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Ambo wagon power tailgate window

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SensibleSpectaculars View Drop Down
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    Posted: Apr/23/2022 at 12:17pm
With good weather it's time to rouse the AMCs out of their winter slumber! (They do get started periodically but not driven on salted roads.) One issue I've run into is suddenly the power tailgate window on my '71 Ambassador wagon no longer works. Of course this means the tailgate cannot be opened.

Fortunately it's possible to get the inside cover and access plates off while the tailgate is closed. Access is very tight in there but with a test light I was able to determine that power is being delivered both by the dashboard rocker switch and the outside key. Hooking up a 12V source to the motor itself just results in a low clicking sound with polarity either way. So after only 51 years the motor is toast - bummer.

As it happens I do have entire spare electric window regulator for the tailgate and that tests good. (Though at this point if I could find one at this late date think it would be better to install a crank regulator from a Matador wagon. I hate power windows on old cars.)

As I said, access back there is quite difficult. Would love to hear from anyone who has done this job and has any tips on swapping out that window regulator. According to the shop manual (page 18-6) step #1 is to remove the tailgate window, and to do that the tailgate has to be open so the glass can be slid out. Catch-22.




Edited by SensibleSpectaculars - Apr/23/2022 at 12:19pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SensibleSpectaculars Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/30/2022 at 3:16pm
Well, I managed to get it working. I cleaned up the 51-year-old electrical connections back there, lubed up the window regulator, and tapped the motor a few times with a light hammer, and it started working.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote g-man Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/30/2022 at 3:42pm
It is good that you got it working.
But your big question still remains.
How do you open the tailgate if you can't roll down the window?
I was really hoping someone knew the answer to that question.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bigbad69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/30/2022 at 4:41pm
I had an old Plymouth with electric windows. None of them worked when I got the car. The motors were fine, but the gear heads were jammed with solidified grease. Cleaning the heads out and re-greasing the gears got the windows working again.

Time ages grease. At the very least, you should clean up the gear head on the motor. Tapping the motor to get it working means there are still some problems.
69 Javelin SST BBO 390 T10
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote george w Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/30/2022 at 6:12pm
Be careful if you decide to remove /   the window motor / gearbox. Most likely the mechanism is under strong spring tension from a spiral lift assist spring. It will release tension suddenly so keep hand and fingers away.
Long time AMC fan. Ambassador 343, AMX 390, Hornet 360, Spirit 304 and Javelin 390. All but javelin bought new.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SEdmonds Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/01/2022 at 9:59am
We had to do this in our 65 Ambassador, and in 65 there is no access panel. The TSM had a diagram of where to drill holes in the inner shell to effect repair. The problem we had is we were trying to preserve the original carpet on the tailgate... I did not want to ruin that carpet, and we could not lower the tailgate care carpet enough to access the areas where we were supposed to drill. 

SO.... We tried a bunch of things over the next three days. We even tried removing the hinges.at the bottom. Did not work.  The window had JUST enough room at the top to let little fingers through, and we worked the window down, two of us so we could keep the glass level, inch by inch. We forced the window down that way. The mechanism needed rebuilding, anyway. 

It recovered. It powers the window fine, but yeah...we resorted the careful gorilla method. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SensibleSpectaculars Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/01/2022 at 1:35pm
Originally posted by george w george w wrote:

Be careful if you decide to remove /   the window motor / gearbox. Most likely the mechanism is under strong spring tension from a spiral lift assist spring. It will release tension suddenly so keep hand and fingers away.


According to the shop manual, yes the spring is an issue if you remove the motor and gearbox from the rest of the mechanism. It says to drill a hole through one of the arms and baseplate then drop a bolt in to hold spring tension.

I know there's still an issue with the motor. I could swap in my spare but that's about 50 years old as well. Would really like to find a hand-crank window regulator for back there, but I ran the window up and down quite a few times and for the moment it's working.
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