Windows roll up/down slow? heres your fix!

Well heres a REAL cheap fix I learned about and figured I would share with you guys

Parts needed:
1 Large box or bag of Q-tips (get good quality, strong type Q-tips)
1 bottle of rubbing alcohol (nothing fancy, just plain old rubbing alcohol)
1 can of Silicone Spray lubricant (I use Pyroil which was availiable at Checker/Shucks/Kragen)


Roll your windows all the way down

Get out your Q-tips and alcohol and wet a Q-tip

Start wiping the window track with the Q-tip (you will do this ALOT and will take several Q-tips!)

After you are 100% sure the track is clean ( I rolled my windows back up and continued every inch of my track) take your silicone spray lubricant and spray the window track (use the little red tube to minimize mess) and allow to sit for a few minutes....repeat with a second spray of lubricant.

Continue on all windows/tracks and then enjoy your windows rolling up and down faster as they used too....I have done this on every car I have ever had power windows on and it really works and has saved me hundreds of $$ instead of buying new window motors and such.

The Q-tips will get incredibly dirty and it will take ALOT of wiping (On my Accord I went through more than 500 Q-tips) but the money saved from not having to buy a new motor was definitely worth the time

(you can removed the door panels and clean also that way if really want to get into but again, the money saved is really worth it)

Enjoy those windows going up and down quickly again! 

LOL ..... you got moved to Appearance?!? .... ok?!

this doesnt seem like it fits anywhere and most of us just go to these sections not the general tech section. what exactly are you cleaning? the part around the window that you can see or the actual track thats inside the door? and im guessin this helps from not overworking your motor from a dirty track?

yea I am in the appearance section....wanted to be in the DIY section! lol!

and huYnhess, yea, the actual track itself, top to bottom and it will save the window motors from working so hard from the dirty tracks. I did the little trick on my 88 civic after learning about it and saved over $400 since thats what I was quoted for the replacement motors....also did on my 92 Legend and saved those motors as well and did the Accord and was really relieved that my passenger motor wasn't as shot as I thought it was at first. ;)

Do you also take the door panels off to do the inside?  They're likely to be almost as dirty. ..... dangit, there's something that I don't clean on the car?!?  Are the tracks felt or rubber (I'm inside now)? 

Mine were felt all the way through....started at the top and worked my way down following the entire track the window guides through


kicking yourself for finding a new part to clean? 

does this affect tinted windows? it sounds like it might! if it does, make sure to add that to the post.

true!!!    alcohol kills tint adhesive.  I found out the hard way that alcohol is the ONLY hosehold item that will remove the glue!!!  I couldn't believe it when lighter fluid didn't work!!!

but your wiping all the alcohol away with continued Q-tip treatment and then the silicone spray removes any excess alcohol.....have never had any window tint troubles.......acetone removes window tint glue really well too....rip off old tint, spray some acetone, scrape with a flat razor....clean window ready for new tints......and I use a hair dryer to remove the rear tint....slow process but it works! 

I tried acetone ..... it might not have been the 100% approved as a gas addative kind, but tried and failed.  As for the Q-Tipping the alcohol, I see your point, but I think I'll try it with something that I know won't take off the tint ..... hehe, maybe lighter fluid!  Are you sure that what came out was just crap and not the dye from the felt?  I'm also concerned with degrading the felt, so maybe I'll try with water and dilute cleaner.  I'll have to look into what cleaners are good for felt .... I'm a building engneer and felt is a waterproofing membrane.  I'm sure that at least one of the architects in my office has the answer!   .... and I love to email the entire office with non-work stuff, LOL (about 50 people ... not a huge outfit).

ahahahaha!!  I send useless emails to my entire company....nationwide outfit so more than half the employees I dont even know!  LMAO.
 
and yea....its definitely vrud coming out of there because after awhile the Q-tip comes out clean....just a lengthy process of cleaning.....took me 2 hours on my 91 for just the front windows and I havent even started on the rears yet

I'd think that black dye would look the same ..... would probably bleed gray to the top of the q-tip cotton though ..... no gray?

I have never had gray on my tips before...and you can very easily tell when its crud out of the track. (wishing I wasn't on the road so I could post up some pics as I do another track :( ) but after a few swipes you'll see the tips starting to look cleaner so you know your maiking progress. even after I get it pretty clean looking, I do afew more swipes through to insure, then follow with the silicone spray and never had any problems. gotta make sure its silicone spray though and not WD40 (dries up) or any litho grease (cruds and dries and then stuck windows, which would really suck)

after I did my passenger front, my rollup time decreased from almost a minute to rollup to just a few seconds like normal, mine was really bad after 26 years and prolly never been done before....drivers wasn't tooooo bad, but still dirty

cool .... gotta try it out ...... what about wax instead of the silicone spray?  I'd think it'd be neater, but probably turn into more crud over time.  I'd think that the spray would tend to grab more dust though .... what do you think?

I would tend to think wax cause it would dry, would prolly cause some issue down the road.....never tried it as I have always had such good results with the spray so I stay with what I know has worked for me

OK.  So the windows on my 95 probably really need this because they screech like crazy when I roll them down.  My 2000 is starting to perform similarly.  I wonder if this would fix the screaming "fingernails down a chalkboard" sound.  By tracks, you are referring to the seam the window fits into on the front and back, top to bottom when it is rolled up arent you? 

well I guess I try the silicone spray then ...... still kinda p'ed off that you found a spot to clean on the ride that I didn't think of!  LOL   

sorry homie!! 

yes, the seam the window follows up and down, clean that baby out good and get some lube in there!!  :D

not at you!  just that I didn't think of it ..... good idea though!!!

I know it wasnt at me bro...its all good!!  lol!