Electric Windows Configuration.

[007]

If you look at replacement Jeep Wrangler window regulators on RockAuto there isn't much difference in price or the design of manual or power window with motor regulators. Power window regulators are quite cheap for many cars. The switches and wiring might cost more when producing a car.

 

[tubes]

Now that I think about it, the crank is as bad as a barnacle.

I have some vague memory of one of my past cars having a habit of the crank hitting the side of my knee when I closed it.

Maybe I've romanticized my memories of the crank windows.

 

[P. Regent]

I must have missed part of the discussion. Is there some reason why the common aftermarket kits won't work? Like

 

[Skippy]

Well, I’m willing to host, but you are on your own for transportation.

Can I get another excuse for a vacation to Hawaii? I don't need one, I'm just asking. 😉

 

[sodamo]

Can I get another excuse for a vacation to Hawaii? I don't need one, I'm just asking. 😉

Sounds like a good one to me.
BTW, SIL lives in Mesa. Las Sendas

 

[Skippy]

Sounds like a good one to me.
BTW, SIL lives in Mesa. Las Sendas

About a 15-20 minute drive from mi casa!

 

[kvermeer]

I must have missed part of the discussion. Is there some reason why the common aftermarket kits won't work? Like

They'll work, they just won't pass modern window regulator or door impact safety standards. Someone could get hurt if they're leaning or reaching through the window opening with their neck or finger and you close the window on them, and if you get T-boned then your knee will impact the window motor at high speed.

Of course, that's true of basically every window regulator prior to about 20 years ago, but this isn't a 20-year-old used car like most of us are accustomed to. My old 80s Jeep with the "clear" zip-up vinyl windows and vinyl-and-steel soft doors would like to have a word with those standards, but they are a thing that Slate has to contend with 40+ years later.

 

[9TADAZE]

Now that I think about it, the crank is as bad as a barnacle.

I have some vague memory of one of my past cars having a habit of the crank hitting the side of my knee when I closed it.

Maybe I've romanticized my memories of the crank windows.

Remove the C-clip and re-clock it. It annoyed me greatly when it wasn't symmetrical side to side lol. The great old days!

 

[P. Regent]

They'll work, they just won't pass modern window regulator or door impact safety standards.

I was curious about this so I asked ChatGPT about the regs. This was the response:
"
1. Power windows generally may close only in limited conditions

Under FMVSS 118, a power window may be closed only in certain circumstances, including when the ignition/key system is in ON, START, or ACCESSORY, by unassisted manual force, by continuous exterior key/lock activation, by close-range continuous remote activation, or during the short retained-accessory period after key-off before a front door is opened.


So a simple aftermarket kit wired to work any time, regardless of ignition state, could create a compliance problem.

2. Anti-pinch / auto-reversal is required only in some cases

FMVSS 118 does not say every power window must have anti-pinch in all cases. But if the window can be closed in ways outside the permitted S4 operating conditions, then it must meet the automatic reversal requirements in S5.

...

the closing action generally must be a pull-to-close motion: pull up if mounted on a horizontal surface, pull out if mounted vertically, etc.


That is why modern cars usually have rocker switches you pull up to close, not flat pushbuttons that close when pressed downward. A cheap universal kit with generic pushbuttons may be the biggest red flag.

....

NHTSA has said the make-inoperative rule generally does not apply to owners modifying their own vehicles, though it urges owners not to degrade safety.


I checked, and the cheap kits I saw do have basic rocker switches, but separate pull to close switches are readily available as well. The motors themselves are designed to be mounted inside the door, so I don't think impact safety is an issue; it's more a question of whether there's a usable open space to mount it it.

I think this would be a fairly easy owner installed option. I wouldn't wire it direct in any event; I'd have to think about whether I felt the rocker switches were actually a danger in my situation or not. I'd even consider mounting the switch directly above the existing handle crank hole and jury rigging an extension so I could plug a handle in and crank manually if needed.

Hmmm.

 

[sodamo]

I have a feeling this will become a well researched project once Slates are in hand.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I have a feeling this will become a well researched project once Slates are in hand.

Well damn, Slate could save us the effort by offering one…just sayin

 

[Luxrage]

Having, very briefly, looked into this upgrade for my Geo, a truck that wasn't designed from Suzuki to have power windows, I can't imagine it'll take up too much space. They actually do a really good job packaging the power windows into a fully flat door-card as a dealer-addon.

How did they add power windows? A simple pod that hid the motor with the switches stuck on:

Exactly what Slate needs to do.

In a bit of irony whenever I try looking for the Tracker/Sidekick power window stuff one of the few pictures available is from a post of mine here:

 

[sodamo]

Well damn, Slate could save us the effort by offering one…just sayin

You always look for the easy way????? 😄

 

[FlyHappy]

Remove the C-clip and re-clock it. It annoyed me greatly when it wasn't symmetrical side to side lol. The great old days!

"re-clock" ! so that's what it's called!

 

[Doctors Do Little]

You always look for the easy way????? 😄

Yup…life’s short, and some things are worth noodling around and doing yourself (building furniture) and some things aren’t (buying IKEA if you are a college student or new grad).