Mondial Rear Windows stuck in Down

...Were on the same page lets just correct the grammar! please indulge me for a sec,...LOL
Hi Ross,

Last night while attempting to put back my assembly/motor, I noticed alot of complexities and points of failures for these little motors. But you do have some good points with using the washers to give some more window clearance from the top's arm assembly, maybe I will try that as well. I will illustrate it in the next post.

 

The Fiat Uno motor I bought from Italy works great but comes with a cheap plastic rail cover on the right side that can bend and blocks passage if twisted into a loop. So because of the limited spacing, I decided to use the old curve rail covers but once you put everything back, i.e. right round curved cover for the rails, it takes alot of force to bend the rails.

See pic 1 --> 2. Once in place, the motors do not go all the way down, so I had to unbend the loop at the end there just a little.
see pic 3 to alleviate the pressure on the motors trying to push and bend the rail thru the loop. See the Rail pic, its a spiral rod that goes up/down when motor is activated by switch. The rod just wants to stay straight, what a pain but I will try to mount it again tonight with a little more creativity.

Let me tell you, taking out and putting back in this unit is the most aggravating thing I have ever done on any car! Now I see why these little poor motors eventually stop working, there are too many points of failures. (tops arm assembly in the way of the windows, the loops create its own resistance, and a ridiculous space to work with if you have to service them).
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Jay, you might have not notice the rear windows struggling so much if you only bring it up 50%, what I've learned from taking it apart and understanding how the system works (can almost do a college thesis on it), the motors struggles the most when the rail has to bend in the loops, especially going from all up to all down.

Second from that, the top's arm/elbow assembly is right there to wedge against the glass as it moves up/down causing another failure/stress/load point.

I would try not to use the rears at all when you have the top down to prolong the life of your motors because its coming -just a matter of time you have to rebuild them.

 

Hi, I did not realize that was your Volvo posting of the replacement motor.
As far as "I would have kept original plastic "rail" as with it you can have less courve as original part that seems to have too much of it" I did try that at first but the plastic tube rail casing bent once in place on car and caused a blockage that stopped the rails from passing when operated. That's why I had to replace it and use the loop covers, just need to unloop them and still have it fit in that small space of a rear window assembly.

BTW, what year and model Volvo window motor did that come off from that is working for you mikael82?
thanks.

 

Thanks, I'll keep this as a backup in case using the Fiat Uno motors start to crap out.
I think the Volvo's regulator is less restrictive and should work much better as you noted.

Old Ferrari's are nice cars until servicing time comes around, and then you scratch your head thinking there's definitely a better way to have done this! You gotta love it !

 

Thanks Lino, tonight I tried to install the motor assembly in but when I tested the connection, the motor only went up half way. So I took the whole thing apart again but this time I took out the little ball bearings that you warned me about. I think some of them got off track and I believe could be contributing to the blockage. Do you know how these balls should be configured on the thread? i.e. all around like a circle or is it 1 ball per line thread. It seems like the balls can be all over the place as long as its held in there by grease. Since tomorrow is a great 80 degree sunny day, I put everything back in ready for my drive top down to work tomorrow. More of the window work this weekend, forecast is rain!!!

see pics.
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Hi Lino,

Thanks for reminding me about this project, one of my many that's still on my to-do list.
Well, the Fiat motors work great out side of the rod/rails housing, but when bent into the housing because of the loop, it goes half way. Sometimes it doesn't move. (see pic below of loop)

Also, I may have a ground problem with my window connection because I don't think it powers thru like it should, but this project is low on my to-do list.
I would say, yes the motors are an exact replacement for the Ferrari Mondial rear motors, but getting in back in and working remains to be seen. I plan to mess with it in the fall, my top is always down now, so its a non issue and I use my plexi-glass incase it rains with the top up.

Mike
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Hi Claude, keep in mind, these Fiat motors are not new, they are off used Unos from the 1990s. The two I got worked fine outside the car and in its original tubing. As soon as I ported to the Mondial loop tube, it had problems. I would try adding a windows accelerator first to your window motors, I think the ground connect is poor and loses voltage. I still need to prove this theory. If your motors are completely kaput like mine, then I would say order the Fiat uno motors. Something to think about.

Mike

 

That is sweet! Can you post the Volvo part number for the rail and motor you used?
What model/year is that from? This maybe the better solution than using the Fiat Uno motors. Mine are still on the shelf as I was going to spend more time on it this winter. I drive with the top down all the time, so I don't care for working rear windows at this time...

thanks.

 

How did I miss this, thanks.

It's Volvo V40/S40 FRONT window lifts, first generation 1995-2004.