Glass Channel Removal – 2000 Concorde

I’m trying to replace a right rear door actuator (electric latch/
lock). The factory service manual calls for the removal of this
channel but apparently assumes the user has done it before. I’ve got
the actuator disconnected from its linkage, unscrewed from the door,
but the channel is in the way. Instructions call for the window to be
in the up position then simply says “remove the channel”. There’s a
bolt at the bottom of the channel that came out easily and allows the
bottom half of the channel to give a tad, but the small nut at the
top, when removed, exposes a screw apparently welded to the top of the
channel that can’t be seen. The screw protrudes through the door frame
next to the window allowing the bolt to be affixed from the outside of
the inner door panel.

I hesitate to take a hammer and tap that screw for fear the channel
isn’t supposed to come out that way and I’ll do damage to who knows
what. Can someone give me a clue or point me in the right direction?

 

I've been into the front doors of my two 2nd gen. Concordes more than a
couple of times, but never the rear doors. But my familiarity with the
front doors may translate to the rears since the construction and some
of the parts are the same. I would remove the glass completely. It is
attached to the regulator by two 6mm studs that are attached
(essentially glued) to the glass. Remove the nuts from the two studs,
and push the bottom of the glass outward so that it comes off the
regulator lift plate, then rotate the glass (CW as you're looking from
inside of car to outside on passenger side, CCW on driver's side) in
plane enough to come out of the runner channels, tilt the top of the
glass inward or outward (I forget which, but my guess is outward), and
bring it up and out from the door.

With the glass out, you should have clearer access to whatever you need
to do to get the channel hardware loose and the channel out of the way.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

That won't work, Bill; it's the glass channel itself that's preventing
the actuator from being accessed. The manual calls for removal of the
channel only. Unfortunately... it doesn't tell me how to do that. It
shows a screw at the bottom of the channel (no problem) and a smaller
nut at the top. That top nut, when removed, leaves the screw
protruding towards the repairer (face on). That screw is apparently
welded to the glass channel itself. Thus, to get it out, the lower
screw has to be removed and the channel twisted - perhaps - in order
to make the top screw leave the hole it's in. I assume if the screw
were free of the hole, the entire channel could simply be pulled
downward and out from the door completely. Once that channel is gone,
there's free access to the actuator.

I stopped at my Chysler dealership for advice and the service man got
a young mechanic who reportedly has done this before. His advice was,
"Don't hit it (the screw) or you'll break the glass. Fiddle with it
and it should come out. What I've done in the past is just pull back
the lower part of the channel enough to squeeze out the actuator.
You're gonna' get your hands cut up a bit. It's a bear."

Well... I gave the service manager a saw buck, thanked him for his
help, and left. I don't think that's what the engineers had in mind
when they wrote the manual. There's a very specific way to get that
damn thing out of there with out using a Joe Magee approach. I just
can't seem to fine anyone who's done it the way it was intended to be
done. A friend suggested a glass job. Guess that's my next stop.

I appreciate the effort, Bill.

 

You're welcome. I figured the glass was interfering with manipulation
of the channel. The LH FSM'a are the best ones I've used, but they do
have places where their descriptions are a little bit of hand-waving:
"Remove this screw and then a miracle occurs, and the channel will jump
right out."

Suggestion: Go to the forums on www.dodgeintrepid.net and post the
question there. Someone there will know precisely how to do it. I did
a quick search and didn't find any detailed instructions, though people
replace those latches all the time. The Intrepid rear door is a little
different than the Concorde's, but several people there work on both
extensively.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

I'll do that Bill if my next idea doesn't work. I'll know in a hours
or so. I'm going to connect the electricity to inner panel again and
lower the window 4 inches. That should give enough play at the top
where that screw is to allow it to slip out of its hole. I expect to
be able to merely guide it off to the side with the bottom half of
that channel since it's fairly sturdy ; bent to for a bracket at the
end.

I did go to that other forum you directed me to a few days ago. Search
of the answer but didn't post. I'll try the one you just gave me if I
don't have the problem resolved with my latest idea.

Thanks again.

 

I’m trying to replace a right rear door actuator (electric latch/
lock). The factory service manual calls for the removal of this
channel but apparently assumes the user has done it before. I’ve got
the actuator disconnected from its linkage, unscrewed from the door,
but the channel is in the way. Instructions call for the window to be
in the up position then simply says “remove the channel”. There’s a
bolt at the bottom of the channel that came out easily and allows the
bottom half of the channel to give a tad, but the small nut at the
top, when removed, exposes a screw apparently welded to the top of the
channel that can’t be seen. The screw protrudes through the door frame
next to the window allowing the bolt to be affixed from the outside of
the inner door panel.

I hesitate to take a hammer and tap that screw for fear the channel
isn’t supposed to come out that way and I’ll do damage to who knows
what. Can someone give me a clue or point me in the right direction?

Once you loosen the bolt you can kind of pull the channel out of the way
and the latch will come out. You will have to twist the latch around the
channel as you are coming out. It is hard to explain on line but it is an
easy job to do.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

OK! Got 'er done! But have a minor problem now; the doors don't
automatically look at 8-10 miles per hour like they used to. Wires
crossed? Fuse?

The secret to getting this done wasn't rolling the window down a tad
like I thought it might be. That won't work at all. What worked was to
simply study the linkage connections I could see through the holes in
the inner door panel and disconnect all of them AT THE ACTUATOR. A
critical one is the link to the outer door handle. I decided it would
be easier to reassemble that link if I disconnected it at the
actuator. I believe I was right 'cause everything flowed fairly
smoothly once the actuator was free of all but the electrical cord.
Even with the glass channel in place, all I did was let the actuator
slide down against the inside of the outer-edge door with the
electrical cord attached. I the grabved it, disconnected the actuator,
replaced it, and reassembled. The sounds simple byt was more along the
lines of laparoscopic surgery.

Now... how do I get my automatic door lock system back when the car
locks the door at 8-10 mph?

 

Some kind of sequence you do with the ignition switch to toggle that
feature on and off - see your owner's manual. Also check the child
safety lock on the end of the door - instructions for that on same page
of owner's manual.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Done! Piece of cake! Four turns of the key (on-off ending at "Off"
followed by depression of lock button). You hear one "chime" (same
sound you get when key is left in ignition) and that's it.

I appreciate all the help, Bill. That actuator was made by GECOM
(http://www.gecomcorp.com/history.asp). The outfit was incorporated in
'87 and shipped goods to Honda, Toyota, Nummi, then Chrysler for the
first time in 2000... the year they built my Concorde. Their statement
of Quality sounds fuzzy under QS9000: "It does not, therefore, apply
to all suppliers of the Big Three." I don't know if they think these
standards don't apply to them or not. There's obviously some
miscommunication since discussion groups are reporting failure of
these actuators as a "common" issue among owners. Now this is assuming
GECOM made the majority of these components.

If the failure rate is as high as what is eluded to here and other
groups, I'm surprised Chrysler didn't lean on GECOM and get some form
of compensation so they could replace these things NC or at least
subsidize the repair. Some of the senior citizens on fixed incomes who
made that final splurge to buy that "luxury" car of their dreams
before they kicked the bucket got kicked in the ass with all these nit
picky issues that seems to surround Chrysler. My mechanic tells me I
need to worry about "cradle bushings" none; the bushings between the
frame and the car body. Replacement cost? $346.17! Then there' A front
wheel bearing he claims is going bad; $215.79. And the serpentine and
A/C belts should be replaced; $110.54. This is to the exclusion of new
brake discs and pads all the way around that I plan to do myself. I
may tackle the belts and wheel bearing as well but I suppose I'll have
to take it to my dealer to have the proper tension set. My mechanic
(independent) is a knowledgeable guy but when I asked him if he had
whatever tool it was the dealer had to measure belt tension (from
something I read with my old 1995 Concorde) he said, "Nagh. We just
know from experience how much to tighten." That did it for me. He
doesn't get THAT job.

I'll be back with more question on either the brakes, belts, or front
wheel. Too bad I can't handle the cradle bushings; I don't fell
comfortable in a driveway under a heavy car under any circumstances.

P.S. Can I stray those bushings with silicone or something to help
retain their suppleness ... if it isn't too late?

 

You're welcome.

Production quality can't fix a design problem. Plus, QS9000 isn't the
panacea it's believed to be - in some ways it's a self-perpetuating Al
Gore-type scheme to make money for auditing companies without really
adding quality. I know too much.

Chrysler doesn't even cover serious safety issues, much less door
latches/lock actuators.

They can be a bear if you're in a high salt/corrosion area. The nuts
are located in a blind area and are spot welded to the top of the frame.
The threads can get seriously corroded, and then the nuts break loose
from the frame when you try to take the bolts out. I might suggest a
second opinion on getting them replaced. You don't want to open that
can of worms if you don't have to. If they go bad, you just get some
clunking noises - might could live with them. That $350 estimate might
seem low if there are problems.

Have the two tensioner pulleys replaced also - the bearings go bad.
Roughly $15-20 each.

You're more anal than most people - so am I. The advice on the LH car
forums is to tighten them a bit more than what you would consider
normally tight. IOW what you would consider normally tight is not quite
tight enough, and what you would normally consider a little too tight is
about right.

Wise decision on the cradle bushings - you can end up painted into a
corner if things go bad on doing those (blind nuts spinning freely).

I doubt it would make any difference.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')