I just finished replacing my driver's side window motor on my '03 and the guide was a big help. Thanks VO!

 

I'm assuming the motor is the same for a 2003 G35 Sedan ...

Are all these replacement motors that expensive ($150+)? I want to do it right but save as much money as I can. If they are, I guess I just gotta cough up the cash.

 

I'm not sure about G35 vs 350Z motor but you basically have no choice. I think all the motors are around $115. The only option you have is to insure you buy it from a parts store that provides a lifetime guarantee because they will fail again. I don't think any of the reman's are a permanent fix they just fix it with like-for-like that fails again. The $115 is for a reman.

 

Thank you for the fantastic write up. Just finished replacing driver side motor and this made it a piece of cake.

 

i didnt read every post of this thread or any other one so dont bash me if it was already mention, but theres one thing i dont understand. replacing it or cleaning only seems to be temporary. i've replaced my passenger motor 4 times within a year, and cleaned each one at least once after everytime it gives in. my driver side motor hasnt given any signs at all of failing on me within that year or since i ever owned the car, so why just the passenger side?

 

^^Not sure. Mine has been working ever since I replaced it one time...

 

maybe lubing up the window rails? i'm doing that tomorrow, hopefully it'll last longer

 

Vo, thanks for the writeup as I have been following for the drivers side. Replaced the motor and as of now everything works fine. Problem is, my previous owner obvious did a hack job replacing and left some of those plastic push pin things off when reinserting the plastic door panel. Any idea where I can find them and what they are technically called?

I see that they are supposed to remain attached to the door when you take it off, but simply push into the metal when reinserting.

Thanks,
Nate

 

Thanks for this write up. It's going to come in handy when I attempt to replace my window regulator.

Just curious, how much harder/easier is it to replace a window regulator? The motor seems pretty straight forward. Anyone have any experience changing out the regulator?

 

Cleaned my drivers motor as per the instructions. It now works perfect. In the process I decided to spray in some sound deadener between the door skins. We'll see if that makes it a little quieter.

Awesome write-up.

 

You can pick them up at the dealer. They sell them in little bags. I forget the quantity you must purchase them in, but I had to buy some myself after breaking a few of them. The parts department can look them up on their PC. They'll have a door diagram.

 

My window been all of sudden giving problems. sometimes it works n then it don't . Ill bang the door panel and itll work again. My question is are you guys replacing the window regulator or the wiwindow motor?
I called Nissan was told regulator is aroind $100
Window motor is $300

 

it's been around 2 years since I did the repair and my passenger window still is going strong. Thanks for the write up!

 

Once again, thanks VO for the writeup. I replaced the window motor with the one from AdvanceAuto. For those looking,

Purchase window motor and then use coupon code VISA for 50 off of 150. So I basically got the thing after tax and returned core for 141-25. $116, not a bad deal if you have to purchase the thing.

 

gerb - just doing motors here. Personally I would go for the refurbusihed one at the parts store and go to one of the stores that has the lifetime warranty. You may last longer with a new motor from the dealer but how often do you want to pay $300 on a 50/50 chance that it will fail as quickly as your original. It will happen someday!

I'm on my 3rd rebuilt in just over 1 year. Happened 2 weeks ago. I didn't wait for it to totally fail on me this time like the others. Forget that. Twice in a row it would not move until I pound on the door once with my fist so I traded it in for a new one. Nice to have a lifetime warranty. Seems this problem has no solution unless someone has come out with a better aftermarket motor.

But is it the motor or the application? Have to start researching if other frameless window vehicles that have this up/down sealing or trim clearing feature have the same problems we do. I'm guessing that it wears the same spot quickly just going up and down 1/4" everytime you use the door if you are a person that does not roll down their window often. Just guessing. I'm going to start using my window fully every day or so now and see what happens

But this time I am going to have to redo mine. The window reset worked but a week later it has lost it's memory and if I do an Auto up it hits the top and goes 1/3 of the way back down. If you use "normal" up it will stop at the top but it does not know it is at top. So when you open and close the door the 1/4" up/down does not happen. It's clearing the trim just fine but it sure it strange not to hear it go up and down. Guess I should be a responsible owner and reset it but part of me is like why At least it would be a long time until it fails!

 

Since I had a few minutes yesterday I took the door panel off and was going to quickly do the reset. The button was just hanging there flopping around in the access hole. Turns out that the whole black case around the reset button came off the motor frame! Not just the little trim around the button, the whole black piece around it about 2" diameter. If I remembered where I could host pictures I'd download an image from a parts store and circle it for you. Anyway, I really didn't have time to take the motor out yesterday so I just pushed it all back together and did the reset for now. I wonder how long until it falls apart again? Wish I had a spare motor to look at out of the car. I investigated it just a bit and grabbed a pick and went inside the door with a pick through the hole in the door just above the reset button hole and I could easily pick at the black part of the motor case and get it to come back apart easily. Got some black grease on the pick too from the back side of that cover. Looked like grease for the gears inside. Motor was still working fine but the button probably got bumped and reset the motor in the incorrect position when the case fell apart the first time. I should have stuffed some foam in there to keep it together maybe You know until it really fails again in 6-10 months!

OReilly has a good picture of both sides of the motor.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...C0/471377.oap?
I'm talking about the second picture which they say it is the back ( 3 pictures are labelled front,back, left side if you hover mouse over them).
It is silver on theirs not black like mine. Silver round piece with the black and yellow sticker on it and the reset button sticking through it. That's the cover that popped off. It felt like it was metal and pushed back on to the rest of the bigger case behind it.

 

Fell apart again over the holiday weekend, of course. What it looks like to me is a previous owner or the remanufacturer had that round cover off and when it didn't snap together firmly used some kind of RTV sealant that never cured. I cleaned it up real good and put ShoeGoo in the groove and snapped it back together. Not wanting to take the door apart until the motor failed I also backed that repair up with a wire tie around it becuase there are a couple of places that naturally hold it in place so it should do some good. Plus I stuck some 3/4" foam in between the cover and the door panel so the cover is getting slightly compressed. It's been a long time since I rigged something but it should hold.
The main reason I updated is to tell anyone that cares that there are gears inside that cover layed out like a watch. They are coupled to the main set of work gears in the main case and they follow to activate a limit switch. That is what the wires are going to that cover. The RESET button must be some kind of mechanical link to allow these gears to slip or disengage until you reach the end of travel? Not really sure since that part is hidden. Hope this doesn't happen to anyone else! If it does though make sure you get the little three legged coupler back in before you snap the cover back on. It may fall out and into the bottom of the door if your cover pops off. Won't work without it.

 

just did this job last weekend by myself after readying this thread, unfortunately my window was stuck in the down position, never the less, i was able to do this in about 45 minutes for about 130 bucks.

 

I used this guide just to get to motor reset switch. Great guide btw. I recently replaced my window with a refurbished motor, it works fine except for auto-up auto-up makes it go up all the way then it goes down about half way. I tried resetting it, but it just didn't work! I tried maybe half a hour just trying to reset it, does anyone know if thats a good chance the problem is something else?

 

Sounds like you are doing it wrong unless the motor is defective. I have had that exact same thing happen as you are describing.
I had 2 or 3 copies of the RESET procedure due to having the service manual for my 2005 and a copy for another year plus the .pdf VO posted at the beginning of the thread. HIS COPY IS THE ONLY ONE THAT WORKS FOR ME!
My copies say nothing about CLOSING THE DOOR.
Did You Close Your Door when it said to???
So go back and calmly without any frustration read it step by step and hopefully it will work out for you.
It is going back down becuase it was not reset properly and it thinks all the way up is much higher than you have it set. Good luck!