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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - What goes wrong with the window cranks ?

Hello all....
I've got a '76 midget. The drivers window has always been a little tight, and in spots it 'felt a little funny' when cranking. Now, this morning, it won't go up at all. It isn't stripped, I didn't force it.
Anyway, when I remove the inner door cover, what am I looking for as the probable culprit.
Thanks for your help...
Paul
Paul W (NY)

Hi, Paul --

My guess would be the horizontal channel at the bottom of the window glass. The lift mechanism terminates in a couple of knobs at the ends of the lift arms; these slide in the channel as they lift. There should be grease in the channel, and if this grease gets old, it can stiffen up the works considerably.

So my suggestion would be to clean up that channel first using degreaser, and then run in some fresh grease.

That said, I'd just get some oil on any moving parts in the mechanism. Meaning, the gear teeth, the center pivot, and all the joints.

Lastly, check the window tracks to see if they're binding in any way.

Good luck!

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Just re-read your post.

If it's not working at all, you may have stripped the spline on the window crank. That will mean getting a new crank (pretty cheap), but you'll still want to clean and lube the stuff in the door.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

My driver's side window seems to stick at times like you describe. I find that it feels like it is going up unevenly front to rear and getting stuck in the glass guides. Try some silicone spray in the guides and see if that will help.
Bill Young

this happened to me the day before Gaydon

It turned out to be the rear glass guide!!
the chanel has an insert which had corroded causing it to be mis-shapen and so jamming the glass
Mick - I have started painting!!!

Hi Guys....
Whee....Hee...Did I luck out on this one. Other than the fact that one of those tiny sheet metal screws that holds the door handle wedge in place, bounced off my sneaker top and skittered half way across the garage (I did find it after some diligent searching), this job turned out to be a gimme....
I took the window knob off to find that a bunch of junk, (excess vinyl from the door covering, excess foam from behind the vinyl) had gathered around the crank. I dug this junk out with a screwdriver and shot some lube onto the crank and my window has never worked better. What a pleasant surprise !!
Thank you all for chiming in with your ideas. You guys are always dependable. I swear, if I found a woman this dependable, I'd be married !
Thanks again !

Paul


Paul W (NY)

I thought there would at least be a picture of an undependable woman...


(most women I ever met could seriously be described as dependable though, not that we would always be ready to accept it :-) )
Bill

Ah! So there was literally "something wrapped around the axle."

Glad you sorted it!

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

This thread was discussed between 28/05/2008 and 29/05/2008

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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