grocks

Hi all, I noticed that my driver side power window is slow to come up the last couple inches or so. With the top up, its even worse and doesnt even go up all the way (gets stuck on the weather strip with half an inch to go)! Does anyone lubricate the weather strip or have a way to maintain the window?

ace123

lube is possible and pretty cheap. i could guess, but i don't know the product to recommend, but hardware stores probably would. go get some and see if that fixes it. it's quick and easy.

I think that's probably not the issue though--does the window catch or jerk as it goes up? meaning is it getting stuck on something?
and what year / how old is your car?

my thoughts as to what / how to diagnose the problem:

first, try lube and see what happens. if it fixes it, great.

problems that could cause this symptom
1. is the window switch faulty? (probably not since it depends on where the window is, which has nothing to do with the switch)
2. is the wiring from the switch to the motor faulty? (probably not, ditto for the reason)
3. is the power / ground to the electric motor faulty? (possible)
4. is the motor is going out? (possible)
5. is there an obstruction inside the door frame? (most likely IMO)

a way to investigate these potential causes
I think your best bet is to figure out how to take the door's interior off it from a DIY and then have a look.
1. Make sure nothing is getting stuck, and try to follow the electric motor to the mechanical parts that move the window up and down and see if anything looks wrong. Move the window up and down so you can see it moving and see what moves where, how, etc. You'll probably find your problem here.
2. If not, you're stuck checking the motor and then the electronics. Check the electric motor terminals/wires/whatever for signs of corrosion or other obvious problems. If there's nothing apparent, your next step is to check electrical. You can get a voltmeter (autozone/napa) and check if the power window motor is getting the power it should get. (i'd guess it should be getting ~12V, but i don't know)
3. You've already got the voltmeter and the door apart, so check the switch and wiring and make sure it sends the same signal at the switch before the switch / after the switch / at the motor. That checks out your switch and wiring.
4. If that doesn't work, you can buy new parts and change them yourself, take it in for repair, deal with it, or get some better advice

maybe others have better ideas or experience with the issue and will chime in.

grocks

Thanks for your detailed reply ace .

I will definitely try all of your suggestions.

To answer some of your questions, it is a 2006 s2k with about 36k miles on it.

It doesnt make any jerking motions, but i do notice that it may be catching onto the rubber triangle shaped track located at the front of the window. I am certain that there is some friction happening there, as it seems to slow down as the window makes contact. The window fails, however when it reaches the rubber lining on the soft top.

I can see a small patch of wear on the rubber lining on the soft top. I dont know anyone else with a s2k so maybe this is common and unrelated?

Will definitely do some research on the best lubricant to use.

The passenger side seems to power its way through the rubber lining, so I think you may be right with there being the possibility a dying motor due to wear and tear but i havent read any threads about this happening to other s2k owners.

Ill take the door panel off and see if i can find any obstructions. Sometimes the weirdest things can fit in places youd never expect!

Will keep you posted as this info might be good for anyone else who may be experiencing this problem.