Found rattle in the door - how to tighten?

Pro
08-15-2003, 12:50 PM
I guess this is the window power motor?
The little bolt/nut (whatever it is called) is quite loose. I have no idea how to tighten it up (though I see these types of bolts all over the place). Any ideas?

Its so loose the whole bottom half of the door just shakes like crazy, even when the window is all the way up and the motor is all tight.

ftp://68.1.231.79/camaro/rattle.jpg

(sorry for lack of speed - cable upload cap = 30k sec, file is only 100K or so anyway)

kevin 2.8
08-15-2003, 02:29 PM
hmm thats a rivet.

weld it or dump a tube of super glue on it :)

maybe not

Marc 85Z28
08-15-2003, 04:49 PM
That's a rivet. And if it's loose, it's broken. Get a punch and hammer and punch out whatever is left in the center of the rivet. Then drill the rivet out. Install new rivet :)

Pro
08-16-2003, 11:04 AM
By the way, is the door panel supposed to have those huge holes in front of the rivets? Kinda looks like shadetree drill holes..

Marc 85Z28
08-16-2003, 12:20 PM
Those holes are factory, but they have been enlarged. They should have smaller diameter holes there, like elsewhere on the door. The window motor was changed at some point. That is actually common practice to enlarge the holes to access the rivets rather than to remove the entire regulator assembly. Nothing to worry about though. That could also explain why the rivet is loose.

Pro
08-17-2003, 12:56 PM
I went ahead and ripped out the rivet (used wire cutters to cut the head out, and then just pull the rest through). I replaced with a nut/bolt/washer (what was recommended at thirdgen.org, an awesome site).

It doesnt rattle as much now, but good God the window sure does when it is down (even just a little bit). So, I guess when I get off work ill figure out how to tighten that thing.

The power window motor design really is a pos. It just freaking hangs out there. Even if it is tight it just shakes back and forth.

TheGreatJ
08-17-2003, 05:08 PM
It's a very underpowered motor too. They don't tend to last long because they're really moving a lot more weight than they were intended for.