113 door window loose and floppy

[n/a]

hello list, how can i fix a floppy driver's door window?
is there an adjustment?
thnx mp

[Douglas]

Actually, Mike is posting this on my behalf. My question is this -- my driver-side window bows out at the very top. The angle of the window is fine as I roll it up, but at the very end right before it reaches the top it starts to angle outwards. Is there an adjustment that would allow me to angle the window inwards?

Thanks in advance.

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[Naj ✝︎]

If your glass is flopping about, I suspect one of the guides has fallen off. There is a 'U' shaped chrome bit at the front top corner of the door with a plastic insert. The other two are glued to the bottom of the glass, one at either front/rear end. You'll have to remove the door trim to have a look see. They are chunky aluminum blocks with two grooves, the rear one twice as long as the front one.
If one has come off, it will be lying at the bottom of the door cavity.
naj

65 230SL
68 280SL

[Douglas]

Naj,

Thanks for replying. The window isn't flopping around -- it's bowing out towards the top just before it's all the way up. There's just enough lateral play in the window to make it bow out towards the end of the track. Is there an adjustment for this side-to-side play?

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[Naj ✝︎]

Yes, Douglas,
There is some adjustment on the two bottom glass guides.
Remove the door trim. There are channels both ends of the glass, covered by alli plate dust sheilds. Look for (~6mm) holes about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up on these shields. As you roll the glass up/down you will see slotted screw heads. Tighten these enough for smooth movement of the glass without binding.
There is one screw on the front guide and two on the rear one.
Also one screw on the guide on the top front of the door. A 'u' shaped chrome bit that wraps around the front edge of the glass.
happy fixing
naj

65 230SL
68 280SL

[rwmastel]

Windows should be adjusted to "fall in" towards the interior of the car.  This is to allow the window to contact the rubber seals on the hard/soft tops then rise up into them as the door closes.

Test procedure:
 - Put window down.
 - Put top on car.
 - Open door.
 - Put winodw up.
 - Slowly latch door.

You should see the top edge of the window clear the outer edge of the rubber seal, then as the door is latched, the window will contact the inner edge of the rubber seal and be pushed up into the crease of the seal.  This makes the wonderful water tight condition that was so rare on roadsters of the 1960's.

If your windows do not do this, then put the hard top on and adjust the windows, then put the soft top on and adjust the soft top to the windows.

Modern German roadsters use an electronic solution.  When you pull on the door handle (from the inside or outside), the power window is dropped about 1/2 inch (12 mm) or so by the motor.  When the door is closed, it goes up that last 1/2 inch to fit nicely into the rubber seal.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[Naj ✝︎]

Rodd,
Does it tell you anywhere HOW to adjust the glass to these specs?

naj

65 230SL
68 280SL

[rwmastel]

naj,

I think you just do it by trial & error.  Take the interior door panel off, find the adjustment screws, and take your best shot.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[Douglas]

Frankly, I'm stumped by this one. I couldn't find any means of lateral adjustment inside the door for the window. Can anyone elaborate on this topic further? To give you an idea of my aptitude in this area, let's just say I could never make a living figuring this stuff out on my own . . .

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[J. Huber]

Just a word of caution. Whenever you are working with the windows, tread sehr lightly... I have heard of folks tinkering with them and having them crumble. Ouch.

James
63 230SL

[Naj ✝︎]

Hi, Douglas,

If those adjustments didn't work, the next step might be to adjust the tracks themselves.
On top they are held by just one screw each on the door frame sides, but these can be left alone.
The real adjusters  :?:  are a long threaded stud with a nut each on the outside and inside of the alli door frame at the bottom of the door (in recessed crater??)at the outer end and a fully threaded bolt (surface mounted) at the hinge end. To pull the glass in towards the cab, the tracks would have to be pushed outwards. i.e. loosen the outer nut a few turns, then loosen the inner nut slowly, maybe half a turn at a time (may need some force) and checking how far the glass moves. Don't forget to tighten the outer nuts to secure the tracks to the door frame.
I abandoned this job on my 230 a few months ago and haven't been back to it, so any input on the subject would be appreciated  
Heed to James's caution of course !!
naj

65 230SL
68 280SL

[bayleif]

Rodd,
How do you adjust the soft top?

Chuck Bartlett
1969 Signal Red 4 Speed

[rwmastel]

Doug,
Naj sounds like he might know more details then I do.

Chuck,
I've not adjusted my soft top yet.  I plan to go through this exercise in October, once I'm done printing and mailing Pagoda World #4.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[Douglas]

Spoke with an experienced restorer this weekend who told me the looseness is not an adjustment, but in the guide jaws. If I understood him correctly, he said the symptoms meant the rubber had either fallen out or decayed. In other words, Naj was right!

I'll have to open the door up again and report back to everyone. Pix to follow.

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[rwmastel]

Doug,

I have changed guide jaws on the window.  Not sure if I used the correct procedure, it was back in 2000 just after purchasing the car.  Let me know if I can help.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[Klaus]

My rear guide jaw in the right door is loose, the window is rattling on bad roads (very common in New Jersey). The jaw simply stayed in the lowest position in the rail and did not move with the window. I removed the door trim and took the guide jaw out.
How do I reattach it to the window? with Mastik? Glue? Any hints?
Can I do it with the window in the car or do I have to remove the window?
Should I lubricate the plastic guides in the jaw (that run up and down the rail) while I am at it?
Thanks for any help!

Klaus
1969 280 SL