how to remove window crank

[rgierer]

the car- 2000 sL1 with manual windows

the task- rewire front drivers door speaker

the barrier- dont know how to remove window crank

please provide instructions

[OldNuc]

How-To Library, take the forum jump at the bottom of this page Once there look in the richpin DIY video listing for the how to. You can remove the clip with a light towel, sometimes but the real tool is cheap and works.

[rgierer]

found it
thanks

[velleguy73]

I have some dentist picks that I used to yank that clip out.

[Simon Jester]

(sorry to poke an old thread, but it's applicable)

Does anyone have specs on that clip removal tool? I have some sheet alum. and some snips, but It'd be nice to have the dimensions rather than doing it seat-of-the-pants style. It doesn't want to be wiggle out by a rag, and I hate the thought of paying for a tool that's exclusively for removing a GM window crank.

Thanks!

[Simon Jester]

Never mind... got the clip off with an awesome little probe tool I had sitting around. Now to figure out where the damn thing landed... fml.

[OldNuc]

That is why you use the special tool. It captures the clip so it does not fly away. When the clip is pried off of the crank then it immediately enters a parallel universe. They sell them at the parts store though.

[fetchitfido]

After years of screwing around with a couple of flat tip screw drivers to get the evil clip out I found the towel/rag trick to be awesome. If you get it wrapped around the clip it catches it so you can find it again too.

[madpogue]

When I had a '72 Nova (shows you how long GM has kept this infuriating design around), I took a steel barbecue skewer -- they're very stiff steel -- and bent the last 1/8" or so of it 90 degrees. Did the job perfectly, without sending the clip into the twilight zone.

Still, all this trouble just because GM has some inexplicable aversion to an exposed screw head on the crank axle. All the Chrysler products had a simple phillips or allen head screw; IIRC, my wife's old Ford pickup did too. I don't see (at least not for this reason) millions of Ford/Chrysler owners scarred for life for having to witness the extreme eyesore of a visible screw head...

[Simon Jester]

I found the clip, luckily it flew onto the floorboard!

My '85 Skylark had the same ****, but my uncle saved all the oddball tools it needed and gave them to me with the car, among them was the window crank tool. I still have it, but it's miles away right now. I'd WAY rather just have a goddamn screw... It's a car, it's not like I'm surprised to see that parts actually have to be fastened somehow.

Thanks, GM!

[OldNuc]

GM has used that exact same system for a very long time. From before WW-2 for sure.

[ultravioletnk]

this is an old thread, but i feel i have a worthy necrobump...

i was confronted with this problem today while disassembling my recently purchased parts car. i read through this thread and decided that a paint can tool would be absolutely perfect for the task. sure enough, it worked perfectly with almost no effort on the first try!

if you're not sure what i'm referring to, here's an image for reference:


the truly excellent thing about this particular tool is that they're available for a whopping $0.00 at your local home depot (and probably many other hardware stores) in the paint section! i've even grabbed a few at once before and none of the employees had the slightest issue.

so if you don't feel like spending a dime, sacrificing a skewer, or tugging at your window cranks with a rag, know that you have yet another completely free option.

[OldNuc]

There is an official tool for removing that clip that works if you happen to have one.

[ultravioletnk]

Originally Posted by OldNuc

There is an official tool for removing that clip that works if you happen to have one.

i did read that several times in the thread above... and i looked up that tool, which appears to push the clip out from the open end. but in my opinion, the tool is incredibly overpriced, and the free paint can tool accomplishes the exact same thing, just by pulling from the other side instead.

my point is, i don't like spending money on tools that i can get for free, and the paint can tool works amazingly well... i just used it to replace phoebe's driver seat window crank and it worked with minimal effort that time as well!

this is one case where i actively recommend that you just get a paint can tool instead of wasting money on a proprietary piece of stamped metal that does exactly the same thing in a slightly different way.

[SL Racer]

Originally Posted by OldNuc

There is an official tool for removing that clip that works if you happen to have one.

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say he already knew that, since he bumped a 5 year old thread, probably searching the forums for a solution in the first place.

ultravioletnk, "free.99" is a great price for a tool that does the job. Thanks for the tip!

[ultravioletnk]

Originally Posted by SL Racer

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say she already knew that, since she bumped a 5 year old thread, probably searching the forums for a solution in the first place.

ultravioletnk, "free.99" is a great price for a tool that does the job. Thanks for the tip!

that was indeed the case, and i'm glad i can help! i try to be as thrifty as possible whenever acquiring tools. harbour freight is my first stop for anything i can't get or make for free!

[RobertGary1]

I've always found the job is doable with standard tools although with a fair amount of cursing required.

-Robert

[SL Racer]

Originally Posted by RobertGary1

I've always found the job is doable with standard tools although with a fair amount of cursing required.

-Robert

I believe that is the case with about 99% of mechanical related projects.