Repair: Driver's LF side power window; 2000 Sonata

Hello after a long absence.

I was driving with the window closed. I heard a loud "snap," after
which, I could lower the window, but not raise it. I want to fix
whatever broke, and of course, take care of whatever caused so much
stress that the part snapped. I can hear the motor trying to work, so I
think that the motor's OK. There's been no sign of glass mis-alignment
or excess play. I've never gotten into the door before.

I've downloaded the pages off the Hyundai site, but haven't found any
instructions. So, I'd appreciate any help that'll make it possible for
me to get into the job with a minimum of "gotchas." Here goes:

1. I need a sequence, beginning with removing the inner door panel. What
tools do I need, what do I need to be careful of so I don't break anything?

2. After I get the inside panel off, how should I proceed to go at the
window winding mechanism?

2. Do I need to stock up on any one-use fasteners? How many? Any good
substitutes?

3. Is this failure common? If so, what part usually breaks? What's the
cause? Any other parts recommended to change while I have the door
opened up?

4. Anything else that I need to know before starting the job?

-------------------------------------------
My ISP offers two different newsgroup feeds, but currency and latency
have been strange for this NG. There may be an earlier post that answers
my questions, but I haven't found it.

Thanks very much, people.

Richard

 

From your description it sounds like a broken cable to raise your
window. Although not familiar with your application I just replaced one
on my Oldsmobile so although some things may be different here goes

1 You will need to remove door handle, armrest, lock and anything else
on the interior side of the door panel. Usually a philips head screw
driver is all you will need for this. Once these items are removed most
panels are held in place by plastic push pins that may or may not be
reusable. These are easily pulled from the door using a "panel removal"
tool that enables you to get between the panel and the door frame and
position it to apply force directly to the head of the pin and pop it
out. With care and patience these should be removed at which point the
panel may just slide up out of the window opening and be removed. There
is probably a plastic sheet to seal against dust and moisture that needs
to be carefully peeled off.
2 Once removed you will see some bolts that hold the regulator and
motor to the door frame. Remove the bolts - you may need to prop the
window at some degree of openness to remove the tension, unplug
electrical connections and work the regulator and motor out of the door.
3 Often the pin fasteners are not reusable but there seem to be a
variety of styles making it difficult to stock up in advance.
4 Don't know about commonality but when replacing my cable I just
ordered a regulator with motor as it was only about $20 more and since I
had the door panel off anyways ...
5 When reassembling make sure that the window is properly seated in the
track. Prior to putting the door panel back in place I hook up the
electric and operate the window to insure that everything is working
properly. This job is normally about an hour or so and it may be worth
your while to call several auto glass shops and see what their estimates
are. Although not too difficult this can be a patience trying procedure
- particularly if you have difficulties finding/removing the panel pins.

Good luck and I'm sure that there will be more helpful advice forthcoming.

Richard Steinfeld wrote:
> Repair: Driver's LF side power window; 2000 Sonata
>
> Hello after a long absence.
>
> I was driving with the window closed. I heard a loud "snap," after
> which, I could lower the window, but not raise it. I want to fix
> whatever broke, and of course, take care of whatever caused so much
> stress that the part snapped. I can hear the motor trying to work, so I
> think that the motor's OK. There's been no sign of glass mis-alignment
> or excess play. I've never gotten into the door before.
>
> I've downloaded the pages off the Hyundai site, but haven't found any
> instructions. So, I'd appreciate any help that'll make it possible for
> me to get into the job with a minimum of "gotchas." Here goes:
>
> 1. I need a sequence, beginning with removing the inner door panel. What
> tools do I need, what do I need to be careful of so I don't break anything?
>
> 2. After I get the inside panel off, how should I proceed to go at the
> window winding mechanism?
>
> 2. Do I need to stock up on any one-use fasteners? How many? Any good
> substitutes?
>
> 3. Is this failure common? If so, what part usually breaks? What's the
> cause? Any other parts recommended to change while I have the door
> opened up?
>
> 4. Anything else that I need to know before starting the job?
>
> -------------------------------------------
> My ISP offers two different newsgroup feeds, but currency and latency
> have been strange for this NG. There may be an earlier post that answers
> my questions, but I haven't found it.
>
> Thanks very much, people.
>
> Richard

 

Welcome back, Richard.

What you've experienced is a common problem on 1999-2002 Sonatas. The
issue is that the upper roller assembly on the window regulator breaks.
In your case, I can tell from the description that the cable is now
tangled around, so you'll need to replace the entire regulator.

There's an excellent TSB at hmaservice regarding this repair. It's number
02-80-001 in the body section. It has numerous pictures and good
descriptions, and even lists the part numbers (although I believe they may
have superseded again).

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hyundaitech wrote:
> Welcome back, Richard.
>
Nice to see you again, too.
I've been busy writing about phono cartridges on a turntable BBS.

I'm going to check out your ref. tonight. & reply if something's left
out. I'm happy to report that the parts woman at my closest Hyundai
dealership (Hilltop, Richmond, California) is a crackerjack; former
mechanic -- like yourself, she knows her stuff: a wonderful resource person.

Thanks. HT: you make this NG!

Richard

 

Reporting back!

hyundaitech wrote:
> Welcome back, Richard.
>
> What you've experienced is a common problem on 1999-2002 Sonatas. The
> issue is that the upper roller assembly on the window regulator breaks.
> In your case, I can tell from the description that the cable is now
> tangled around, so you'll need to replace the entire regulator.
>

Bingo!
Precisely what I found inside the door.

> There's an excellent TSB at hmaservice regarding this repair. It's number
> 02-80-001 in the body section. It has numerous pictures and good
> descriptions, and even lists the part numbers (although I believe they may
> have superseded again).

Yes. It was a great help. Let me add a few importnat fine points for
anyone who wants to attempt this project, and hasn't ever been inside
the front door before:

The TSB isn't perfect: leaves out critical information, such as:
- Which side of the door do you remove the glass from (answser: outside).
- Clear photo showing which position the switch pod bracket is fastened
in (the position that looks wrong) -- the fastening screw goes into a
recess channel.
- How to remove the two pairs of plastic grommets and tiny caps at the
door edge without breaking them in frustration (cost .89 for each tiny
part = $3.58).
- How to safely remove the cover over the screw that holds the trim cup
around the door handle.
- How to safely remove the little side defroster duct cap from the trim
panel (in fact, is it neccessary to remove this part at all?).
- There is no illustration in the bulletin that shows the position of
the window regulator assembly -- how it sits inside the door. This
important missing illustration can be seen in other topics regarding the
window (and/or the door).
- There is no description or clear picture showing how to remove and
replace the assembly through the door hole.

The actual part that breaks is the nylon upper holder. It was unclear
whether this part is still available individually, but the repair seems
definitely easier and more predictable if the entire assembly is
replaced. I was frustrated to see how this part broke; I felt that it
should be made of steel so that it could withstand the stress that it's
under. We re-connected the switches to test movement a couple of times
during the re-assembly, and I checked the movement beforehand. I felt
that the entire assembly, especially when everything is back together
inside the door, including the glass, is simply not strong enough and
that the motor has to work against too much friction.

The same piece on the replacement assembly is the same, which means that
it may break again in another 110,000 miles (yeah: ha ha).

On the positive side, the part breaks so often that my dealer keeps the
assembly in stock. I thought that the price for the assembly was
reasonable at $58. And everything else that I found seemed well designed
and adequate.

Well, it's a case of "could do better" engineering. Nonetheless, working
inside the door of my Ford Aerostar was much more difficult, and the
rusted out lock motors were insane. Bottom line: That was my first and
last Ford product; I would buy another Hyundai.

That's it.

Richard

 

"Richard Steinfeld" <rgsteinBUTREMOVETHIS@sonicANDTHISTOO.net> wrote in
message
> The actual part that breaks is the nylon upper holder. It was unclear
> whether this part is still available individually, but the repair seems
> definitely easier and more predictable if the entire assembly is replaced.
> I was frustrated to see how this part broke; I felt that it should be made
> of steel so that it could withstand the stress that it's under.

This is an industry wide problem from what I've seen. On my GM cars, three
of eight doors had the lifts fail. All were rear windows so I chose to prop
them up with wood and just never open them again.

 

I believe the "upper holder," while still made of plastic, has been
strengthened and has two retaining tabs to prevent the cracking the
ultimately led to the failure of the regulator.

I haven't put one of the holders on a regulator in quite a while, but I
assume they're still available. The replacement upper holders were indeed
beefed up a little as compared to the older ones. My presumption is that
Hyundai found that they were paying a lot of money in regulator
replacements, so they engineered a fix that had a much lower parts cost.

On the other hand, at $58 a regulator, I'd recommend the whole regulator
to a do-it-yourselfer and to a paying customer. A $50 savings (or less if
the customer is paying labor as well) to reinstall the old regulator seems
silly.

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