jobyrne

Oh dear, my apologies, it is a year since I fixed this, I eventually managed it by using silicon lubricant and holding the back of the wiring loom through the door panel. Windows work fine and have done for over a year - now I'm trying to find out why my dashboard looks like my Christmas tree (December 17 2014) !

Well after weeks of driving around with a disconnected door loom and a part open window, I have at last got around to continuing the repair, and got my window up, I crimped the wires in the end as it is such a cramped space that I decided I'd only end up at A&E if I tried soldering, or electrocuted if it rained. Now the fun has started, I just cannot get the connection back together. I got the window up by removing the fuse box trim etc, pulling the pillar connection out, and connecting to the door connector around the pillar - I thought it best to check the repair worked before putting it all back together, so up went the window. Then I got back to trying to connect them properly through the door pillar. What a nightmare, I've got the door pillar connector held in the pillar with the simple O ring, but I can't see how I can actually connect the male connector that holds the wires from the door. It has male pins that fit the pillar pattern, but the big lock ring (I think it is called that, the one with the raised blocks) when pushed onto the door connector is fixed by 3 raised sections (well it is when I put it on), so if I rotate that, the male connector & pins rotate, so how can it fit the female socket in the pillar as it seems to me to be a push fit that (mind you I've been trying for ages today, but no luck) I even tried removing the ring from the door connector, fixing it to the pillar connector (turning it so it was tight) then trying to push in the door connector. So far, no luck, I just cannot seem to get the things to line up - the marker lines I've put on the connector I can line up, but then no push fit, and if I try turning anything all it seem to do is disconnect the simple O ring and the damn pillar connector disappears back through the hole. Has anyone any advice on what I'm doing wrong? TIA

C spanner was the answer, thanks - just got to fix the wires now

Thanks for the advice, and please excuse the delay in replying, it has been a busy week or so. As I've not managed to get the door pillar connection off, I've not managed to do any repairs, but I did remove the door end of the gaiter, and can confirm one definite wire broken and one other not far off, as I can see the core wire through the insulation, there may be others, but as I can't get at them cleanly enough I can't confirm. I am curious however, I'm presuming the breaks are caused by the flexing of the wires as the door opens and closes, as I can't see any other reason for it, they don't seem too tightly stretched, there appears to be no corners or edges that the wires can catch on, so it must surely be the fatigue effect of continually bending metal, the fact that the 2 wires are the thickest ones would appear to confirm that. Which leads me then to wonder, if I insert extra sections and solder, how long will a repair last? I'm wondering if fitting spade or the cylinder ends to the wires and having a 'push' connection rather than soldering in a section is more or less likely to fail due to the continual flexing, does anyone have any experience of the different approaches? Both would appear to introduce inflexible lengths whose ends are more likely to suffer stress and fatigue, soldering two, is I add in a section, the connectors one, but possible a bulkier/longer inflexible section. TIA - now off to see if I can find a C spanner, as I'm not sure I'd get a DIY tool working in the same time span.