Cars - Replacing window cables

Eric,

Unfortunately, even the shop manual is deficient in this regard ( my
'90). I had one cable pull free of the end termination recently and had to
disassemble and reassemble it, winging it as I went. It's a simple
mechanical setup in that the drum winds and unwinds at the same time,
creating a differential action that drives the window mechanism up or down.
There are relief springs that create a controlled resistance as the limits
are reached. When I took mine apart and the operation and repair became
clear. If you are "mechanically minded well" this may be straightforward for
you.

I recall that I used a clamp of some sort to compress the limit springs
while reassembling the drive. This made life a lot easier as I didn't have
to fight the springs; once it was done, I removed the clamp which applied
the tension. If this is not clear to you right now, it hopefully will be
once you get into the job.

Another suggestion is to remove the window glass and take the entire
assembly out of the car. If you work on the bench, it will be much, much
easier. I suspect that even without the workshop manual, it is
straightforward to remove all this stuff. The workshop manual wants you to
remove the weatherstrip and quarter glass; I did not remove either of
these.

One word of warning: unless you are experienced at putting motor brushes
back together, I suggest you do not disassemble the motor. I took it apart
to check the condition of the brushes. FYI - at 160K+ miles, the brushes
were fine. I suspect yours are too.

Ken

"Eric Baber" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> The window cable(s) in my MX5 have broken/snapped and I'm about to replace
> them. I've got the replacement parts (two cables & plastic drum) but can't
> find any instructions - I've checked on miata.net but haven't found
> anything. Does anyone know of any instructions anywhere?
>
> Thanks
>
> Eric
>
>