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Windows Stuck

MrBill

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Location
Buffalo NY
Well its that time of the year when the temp dips well below 32. The problem I have noticed is that the windows keep freezing up and will not open until the truck gets warm. This has happened several times. Seems odd that it has happened so many times. My last truck did not have this problem. I wonder if it is the angle of the dirvers and passenger door windows that make them freeze shut.

Anyone else out in the cold weather having the same problem.
 
MrBill said:
Anyone else out in the cold weather having the same problem.
I had it happen all the time in my old Blazer, but so far, never in the Av. Used to happen on the real old Celebrity, also.

I found that it's usually the outside weatherstripping at the bottom of the window that causes problems. While scraping the side windows, I will scrape vertically, with the blade down, and run it into the weatherstripping to break it free from the glass. That usually did it for me.

-- SS
 
Hi MrBill,
It got all the way to 25 here today. We also got 6" of snow. No trouble with any of my windows. In fact, I slide them down to get the snow off. I can't imagine why they would freeze shut. :B:
 
Like ShapeShifter, I had a '94 K-Blazer and the windows would always freeze shut :8: and the only way to release them was either to warm up the vehicle or use you're window scraper to pry the bottom window weatherstripping from the side window. I've noticed happening on my Av as well but less often than it would on my Blazer. Has anybody tried applying 303 to the side of the weatherstripping that touches the window (in a garage or warm place), waiting a bit then wiping it off? :0: I'd be curious to see if it works at preventing the freeze up and if it would streak up the window with 303 residue. I don't have a warm garage to try this so maybe there is a brave soul willing to test it and get back to us all

Peej80 :)
 
It has happened a couple of times to me also. I wasn't sure if it was the rain deflectors that were allowing extra moisture to get into the window channel. Maybe someone else with deflectors could agree.

Fireeater
 
One thing that I've noticed recently on my '03 AV that I never saw on any of my other vehicles is that it seems to collect a lot of moisture inside the door. Anytime I roll the window down it comes back up with moisture on it. We've had a lot of wet weather and the temperatures are mostly in the mid 30s F. I'll have to watch more closely when the weather is warmer and/or drier for extended periods. None-the-less, I don't recall other cars retaining moisture in the window wells as much as the AV does.

No problem (yet) with freezing up, though.

--OldVMer
 
OldVMer said:
One thing that I've noticed recently on my '03 AV that I never saw on any of my other vehicles is that it seems to collect a lot of moisture inside the door. Anytime I roll the window down it comes back up with moisture on it. We've had a lot of wet weather and the temperatures are mostly in the mid 30s F. I'll have to watch more closely when the weather is warmer and/or drier for extended periods. None-the-less, I don't recall other cars retaining moisture in the window wells as much as the AV does.

No problem (yet) with freezing up, though.

--OldVMer

I have the same issue... lots of moisture stored...

wonder how much that increases the chance for door rust out in the future? :rolleyes:
 
MrBill said:
Well its that time of the year when the temp dips well below 32. The problem I have noticed is that the windows keep freezing up and will not open until the truck gets warm. This has happened several times. Seems odd that it has happened so many times. My last truck did not have this problem. I wonder if it is the angle of the dirvers and passenger door windows that make them freeze shut.

Anyone else out in the cold weather having the same problem.

Do you have in-channel window shades? I have weathertech flectors and have identified them as the cause of my window freeze-ups.
 
I have vent visors with the 3M tape and mine also freeze shut. I think the motor on these windows must be pretty puny because all it takes is a light rap of the knuckles to break them free, so far anyway.
John

 
I too have had the window freeze up so that they won't open, but each time, it had rained during the afternoon and the temperature dropped below freezing during the night. This morning there was a lot of frost on the AV but all windows worked well... But no rain yesterday!
I think the main problem with the windows freezing is that fact that there is MORE computer controls on things like power windows, thus the computer is shutting down/limiting the current to the window motors thus not being able to break free... This in turn should prolong the life of the motor.

dichris
 
I found a product at Home Depot, called "Ice Stop". Based upon the label on the spray bottle, it is meant to prevent ice from forming on glass if it is sprayed on before the temp falls below freezing. ALSO, it can act as a "de-icer". It's been so mild here lately I haven't had a chance to try it out. I anticipate using this to spray along the weather-stripping, on the windows, to loosen any ice which may form.

I'm not hoping for an ice storm, but this product sounds like it could save much windshield scraping in that situation.
 
My 87 suburban also had issues with the windows freezing up... (eastern washington [state])

when I lived up in Canada with my last truck the windows froze up a couple times... and when the temp really dropped ( -40 ) even with plugging it in the tranny froze... (i still don't think my boss believed me on that one when I called in )


Grey



 
I have a 99 Silverado as well as my 02 AV (plus 3 more trucks, but that's not the point here) and I have had to replace the drivers side power window mechanism on the 99. These have been a bit of a problem on GM trucks and I came home one day after having been out of town and found that my wife had taped a garbage bag over the window because it had frozen and then broke loose and was in the express down position and the window went down but would not go back up. I had a friend that owns a bump shop order the part and help put it in and he saved me a pile of cash. If the AV is like this and I suspect it is, you might want to hit the switch to the up position to shut off the express down feature when the window freezes to keep it from damaging the window mechanism. I got the part at wholesale and it was about 120 bucks if I remember correctly, because the whole window motor is part of the mechanism. My 99 had over 120,000 miles when this happened, though so I didn't figure it owed me anything, but lately the passenger side window has been making noises and I suspect I'll be in for another expense in the future but the truck has 133,000 miles on it now and it has been a great truck. A friend that owns a junkyard told me the window mechanisms break a lot though. Good luck and I hope this info helps. :B:
 
Yes mine have done this too but only after rain or snow and then the temps were cold. Its a pain, especially since I need to swipe a badge at work.
 
I'll join the choir on this one, though I didn't notice it as much on my "02" Av as I do on the "03". I think the safety mongers got us on this one. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't the "03" mindows stop if they sense an obstruction (ie: a childs head or neck). Could that be what's limiting our motors strength?
 
I am not sure about that... but I don't want to be the one to find that they don't.........

Grey
 
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