Thats a very good general step by step way to fix it. I did the rear door on my 05 Supercrew. I didn't have to remove my speaker grille though, the door panel came off in one piece. Then I had to remove the speaker and the insulation. I should of taken pictures when I did mine, but once you get started you will find that it is very easy. Just take your time so you don't break any of the plastic parts on the door panels themselves. Once I got the door panel off I held my window up with a small clamp then when I put the new regulator in I didn't tighten the two clamps holding the window right away. I left them loose and slowly rolled the window up all the way so the window would align in the track and not bind up. Once it was all the way up I proceeded to tighten the two clamps holding the window in place. Then just put everything back together in the reverse order made sure it worked properly then installed the door panel.

 

I checked Autozone and they don't sell them for my truck yet. I already bought one at the dealership and replaced it. I hope someone starts manufacturing them aftermarket because at the rate in which they fail this could get very pricey.

 

I guess I should have clarified my post. These instructions were for the front doors. I have never been inside the rear door, but as you say I am sure they are very similar. In the front door the speaker must be removed before the panel, which is great if you are just replacing speakers.

If you use a clamp of some sort make sure it's padded somehow. I know that's sounds elementary but you would be suprised at how many people put pliers and whatever else they can find on glass

 

Thanks a million guys for the step by step instructs. We, backyard mechanics, really appreciate input from those who have actually attempted to save a buck and do it themselves. That's what I love about this site.

 

The regulators at Autozone will not be available until the begining of November.

 

I think this should be considered a recall item on Fords part. My truck is only 2 1/2 yrs old and I am on my third window regulator. The guy at the dealership said he does at least ten a day. This should say something about the quality of the parts they used inside the door to control the window. These regulators are junk if you ask me. I'm sure plenty of folks having this same problem would agree. I'm just glad I didn't make the mistake of paying the dealership to fix it for me this last time. I wonder if Ford would reimberse me? I could of been driving on the highway in the middle of nowhere with my small children in the back seat in bad weather and the window could of came crashing down. This is a worse case scenario but it could happen. I know I will be carrying the tools to temporarily fix it at all times now though. What do you guys know about getting recalls started?

 

I just had a loud pop from my drivers' side window, and then it dropped to the bottom. I contacted my local dealership, who advised me that they were a small dealership and don't stock a lot of parts. He further stated that he had 3 regulators on hand and had a standing order for more. This is a known issue with dealerships, and safety/security problem. I don't like the idea of having to replace them almost on a regular basis. Does anybody know what Ford's position is on this?

 

Yeah! Facing the other way!

 

My drivers side front window regulator just went out last week. As mentioned previously, there was a grinding noise for a couple days prior to mine going out. My window didn't drop....but the cables came off the pulley and jammed up. I took the window regulator out and rerouted the cables....just to have it fail after a couple cycles of the window. So just replace your window regulator if your having issues.
Mine was $148 at my local ford dealer. I installed it myself. Not hard to do.
I thought the design was a bit on the cheesy side.

 

In my opinion they will not issue a recall unless it's a safety issue. Case in point the body prior to the 04 was plagued with water leaks in the rear sliding window. The plastic frame would actually crack and allow the water in. To my knowledge Ford never did anything about this either.

 

Okay, I'm confused I guess but what does "window regulator going out" mean? I've had FSB motors eat up the three plastic pins ,if you will ,which is a 3$ replacement. What is breaking or displacing or happening when the "regulator gives out?" IMHO crap like that should NEVER happen to a Ford- lol

 

When you use the term regulator, they are referring to the whole assembly. In older vehicles it was pie shaped with gears along the outer edge, driven by a motor or a hand crank. Our's is a motor with 2 runners & cables. On the end of motor there is what I call a plastic clutch kind of thing. It's designed (I THINK) so if like a kid has their head out the window the clutch will slip before it hurts or kills the kid. The problem is the clutch breaks. When my 04 broke about 1 1/2 years ago. I hadn't heard of FTE yet. At the time I thought if it saves one kid, it's worth all the aggravation. As it turns out, I just had wishful thinking. It's a piece of junk. Now you need to tell me what IMHO means. Everybody uses all these abbreviations more times than not, I don't have clue.

 

LOL
http://netforbeginners.about.com/cs/netiquette101/a/abbreviations.htm

 

IMHO the reason for the part failure is simple the construction of the part. The regulators used by Ford and most all manufacturers today is simply all plastic. You have a metal "brace" if you will with a plastic pulley at each end. Around these pulleys is a cable under considerable tension. Attached to the cable (via plastic parts) is a runner that slides along the "brace" this runner is attached directly to the glass. The drive end of the cable is simple wound around a (you guessed it) plastic spool which is driven by the electric motor. At each end of the cable housing against the pulley there is a device with a spring attached to absorb the shock when it reaches the extreme up or down position. If any of these parts break the cable looses all tension, comes off the drive spool and gets all tangeled up as you attempt to still run it up and down. As you have seen here none of the parts are serviceable and must be replaced as a unit. yes it is aggrevating for those of you that have the problem but look on the bright side...at least the part is available without the motor. That would add right much more money to the deal.
A suggestion that may help some...try not to hold the button after the window has stopped traveling. I have seen people let the window reach the top then hold the switch for a few more seconds or even release it and push it again a couple of times. Also maybe not use the express down as often. When you use this the relay will keep the motor in the down position for about 5 sec. or so after it reaches bottom. All these things can cause excess stress on parts that are already at their limits.

 

Well guys I had a fourth one go out on my truck and I have had it with this. I contacted Ford directly and the dealership and the dealership was a lot more helpful than the folks at Ford. They said they use a special program for situations like this to help good customers that are out of warranty. They fixed my fourth regulator for $35. A lot better than $130. They told me that they hope they don't see me anymore for this problem...I hope they are right but I doubt it.