How to Put a Window Motor in a '96 Windstar

Power windows were once a high-end item, available only on the most luxurious of vehicles. As vehicles progressed through the early-2000s, power windows became a standard feature on nearly all vehicles, including entry-level economy cars. The 1996 Windstar came standard with manual windows in it base and GL trim levels, but power windows were an available option, and the LX trim level had them standard. Replacing the power window motor on the 1996 Windstar is a straightforward task, but it does involve some mild modifications to the doorframe.

Instructions

Pry around the perimeter of the door handle bezel, the plastic trim surrounding the handle you pull to open the door, to release its retaining clips. Press and hold the unlocking button on the power-mirror switch wiring harness, and pull the harness from the switch. Remove the door handle bezel from the Windstar.

Insert the blade of a flat-head screwdriver into the slot on the front of the power window and door-lock switch bezel and pry upward to disengage it. Pull the power window and door lock bezel off the door panel just enough to access the wiring harnesses on the underside of the bezel.

Remove the screws securing the wiring harnesses to the power window and door lock switches with a ratchet and socket, and pull the harnesses from their respective switches.

Unfasten the screw from behind where the power window and door lock bezel was installed, using a Phillips screwdriver. Remove the two screws on the bottom of the door panel.

Pull upward on the side-view mirror cover upward, while prying outward on the top of it to remove it from the door and door panel.

Pry around the perimeter of the door panel with a trim stick to disengage its retaining clips. Pull upward on the entire door panel to free it from the doorframe and remove it from the Windstar.

Press and hold the unlocking button on the window lift motor wiring harness, and unplug the harness from the motor.

Look on the bottom part of the doorframe and find the two dimples that line up perfectly with the lower retaining screws on the window lift motor. Drill two holes in the door panel, using the dimples as your pilots, with an electric drill and a 1/2-inch diameter metal drill bit.

Remove the three window lift motor-retaining bolts with a ratchet, socket and 6-inch extension the two lower bolts are accessible from the drilled holes and the third bolt is accessible from the existing hole in the doorframe.

Press the window lift motor away from its mounting point on the window regulator until its gear disengages from the gear on the regulator. Pull the window upward until it reaches its full-up position. Hold the window in its full-up position with a window support tool or strips of high-quality duct tape. Pull the window lift motor from inside the door.

Guide the new window lift motor into the doorframe and onto its mounting point check that the teeth on the motors gear engage the teeth on the regulators gear. Hand-tighten the three motor-to-regulator bolts, then tighten them to between 5 and 8 foot-pounds with a torque wrench, socket and 6-inch extension.

Place a 1-inch long piece of waterproof sealing tape meeting Ford specification ESB-M3G58-A over each of the drilled holes on the doorframe.

Plug the wiring harness into the receptacle on the window motor. Remove the window support tool or strips of duct tape from the window and clean the window, using glass cleaner and a clean, lint-free cloth.

Set the top part of the door panel back in place on top of the door and press the panel downward to engage it fully. Verify that the door panel clips line up with their holes in the doorframe and press the door panel toward the doorframe firmly to engage the retaining clips.

Guide the retaining clip on the top of the side-view mirror cover into its hole in the doorframe and line up the clip on the bottom of the cover with the slot in the door panel. Press the cover downward to lock it into place.

Tighten the three door panel to doorframe screws two on the bottom of the panel and one inside the cavity where the power window and door lock switch bezel goes with a Phillips screwdriver.

Plug the power window and door lock switch wiring harnesses into their respective receptacles on the switches and tighten the harness-retaining screws with a Phillips screwdriver.

Insert the rearmost retaining tab on the power window and door lock bezel into the slot in the armrest and pivot the bezel downward to align the front retaining tab with its slot in the armrest. Press downward on the bezel to lock it into place.

Reconnect the wiring harness to the rear of the power mirror switch. Align the clips on the rear of the door handle bezel with the slots on the door panel. Press the bezel toward the door panel until the clips snap into place.