Well now there's your problem....

[Fla02LS]

I just finished an exhausting swap of the infamous front window regulator. The whole thing took about 3 hours and only one bloody finger, also taking into account the nasty Florida heat and humidity and plenty of water breaks. At one point i was like a leaky faucet with water just dripping off my head. F all ya'll who said you did it in 45 minutes. No way you did it in that time on your first try, i may be able to pull off 45 min on my second go around, but its a back breaking task. Anyway, i got as much info as possible before starting the job including helpful info from Joegr, and still there are little trial and error things and unexpected problems. I feel confident that i could help answer any questions from future members needing to do this repair. Window now goes up and down smooth as showroom new. Decided to get the part from my local dealer, $115. I may have been able to shop around and get a better price but i needed it today and wanted genuine Ford OEM parts. Below are some pics of the carnage.

Multiple broken plastic pieces


The cable got destroyed, no wonder the window wouldn't budge.

 

[Mechanicboy]

I'll be tackling this soon. Did you hold up the window with some tape(this has been suggested to me as it will be my first time doing a window regulator but not my last as I know of two other cars I'll be doing them on soon too)?

 

[Fla02LS]

I'll be tackling this soon. Did you hold up the window with some tape(this has been suggested to me as it will be my first time doing a window regulator but not my last as I know of two other cars I'll be doing them on soon too)?

I did keep the window up with a couple pieces of duct tape. The regulator was stuck in a position that i had to remove the speaker to access the right side window clamp bolt. The left side has plenty of access but the right side is somewhat hidden. There are a handful of things that can make the job real easy or downright impossible.

One tip i can offer is to mark the window glass around the stock clamp before you remove it. There is alot of play with the window once it becomes detached from the clamps. The markings help make sure you line up the glass with the clamps on the new regulator when you go to secure it. Another thing that isnt mentioned in most write-ups or the manual is that the cable going from the interior door handle to the lock mechanism needs to be unhooked before you can remove the interior assembly. The new regulator is alot easier to replace if you have the entire interior assembly removed from the door and laying on the ground. Also the position of the regulator when new doesnt allow access to the window clamp bolts when secured back to the interior assembly. I had to re-attach all the wiring from the door panel to allow the regulator to move to the fully closed position, which then allows access to the window clamp bolts. Little things like this help make the job easier.

 

[Rodewaryer]

OMG! I already have a vehicle where the regulators are a seriously weakness(Land Rover Discovery), now you're telling me they're weak on the LS? Please tell me it isn't so....I have no indications on my garaged '05 that mine are having any issues. I've already done 4 of them on my Discovery and have had quite enough.

 

[joegr]

OMG! I already have a vehicle where the regulators are a seriously weakness(Land Rover Discovery), now you're telling me they're weak on the LS? Please tell me it isn't so....I have no indications on my garaged '05 that mine are having any issues. I've already done 4 of them on my Discovery and have had quite enough.

They're weak, but not as bad as a mid 90s Grand Marquis for example. So far, no issues with my 06 at 80+K miles. I had one to fail on my 04, I think it's at about 150K miles.

 

[LS4me]

OMG! I already have a vehicle where the regulators are a seriously weakness(Land Rover Discovery), now you're telling me they're weak on the LS? Please tell me it isn't so....I have no indications on my garaged '05 that mine are having any issues. I've already done 4 of them on my Discovery and have had quite enough.

It's mainly a problem for high-heat areas, like the southern tier. A rear rear regulator failed on my '00 years ago, but has been fine since. I also seem to remember regular use helps as the plastic pieces aren't under tension when the window is down.