450 Window Regulator Cable

Tools And Other Items Required:

Torx drivers T15, T20, T25, T27
Drill and 7mm bit
A wooden spatula or lolly stick (to ease the window glass around the seals)
Qty 4 M6 x 12 screws, Qty 4 nuts and washers (narrow profile nuts ie locknuts won’t fit)
10mm spanner and another 10mm spanner or Allen key to secure M6 screws and nuts
Thread lock compound eg Loctite™
Grease (red vegetable grease is ideal)

Cable Replacement

Chris had to replace this window regulator, which had disintegrated. Be careful : the sound of it shattering is similar to breaking glass so unless it’s obvious, remove the door panel first to determine buying a new glass or regulator!

This is how the replacement regulator cable kit came: Plastic regulator, 2 cables and two tensioning springs. Note – LH and RH are different.

Remove the door panel.

Use a Torx 25 to remove the two window end stops. Tip – where possible, always replace the screws in the removed item – or keep the screws next to the item. You will end up with screws everywhere and you need to know what belongs to what.

Using a Torx 27 to remove these 2 screws on the regulator then slide the window up. Even if you are just changing this regulator , remove the window anyway.

Remove the side pocket netting (Torx 15) and the grab handle (Torx 20) then pop out the inside panel and slide forward and down to disengage the two retaining lugs on the rear of the panel.

You need to do this to get space behind the channel holding the window.

If you don’t, the regulator won’t have enough room to get to this position shown – the first bit of clicking it into place. The bad news? Don’t even think about just putting the 2 existing cables into the new regulator. When you try it would probably seem that the cables are about 3 inches too short! This is almost certainly due to the cables loosening on the spool and looping over themselves inside the spool cover (arrow).

Use a 7mm bit to drill out the 4 peened over lugs that hold the spool cover.

This will reveal the spool. It looks odd and offset because the spool cover also centralises the spool.

The cables run round two pulleys, this is the bottom one (it doesn’t rotate so it’s really a guide rather than a pulley).

Prise back the tab here to allow the cable to come off .

Do the same for the top one.

Slide the two new springs over the ‘spool end’ of the cable and slide them up to the ‘regulator end’ then fit in the new regulator like this. It’s a tight fit but persevere. Now dab a finger full of grease over them both. I don’t recommend greasing everywhere else yet, it will go all over you and everywhere as you refit the cables and spool!

Slide the regulator over the front of the channel like this (Note despite the photo there will be 2 cables attached).

Rotate it round and click the other side into the channel.

Route the cables over the 2 pulleys and bend the tabs back into place with just enough clearance to stop the cables popping out. Which they will if you don’t.

Unclip this little device – it tensions the cable a bit but its main role is to the keep the cable from contacting the bracket. My reasoning was to remove it to give as much cable slack as I could.

The new regulator normally comes with new cables. You might as well replace the cables, which are attached to the spool here for the lower cable (and via a similar attachment for the upper cable, the longer one.) Note how the upper cable is wound on the spool nearest the door.

Position the regulator halfway up the channel then clip the other ends of the cables into the spool and wind each round. It will be obvious how many turns are needed. Place the spool over the gearbox spline.

Because of limited clearance behind the spool cover (caused by the motor and gearbox) you have to use (short) M6 x 12 screws and standard (not locking) nuts. I also bought washers although fitting these blindly then sliding the nut across by feel might be too much for most mortals. If patience is by now depleted, leaving the washers off shouldn’t be a problem. And nobody will ever know.

Because locknuts won’t fit, I used a locking compound.

Smear the spool with grease and slide the spool cover over. Two lugs on the cover engage on to the bracket so you know it’s in place. I also used hex head screws as, with a bit of grease, it allows the screw to stick to the end of the Allen key and makes it easier to position the screw. Considering it’s a Smart Car, a Torx head screw might have been more elegant!

Slide the nuts and washers behind and tighten.

Replace the tensioner/stand off device and grease it. Now grease the cables and the channel. Switch on the ignition and test the movement (without the window).

Replace the window. Tip: When offering the window down the channels, check that it sits correctly inside each channel. As it slowly moves down, there will be a bit of shuffling/small rotating involved. As it lowers down, use the lolly stick to carefully open any errant seals (usual suspects are arrowed).

Use a Torx 27 to the attach the window to the regulator, those washers on stalks fold round to offer the washers to the outside of the window. They also tend to snap off the stalk but that’s not an issue.

Use a Torx 27 to the attach the two end stops. Now test the window.

Note: If these are forgotten, the window winds up beyond the top bit of the seal on the car. You then have to remove the door panel and fit them.

Job done.

Credits

Thanks to Chris M for sending in this information.