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Window regulators lubricating

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Window regulators lubricating
#1
Azsiros Andy Zsiros
Ancaster, ON, Canada   CAN
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1971 MG MGB
My window regulators as well as all other parts in the doors have been removed, thought it would be a good time to clean up and lubricate the regulators. They have worked ok but stiffer than they should be. Just wondering if I should soak them in degreaser first or is that really necessary? Just spray some silicon grease on them?

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#2
bloomz Avatar
bloomz Gold Member Jonathon B
Corvallis, OR, USA   USA
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1969 MG MGB GT "Primrose"
I didn't remove mine, but opened the door cards and sprayed them with the white silicon grease.

They got a bit better for a short time and now they're again stiff as ever.

So it apparently takes more than that. This summer I'll try again, but suggestions here could help. I'm scarred to take the mechanism out.


-----------
I ate the last mango in Paris
Took the last plane out of Saigon
Took the first fast boat to China
And Jimmy there's still so much to be done...
That's why we wander and follow la vie dansante.
(RIP Jimmy you were such a treasure)
-----------
We can all do better. - Jim Jeffries

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#3
MGB567 Avatar
MGB567 Barrie Braxton
Ninderry, KabiKabi country, Queensland, Australia   AUS
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1966 MG MGB MkI "Money Guzzler"
1979 MG MGB GT V8 Conversion "Darkside"
I think I smeared lanolin on the teeth. I now have silicon in a similar guise. I figured something thicker than spray which might dry out would be better but ICBW.


Mk1: CKD 11/66 first registered 8/5/67; owned since 3/77. 18GB +40 balanced. Peter Burgess BVFR head. Piper 285. 123. FidanzaFW. 4synch c/r box. Lots more as I did a nut and bolt rebuild; finished 2015. Tartan Red.

GT: December '78. VW Golf guards, flush fit front and rear valances. Torana XU1 vents, frenched indicators & Mk1 rear lights. 'Worked' Rover V8 with Monsoon ECU for EFI. GM4L60E, Lokar tiptronic & Quick4 controller. Vintage Air A/C. FC IFS. CCE 4 link rear. Salisbury with Quaife. Jaguar Storm.

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#4
Azsiros Andy Zsiros
Ancaster, ON, Canada   CAN
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1971 MG MGB
It's not really that bad to remove it, here's a video on youtube that shows you how...
1K37RsuCa0,st:0" class="no-preview" target="_blank" >https://www.google.com/search?q=nigel+1977+mgb+window+removal&rlz=1C1VDKB_enCA1033CA1034&oq=nigel+1977+mgb+window+removal&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigAdIBCjEwNTY4ajBqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:6be39310,vidyawning smiley1K37RsuCa0,st:0
It's nice once you have it out, you can replace the rubber weather strips(door seal) easily and maybe even tackle the quarter window and vent. I ended up taking the glass out of the vent and replacing the pivot so the vent window now opens up and is nice and tight. My vent could never stay open as it was so loose.
Anyway, as far as the regulator I think I'll try some degreaser on it and maybe some silicon grease after that.

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#5
Bakataka Avatar
Bakataka John Poulsen
Langford, BC, Canada   CAN
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1970 MG MGB MkII "James"
Andy;
I did all of the above when I had mine out with all the felt and seals. I then used white lithium spray grease on all the pivots and teeth. Since it's not a daily driver; I wasn't concern with the "body" of the lithium accumulating dirt on the pivots.
John


There’s no such thing as coincidences; just unrealized connections.

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#6
GlennMGB Avatar
GlennMGB Silver Member Glenn G
Fort Worth, TX, USA   USA
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1965 Triumph TR4A
1967 MG MGB GT "Rose"
Whenever the windows in my GT get difficult to roll up and down, I spray the channels with Teflon spray. This makes them easier to move for a while.

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#7
Cabin Boy Avatar
Cabin Boy Bill Kortum
Arlington, WA, USA   USA
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1970 MG MGB "Buttercup"
1980 Harley-Davidson Touring
1988 Suzuki Samurai "Old Blue"
1998 Chevrolet Commodore "Beam'n'Water"    & more
I cleaned ours with spray brake cleaner and a brush . It took a couple times of spraying and brushing , then wiping with a clean shop rag . The brake cleaner will completely evaporate , leaving no residue .

I then sprayed all the moving parts with spray ' garage door lube " . This was eight years ago and the door locks , door handles and window regulators still work great .

However , ours is not a daily driver and is garage kept .

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#8
Stu Rodger Avatar
Stu Rodger Gold Member
Oliver, BC, Canada   CAN
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1980 MG MGB
I used my heat gun to melt the old hardened grease on the mechanism and then lubricated with silicone.

I'm not sure if silicone is the best but it works fine now.

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#9
Azsiros Andy Zsiros
Ancaster, ON, Canada   CAN
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1971 MG MGB
I'm hoping to get most of the door parts back in this weekend. I have a plan now, my oil pan tray is the perfect tray for dousing the regulators with brake cleaner and/or Castrol degreaser, which I always have lots of. Sounds like silicon, lithium or garage door lube(which I have lots of as well) will do a good job. This reinforces the fact that it takes 2 or 3 times longer than expected to put things back together again!

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#10
rrikola Avatar
rrikola Platinum Member Robert Ikola
Santa Maria, CA, USA   USA
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1966 MG MGB
In order for them to work really well you need to remove all the rust, geese and crud from between the coil springs. This grime causes almost all the friction. Simply pouring more lube over the mess only does so much. The best way to remove the grime and rust from between the spring coils is to submerge it in muriatic acid. About 4 or 5 minutes should do it. Don't over do it, it works fast. Rinse it out with water and blow it out with air. Now flush out the spring section with WD40 to prevent any rust and to provide some protection. Repeat if needed. Muriatic acid is very toxic and produces harmful fumes so do this outdoors and observe other safety measures on the label. You will see it winds much smoother, like new. Cheers.

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#11
Cabin Boy Avatar
Cabin Boy Bill Kortum
Arlington, WA, USA   USA
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1970 MG MGB "Buttercup"
1980 Harley-Davidson Touring
1988 Suzuki Samurai "Old Blue"
1998 Chevrolet Commodore "Beam'n'Water"    & more
In reply to # 4788553 by rrikola In order for them to work really well you need to remove all the rust, geese and crud from between the coil springs. This grime causes almost all the friction. Simply pouring more lube over the mess only does so much. The best way to remove the grime and rust from between the spring coils is to submerge it in muriatic acid. About 4 or 5 minutes should do it. Don't over do it, it works fast. Rinse it out with water and blow it out with air. Now flush out the spring section with WD40 to prevent any rust and to provide some protection. Repeat if needed. Muriatic acid is very toxic and produces harmful fumes so do this outdoors and observe other safety measures on the label. You will see it winds much smoother, like new. Cheers.


One comment ......

The WD-40 will flush out residual grime after a good cleaning with any good degreaser .

The WD-40 is not a lubricant , it is a penetrant and evaporates .

As the OP already explained , after a good cleaning , applying a quality lubricant is the key to trouble free operation .

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#12
rrikola Avatar
rrikola Platinum Member Robert Ikola
Santa Maria, CA, USA   USA
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1966 MG MGB
Rust between the flat spring surfaces of the coil is the problem. No degreaser will remove the rust. The rust causes friction. Muriatic acid will rewove the rust. WD40 was designed by aerospace as a rust preventive. It will also drive out the rinse water and leave a residue that will impede the rust from returning. It's not used as a lubricant as such. After that a lubricant within the spring coil is hardly needed at all for smooth operation once clean and rust free although i did add a couple of drops of light oil for good measure. That's my experience at least. Cheers.

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#13
cschaefer Avatar
cschaefer Silver Member Chuck Schaefer
West Chicago, IL, USA   USA
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1969 MG MGB GT
Muriatic acid will eat the steel if left too long. My preference for removing rust is Phosphoric acid. It eats away the rust but not the steel. It works with the iron to form a protective coat of Iron Phosphate. I haven't needed to do this to window springs (yet).

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#14
Idasix Avatar
Idasix Gold Member David Smailes
Mount Vernon, WA, USA   USA
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1975 MG MGB "Red Rider"
I cleaned mine with 409 cleaner and then used grease where needed. Then I put my drill in the stub for the window crank and ran them back and forth. Found places where they were touching and needed more cleaning. Both sides work great but.....I seldom use them as it's only driven in the summer.


The brave don’t live forever
The cautious don’t live at all

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Re: Window regulators lubricating
#15
bloomz Avatar
bloomz Gold Member Jonathon B
Corvallis, OR, USA   USA
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1969 MG MGB GT "Primrose"
Did you do that without removing it from the door?

In reply to # 4788793 by Idasix I cleaned mine with 409 cleaner and then used grease where needed. Then I put my drill in the stub for the window crank and ran them back and forth. Found places where they were touching and needed more cleaning. Both sides work great but.....I seldom use them as it's only driven in the summer.


-----------
I ate the last mango in Paris
Took the last plane out of Saigon
Took the first fast boat to China
And Jimmy there's still so much to be done...
That's why we wander and follow la vie dansante.
(RIP Jimmy you were such a treasure)
-----------
We can all do better. - Jim Jeffries

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