How to Make Power Window Cables (picture heavy)

[ammachine390]

My window cable seized the other day, didn't really want to spend 80+ dollars from the old Jeep dealer for one replacement. A little bit of research, and I discovered that the power seat cables from 80s/90s GM products are VERY similar. Went to the junkyard today, and there were plenty Regals/Cutlasses/Impalas/Caprices to choose from. I found some from a 90s Caprice. As I took them out, they were NOT a direct replacement for our window cables like I had thought they were. I figured I could modify them to work though, so I got  2 of them, 1 that was slightly longer than our window cables, and 1 short one, just to mess around with the clips to see how I could take them apart without ruining the one I actually wanted to use.



Heres the 3 cables all next to each other. The 2 on the left are from the Chevy, the right one is the original AMC one. As you can see, the black clips are identical, however the chevy ones have the white clip which our cars don't use. Also, the actual cable sticks out farther on the AMC one, than on the chevy one. So when the chevy one plugs into the regulator, it doesn't grab, it just spins. So the cable needs to stick further out of the bracket.


So, I used a cold chisel to split the white bracket off since it was unneeded. Once that is off, you can see this little plastic nut thing. (this picture shows the green cable, as thats what I practiced this on first, same method applies to the blue cable)





The little plastic nut unscrews, turning it clockwise unscrews it. Once thats unscrewed, the cable can be pushed out of sheathing a little bit, to reveal the little plastic nut on the black bracket side. I then screwed this nut further in (turning it counterclockwise). Then I pushed the cable back into the sheathing, now the cable sticks out past the bracket the same amount as the AMC cable.



Then, I pulled the little plastic cylinder that keeps the bracket (the one that connects to the motor, and holds the motor in place in the door) off of the AMC cable. Here it is off the cable.


And next to the new cable.


I had to take off some of sheathing, so that I could screw in the plastic nut in far enough, to have enough cable stick out.

The cable is not square throughout the whole length, it becomes round. The plastic nut, had to be screwed up into where the cable is round, but it doesn't grab there, so I put it where it needs to be, and put a dab of The Right Stuff RTV to keep it from sliding down.



Then I slid the old cylinder piece onto the new cable (make sure the metal bracket goes on before the plastic cylinder), I "glued" on with some RTV around the edges, and inside.

And here is the final product. Looks pretty close to the original cable, except is blue, and is a little bit longer. The RTV doesn't hold exactly the way I wanted it to, and the cable can just slide out from the cylinder. But I don't think it will be an issue as the cable sits in pretty far, and would take a large force to come out. But if it does comes out, I can just stick it back into the motor, and then tape the cylinder to the sheathing. (Hope that made sense).



It's all back together, and the window rolls up and down great.

Hope this helps everyone who needs a cable and doesn't want to find and pay a large amount for a replacement one.

[shaggimo]

  Awesome solution to a common problem! Nice write up.

[Bird-o-Prey]

Here's and egg for a good egg idea!

[ammachine390]

Thanks guys. Hope it all made sense.

[AMC lifer]

Here's another good egg. Since my cable recently went out & my backup cable isn't working well, this just may be a solution.

[thereverendbill]

a well deserved egg to you

[AMC lifer]

Doing some checking of my own, I found that my wife's '95 Buick Lesabre has these cables. Going through the service manual, it also would be the same for Oldsmobile & Pontiac. I don't know how many years GM used these cable, maybe they still do, it opens up a much larger field to search for parts.

[darjeeling]

Are all of our window cables the same size?

[AMC lifer]

I could be mistaken, but I believe that all the window cables are the same size & interchangeable with the left or right side. This last one may come in handy if you use the driver's side most  & it is the broken one.

The Concord may have also used the same cable.

[Cliff]

OMG...You should get an award for the engineering on this. The OE refurb cables are selling at $179.00 each.
Regards, Cliff

[carnuck]

Eggcellent write up! I wonder if Eagle power seat cables are the same? (I set my seat in one position, farthest back and down it can go, then remove the switch so no-one can play with it!)

[Kippnidaho]

Hey Thanks ammachine390. I was able to find a cable from a late 80s Cadillac and customized, installed them in the Beagle.
Wahoo the drivers window is now functional
Egg to ya........

[IowaEagle]

Belated congrats.   Some of the pictures are missing.  They must have gotten lost when the site migrated over to the Den.  Do you still have them so we can get this into the AMC Eaglepedia?

-- Doug

[1985amceagle]

Smitch beat us too it way back in 2012. Here is the link to the writeup.
http://amceaglesden.com/guide/index.php?title=How_to_Make_Power_Window_Cables

[IowaEagle]

Thanks to Smitch for keeping up with stuff.