 to make 1 roller... If I had a lathe I could knock one out myself in less than 25 minutes.
Anyone have any leads for replacements for this part ? I've looked on the net for similar plastic bearings but no luck so far...
Thanks !

 

[RichardS]

The rollers on all 4 of my windows have broken at different times over the past couple of years. I have replaced all of them with some scrap UHMW plastic and all are holding up fine. UHMW is not required, I just had some scrap. Any sturdy, non-brittle, nylon-like plastic should work. If you have a plastic shop in town try asking them for some scraps, you only need a piece about 1in x 2in x 1/4in.

The fab work can be done with a band saw, sharp chisel, exacto knife, etc. Make a rectangle the same height as the old wheel and maybe twice as long. Cut rabbets on the top and bottom edges so that it will fit in the track. Drill and countersink for the pivot pin. Add a bit of grease on reassembly.

I happen to have a welder so I was able to grind the lip off the pivot pin, then drive it out and weld it back in. You literally only need about a second of welding to tack it back on. Be ready to plunge it into a bucket of water so the welding heat does not start to melt the plastic. If you do not have access to a welder you will have to try to get creative with some sort of bolt arrangement.

 

[kferg]

Nylon washers. This is what I used to replace mine two years ago. I think I used two together since I could not find one that was thick enough. If you can't get the exact size it is ok as you can trim to fit the slide. I pressed them on and greased the slide, no problems.

 

[KevLar]

Thanks to both RichardS and kferg for your feedback I love to tinker, specially when it saves me lots of $$ It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has had this problem and decided to find a home made fix ! Evidently this is an example of poor design on the part of LR. Let's face it, my Disco has hardly ever had passengers in the back seat, so those widnows have seen very little use.
Meanwhile, I've visited a couple of hardware stores in the past few days and had the best luck finding something close to replacement wheels in the "sliding door" parts & accessories section. There are several types of household doors (patio, screen or closet) that either hang from or ride on nylon wheels. There are a few that looked like they might fit, but I now need to remove the window from the Disco door so I can properly measure the track. Most wheels of 1" diameter seem to be wider than the 5 mm original, and many of them have a concave edge which reduces the bearing surface and would certainly cause them to fail over repeated use. I also looked online and found urethane wheels that look like they would be ideal for this application, but I haven't managed to find anything of the right dimensions. Again, I need to pull the window so I know what the exact size of the track is before I decide what to use.
There are several body shops up the road from me that have MIG or TIG welders and I can get the original pin welded back into place for a couple of bucks when I get the roller I want.
If I find a wheel that is paricularly well suited as a replacement I'll post the part number and manufacturer info in case anyone else runs into this problem.
Thanks again for the help
Kev

 

[md irvin]

will tillery has new regulators for $85 I THINK

 

[oberdahill]

will tillery has new regulators for $85 I THINK

I just ordered one from Will Tillery for $50 shipped. He recommended changing out the assembly...he da man...and I tend to follow his advice on these things.

 

[Rovernaut]

Do A search for" Another broken window Regulator repair method"
I posted a fix a couple of years ago with pics. you don't need a wheel, a square piece of plastic will do it. My repair hasn't failed me yet

 

[KevLar]

will tillery has new regulators for $85 I THINK

Hmmm... well that's about $80 more than I'd be willing to spend

Seriously though, the power window assembly may be 11 years old ('96) but it's gotten almost no use, so the mechanical and electrical parts are in great shape... It's just the poorly designed roller that needs replacing.

Anyway, I found an online retailer that sells sliding door hardware (closets & such), and ordered 3 pairs of door rollers with brackets. Once I remove the brackets, these rollers will be a little too thick (ie: the width of the wheel that fits inside the track) but the roller diameter and offset look correct, so I will modify them slightly and it should work fine I bought enough to do the front & rear windows if that becomes necessary, as I'm sure it will

Manufacturer: Cox
Sold In pairs. Single wheel; top hung; side mounting; offset adjustable bracket; round edge nylon wheel; fits 3/4 inch to 1-3/8 inch thick doors; fits Cox.
Part Number: 25389
Price: $ 3.82 a pair

http://www.allaboutdoors.com/produc...25389&osCsid=17a58421c117523c91c7ffc379d4316f

Thanks to all for your tips and advice

Kev

 

[KevLar]

Do A search for" Another broken window Regulator repair method"
I posted a fix a couple of years ago with pics. you don't need a wheel, a square piece of plastic will do it. My repair hasn't failed me yet

Yup, you're right, it does not need to be a wheel, in fact, a rectangular piece would probably be stronger because the contact area would be distributed on the track rather than concentrated at a single point on the wheel's edge...

Your instructions look like the process would be pretty straightforward but the piccies don't show up I'm interested in seeing how your got your replacement nylon secured to the arm... I will need to faricate a new pin for my wheel when it arrives, and I was thinking of tapping the hole where the old axle pin was, and using a bolt that would match the inside diameter of the new roller. Then I would get the bolt end MIG welded to the arm to make sure it stays put.

If you can tell me how I can see the pics for your procedure, it would be appreciated

Thanks !

Kev

 

[KevLar]

I just ordered one from Will Tillery for $50 shipped. He recommended changing out the assembly...he da man...and I tend to follow his advice on these things.

Yup, I got a quote of $ 60 Canadian for the assembly here in town, so that's pretty close to your cost. However, as I said in my earlier post, I got 6 closet door roller wheels off the net for $26.50 (enough to do all windows). The wheels will need a slight modification, but I figure the cost of fixing the one rear window should run about $ 6 for parts.

Thanks !

Kev

 

[podio]

OK, I changed the little plastic wheel inside the track, and it broke again. So I took a washer, cut it and made a metal driver for the window mechanism, a lot of grease and this will not fail...take a look.

 

[ptschram]

OK, I changed the little plastic wheel inside the track, and it broke again. So I took a washer, cut it and made a metal driver for the window mechanism, a lot of grease and this will not fail...take a look.

Works better if you grind the stud off, slide a coupla 8 m/m flat washers behind the big washer and weld the stud back on.

Quarters make good rollers