Annoying rattling sound inside driver door

GalletGun

Hey guys, I have had this issue before and again now, just so yall know, you have to replace your Window Regulator Unit to fix this rattle issue.

ard

figured i would follow up here since this thread helped me a lot. as GalletGun stated, it is the window regulator.

first dealer i went to said basically screw you. next dealer i went to went ahead and replaced the window regulator under warranty (they replaced the outer "frame" of the regulator, not the motor). this fixed the problem.

Thanks!

scope22

I had the same issue....but i will say that the door hasn't been quite the same since, at first door glass was off, took the car back and they fixed it but just doesn't seem right, so be warned it seems that they have to re-adjust the glass and chances are its not going to be 100% the same way as it was from factory.

BlackCherry Z

I had this work done at my local dealership and in my situation the glass was way off in positioning afterwards as well. So far off that it was distorting my window rubber seal. The 2nd attempt was good but then clips and other things were damaged & another trip was needed. I also agree that 100% same functionality may not be possible as it was assembled at the factory but mine is totally acceptable again now. OR... Maybe this techs at the dealerships just rush the jobs and just don't pay attention to detail like they should!

I did have to do a Window Reset myself later on. The glass was failing to lower very intermittently. That's been OK since the reset.

ard

Agreed. They have to reprogram the partial lower/raise that occurs when the door is opened/closed. Now mine does hit the top a little harder than it did stock


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JARblue

Need to show this thread to my dealer before my warranty runs out.

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SouthArk370Z

Would it be possible to remove the rivets (drill/chisel/grind) and replace with screwed fasteners?

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RonRizz

Tis exactly what I did.

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Crux

I thought I was going crazy when I heard this rattle. Same fix for me... crack the window.

If I attempt the foam fix, I'll post the procedure in the DIY section.

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thenamesgeoff

Did you ever attempt the foam fix and make the DIY procedure? If so, could you link to it? If anybody else sees this and knows of a DIY guide, please advise! My window regulator has the infamous rattle but my Z is out of warranty now so it's either DIY or SOL

CyFi6

I wanted to provide some input on this because even my 2017 Z with less than 10K miles started to have the infamous window rattle. I was able to narrow it down to what appears to be a device that keeps tension on the cable used to drive the window up and down. It a spring loaded device with a 2 piece toothed ratchet mechanism.

When the window is moved upward, slack is created in the cable at the tensioner location and the spring keeps tension on the cable. When the window is moved downward the ratchet engages and allows precise movement of the window without letting the spring compress.

When the window is rolled all the way up pressure is removed from the ratchet gear and since it is free floating in there its loose and starts to rattle. I think this is more pronounced as the cable stretches which may be why a new regulator doesn't rattle but not long after will start to rattle. As soon as you start to move the window back down the ratchet re-engages and the noise goes away.

I ended up removing the ratchet piece of the gear entirely to get rid of the rattle. Alternatively you might be able to pack the inside of the mechanism with a thick grease to prevent the gear from rattling. Removing the ratchet in theory would make the down movement of the window less precise since the first initial movement of the regulator motor would be used to compress the spring, but I haven't seen any noticeable difference and the window still moves down and out of the way quickly when opening the door.

Its easy to take the tensioner apart, simply compress the spring and then undo the cable from the pulley marked with the green arrow. Once the tension is relieved from the cable the tensioner will come apart and you can remove the gear piece or coat it with heavy grease.

You will of course need to remove the glass and the regulator assembly to get to this since its behind the big metal panel in the door.

Hopefully this is helpful for someone. If anyone else can figure out a better way to prevent the free floating ratchet from rattling please chime in.

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ard978

appreciate the update. i can't see removing the glass and doing all that. i've done timing belts and stuff back in the day but the rattle just isn't annoying me enough at this point.

what about putting some sort of thin solid rubber tubing in the top of the window rack (i.e. where the upper edge of the glass fits into when the window is closed)

it would prevent the window from going all the way up but would still close enough to keep water out..... thoughts?



do you have to split the 2 metal sides of the door in order to get the glass out?

halonut

has anybody else tried this? and did it work? sounds like it is probably the cause & a good fix but I'd like to know if has worked for others.

Thanks!

halonut

I've got the infamous window rattle at fully closed & also have the equally infamous door (driver) that won't stay open. I have a new door stay on order & am pretty sure that I have to remove the regulator panel to get access to replace the stay...can anyone confirm? obviously I'd like to take care of both issues at the same time.

Thanks!

CyFi6

The glass is not that hard to get out. There is a bolt that goes through the rear bottom of the glass and then a clamp that you loosen on the front bottom of the glass, then it slides out. Its easier if you remove the felt strip on the inside side of the top of the door since it will leave a bigger gap for the window to come out. The felt piece is just pressed into place.

If you dont want to take the window out you can reach into the speaker opening of the door after taking the speaker mount out and feel for the plastic tensioner piece. I think if you wedged a firm block of foam between it and the metal panel it would probably get rid of the noise. You will need some skinny arms though.

I wouldn't put anything at the top since if you dont let the window close all the way you might damage the regulator and it wont seal the rain out.