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Tailgate window finally quit.

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Old Oct 27, 2009 | 10:40 AM
  #1  
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Tailgate window finally quit.

Yes, it finally happened to me. So before you groan and ask me to search this VERY popular issue here is my Plan "A".

Yes, the motor works both ways and the glass moves with my hand assisting. Yes, there was a popping noise when trying to lower. Yes, I bought the Help! "Window regulator plug kit".

Thanks to steve83 pictures 1983 Ford Bronco Tailgate Tech picture | SuperMotors.net
here is my plan...please correct me if I am wrong.

Work with tailgate down, window up only enough to reach three bolts to remove motor/gear. Do not remove arms register assy. With motor gear assy out remove seal cover.If seal cover over the gears is riveted, drill them out and use bolts.
Clean all well. Install new parts. Grease only the worm gear and the gear teeth with wheel bearing grease, not the three new plastic cylinders. Should they be greased?

Lube glass channels with Dry Lube spray.

Question...What is best product to lube the register arm slide attached to the bottom of the glass and also the register arm gear teeth? Thank you for suggestions.
 
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 12:49 AM
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Sounds like you are on the right track... no pun intended (well maybe a little one). No need to lube the Delrin pins unless you need it to get them to squish into place but then only lightly (petroleum vitrifies this type of plastic).

As for the lube on the regulator and the slide across the bottom of the glass, I removed all of the sticky, gummy OEM grease when I re-did mine and used "lamp-house lube" which is unfortunately no longer available and if it was, would be insanely expensive to buy. However, I have had great success in "manufacturing" small quantities of it by adding about a tablespoon of powdered graphite to a 3oz. bottle of 3-in-1 general purpose oil. You will need to mix it thoroughly and use it sparingly as it will run and drip if applied too heavily. However, what happens with this mixture gives you the ability to get the parts lubricated immediately so you can put the tailgate back together. But, as time wears on, there won't be enough oil left to gather dirt and get sticky but as it dries out the graphite is left behind effectively keeping the parts lubricated long after the oil is useless. This also keeps you from having to dig into the tailgate with any great frequency to keep things moving smoothly. Whatever portion of it you don't use can be stored indefinitely but will need to be mixed again as the graphite WILL settle out of the oil in time.

(Lamp-house lube is an old product developed by manufacturers of motion picture projectors and spotlights that required some sort of lubrication for moving parts inside the lamp-houses of these devices that created their light via carbon rod and electrical arc. It's application was intended for high temp areas but using the oils as a "carrier" for the graphite also serves to get it into crevices that typical graphite application methods won't accomplish.)
 
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 05:04 AM
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Thank you Sir. I appreciate you taking the time to keep me on track. BTW your link is dead to more tailgate infomation in your FAQs. The link above to steve83's goes to the gear motor area but, he has tons of other information in that "Tailgate Tech" gallery.
 
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Old Oct 28, 2009 | 01:38 PM
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Yeah, I have been meaning to get in touch with him and see if he will let me link to his page from the FAQ's. Just been stupid busy of late.
 
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Old Nov 1, 2009 | 06:51 PM
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Rear window goes up and down now.

Done. Window goes up. Window goes down. Took about five hours with my paws in a snug spot and bent over from the sides of the tailgate. I found only about 20% of the original little rollers intact. Glass had to go all the way up (out backwards) so I supported it.

The only real difficulty was reinstalling the motor/gears. A 3/4 X 3/4 board between it and the outer skin allowed me to start the three bolts. Then the wire holder would not shove back into the bottom of the tailgate. A big blob of Shoe Goo solved that.

Painters blue masking tape was easily removable around the vapor barrier. I used it several years ago when I solved the torsion bar not connected issue.
 
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Old Nov 1, 2009 | 08:01 PM
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Fabulous, glad to hear you got it back together.

I discovered that I still have an old tailgate sitting here. Thinking maybe I should get the camera out and put together a detailed photographic walk through the internal workings of this thing. Perhaps it would be a beneficial addition to the FAQ's.
 
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