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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the front window regulator or the mechanism that makes the window go up and down. This is a 2006 Nissan Sentra. The procedure is basically the same for 2000 to 2006, although some years removing the door panel may be a little different. We do this on the driver side, but the passenger side is pretty much the same procedure. You'll need a flat blade screwdriver, a Phillips screwdriver, a 10mm wrench or a socket, ratchet, socket extension, and also a putty knife to help you get off the water and sound insulation from the door.
You're actually going to take this panel and lift up. You have to get your fingers underneath, and underneath back in here, and lift up firmly. It comes right out. Then this lifts up firmly as well. Then right back here, there's a little tab on your harness. Push that in and disconnect this switch harness.
Now, right in behind here, there are two either they're 10mm bolts or you can use a Phillips screwdriver (although usually using a socket and ratchet is a little easier) screws you have to press quite hard to get them going. Then those come out. There's another small clip right up in here, it's a Phillips screw. You put your screwdriver in there and lightly turn it. You may have to reach in behind with your fingernail or a flat blade screwdriver and try to pry that out because it doesn't always come right out. There's also another Phillips screw right down here on the bottom of the door panel. Remove that screw.
Now take your small screwdriver and carefully pry out this bezel around this door handle. Now pull around this door panel and pull it up and off. Next up, you want to carefully remove your water shield. I'm actually using a putty knife because it's stuck on with some Butyl style adhesive bead. Just be careful because you don't want to rip this water shield. It's both a water shield as well as some sound insulation. You just have to work at it and go around the edges, and even though I am doing it in fast motion here, you do want to do it carefully.
Now, inside your regulator is actually a cable activated regulator, and usually what happens is you hear a popping noise and then you can hear the motor running and some crunching and grinding, but your window doesn't move anywhere. Usually, actually, if you grab onto your window you can move it up and down by hand. What you want to do is either move it up and down, or have a helper move it until you can see the bolts. We'll go back here.
Here are the bolts that hold the regulator to the window. You want to be able to see them through these two holes. Then we're going to take them off. It's a 10mm socket with a ratchet and extension. Fast-forward here again as I finish removing both those bolts. Once you have that unbolted, you can lift your window right up, bring it back and forward a little bit, and it just comes right up and out.
Now, to remove the regulator motor, first you want to unplug the motor. The connector is right here. You just press down right here and pull. Then there are three bolts that hold the motor: one, two, and three. Two bolts at the top, and you can just loosen that bolt and then it slides out through that hole. Then there are two bolts at the bottom as well. I'm going to speed up here as I just use my 10mm socket with the ratchet and extension to remove those bolts. There are two of them that you just loosen, and then you slide the regulator over or the motor up and then pull the bolts right through the enlarged holes.
Now reach behind and slide this back and this rail out. You can reach right in here, pick your motor up, then bring your regulator and your motor out through here. Here's my original. You can still see it's in good shape so I am going to reinstall it. The new one from 1A Auto is going to go in there, it's got all the same mounting points. The only difference is that it has a pigtail. Just bring the pigtail out and connect it. Just a slight difference, but it's going to bolt in there exactly the same way as the original.
To reinstall it, you want to make sure you have this bolt right up here, installed, and put the regulator and motor in the door. You reach in through here, kind of pull the motor up a little bit, put the regulator up, and hang that bolt up right there. Then bring your motor over and hang. It's got two teeth right there that you hang up, and then you can just start all your bolts right back in. We'll use some fast-forward again here as I just thread all of the bolts into both the motor bracket as well as the rail and then use my 10mm socket and ratchet to tighten those bolts up.
Once you've tightened them all up, you can just plug this right back in. As I said, you want to replace it. You'll probably pull the harness through, loop it around, and then just connect it right out here. Then you just want to take your window, put the front down in first, and then what I'm doing I'm looking at the front, making sure the front goes into the track there. Then looking down inside, making sure the back goes into the track properly, making sure it slides up and down easily, and then let it down and it contacts the regulator.
Then right down here, you just kind of move your window around a little bit. It's easiest if you put the bolt right into your socket and then just feed it through and in. You may need to lift up on the window just a little bit to get it started. Fast-forward again here as we install those two bolts that hold the window to the regulator. If you like, you can plug your power window switch back in, turn your key on, and test the window motor. After that, carefully put your water shield back on. What I like to do is line up the two holes in the middle where the screws go through the door panel, and secure the door panel. That way you know those are lined up. Then just stick the rest of it on around the edges.
We're going to install the door panel pretty easy. Just make sure that your harness comes through, door panel up, and make sure it comes down all the way like that. Then your clips should line up, and you just need to hit on it a couple of times. This one down here, I just kind of lift up a little bit. Put these two Phillips bolts back in. This little plastic one just pushes right into place. Screw underneath goes right into place. This goes on, just pushes in to lock it in place. Reconnect your power window switch, put the front down in first, and then lock the back into place. Then put this right into place and press down and on.
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