Last autumn the rear windows slowly began to require more and more effort to wind them up and down . It became so bad, in fact, that one of my friends actually snapped off the winder trying to get a window up . At that point I just stopped using them until I could figure it out . Which is where I'm at now .

I got a new winder today so I pulled the door apart to see what's going on and I just can't figure it .
Apart from being a bit dirty/dusty ( what is that old paper for anyway ? ) and, in some parts, very slightly rusty; I didn't see any obvious culprit .
I sprayed penetrating oil where I thought it might help and WD40 at other joints hopin' to loosen it up . And it did, but only a little .
I scraped off some of the old grease that had gotten pretty hard . Inspected ( best I could with everything in the door still ) the teeth and gear on the regulator - everything looked fine . ?
It almost seems like there's something pressing against something somewhere and creating too much resistance .

Are there any points of adjustment that I should be checking ?

Is it a coincidence that both of the rear windows started freezing up around the same time or is it probably just because they're used less ( which I suspect is the primary issue ) ?

Do I just need to take it all apart to figure this out ?

Any suggestions appreciated !

I'm gonna go back to diggin' through the archives to see if I can find anything .

Thanks guys - Christopher

F.Y.I to those with broken window cranks .
FCP Groton ( no affiliation / first-time customer ( good experience )) has them new from Volvo for 5 bucks ! In all colors too .
My usual local supplier who get parts from Volvo had the brown listed as NLA ( unless I had the wrong part # or something ) .

- C.R.

I'll just add that the "old paper" in the door is built to act as a vapor barrier between the door panel, which can collect moisture and mold, and any nasty stuff that makes it past the window. Butcher paper or plastic sheet is a suitable substitute if you can't reconstruct yours with duct tape.

interesting . thanks

Hi Christopher,

Every time I've pursued a manual window problem the glass was binding in the channel because the bolts (4) that attach the regulator to the inner panel had loosened and moved in their slotted holes. Once the door panel was open, a 10mm socket wrench was all I needed. It then became a challenge of looking carefully at the marks in the paint to determine where it belonged, coupled with a little trial and error, until the window would again roll up and down with ease.

Another problem I remember on the manual cranks: The knob itself would loosen on the crank causing it to bind as it turned. It seemed it was a worn plastic problem, if I recall, and swapping cranks with junkyard pieces helped more than any attempts I made to fix them.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

A combination of adjusting the bolts and lubrication seemed to do the trick . The action now feels at least as good as new .
Make sense, perhaps, that passenger doors might get out of alignment since non-Volvo drivers have a tendency to slam doors .

Thanks again

Check the arms for outward flexing and bending/bowing when rolling the window up.

On each pivot point there should be a red fiber washer between the window mount and the clip. There should be a white nylon tuning fork looking sleeve that fits into the slot on the window mounts.

Check the window stripping/rubber/felt for being out of the track, torn, etc.

Grease everything well and roll the window up and down as you spray it.

Good info

I use Kroil to get stuff unstuck, then spray some brake cleaner on to rinse off the Kroil and oxides, and then some spray lithium grease on the articulating parts as a last step. It does stink up the car for a while, but I just shrug it off to the smell of progress!

Hadn't heard of Kroil . Thanks