Window regulators- OEM or aftermarket?

[iamdub]

Geeze, im impressed! cable driven window regulators freak me out when they get snarled and you brought one back from the dead!!

Thank ya! It was too easy of a repair to keep my door taken apart for a few days while I waited for a new regulator to be delivered.

 

[iamdub]

usually they are sold separately because normally only one or the other fails, more common for the regulator to fail than a motor
and when the regulator wears that is what makes it slower, when you replace it normally it ends up being the faster one then because the other 3 are now worn more. hence why the front windows will end up being slower then the rears because the fronts get used more often. same for drivers window versus passenger.

After diving into this, I think what makes them slower is the grease gets wiped away sooner. Naturally, if a window is used more, the trolleys/carriers/whatever they're called sliding up and down will wipe the grease away faster. The self-lubricating properties of the plastic is then relied on to keep it from binding, but at the expense of the plastic wearing away. The extra slack from the worn carriers and plastic dragging on the guides puts extra stress on the motor, which eventually weakens it. My pulleys were in great shape and I didn't notice any excess wear on the plastic parts. I did notice, after I greased up everything, how much smoother it operated when testing it on the shop floor. The window seems to travel a little faster now. It's still a little slower than the others when going up, and I believe that's from an aged motor that's been pushing a frayed and dragging cable for so long.

I didn't have time yesterday, but I would've taken this opportunity to install sound deadener in the door while I had everything opened up. I'll definitely grease up the window tracks on all the doors when I install that deadener.

 

[Cliffjrs]

Picks one up at Advance Auto last January in Glens Falls NY. Put my LF window down to clear out cigarette smoke and it stayed there on a 20 degree day. Been happy with it. Like anything electrical on the Tahoe, eventually it will need replacement. GM sucks when it comes to electrical components.