e36 coupe front windows "bouncing"

I have a e36 coupe 1997 and when closing the front windows on automatic they go up a certain distance then stop and go back down (they work fine if I keep my finger on the button) any help on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated as its becomming a real pain in the ass.
Cheers

Hi There

That sounds like it may be the switch. When you flick it to bring the windows up on auto, its shorting an going back down again... If it operates normally when you hold the switch up then thats probably the case... To eliminate the possibility of the switch, you can get your hands on these switches for a couple of pounds in scrapyards and ebay... Whilst replacing the switch its worth checking for dampness and/or damaged wires...

HTH...

HI THANX FOR THE REPLY ALTHOUGH...
Pretty sure its not the switch as both sides do the same, I undestand there is some kind of pressure sensor on the window motor which stops and goes back down if anything gets in the way as a safety precaution......however they go back down even when nothing is there. Being framless windows people tend to shut the doors using the glass (bless em) and it seems this has affected the movement. is there a way of reseting / adjusting the sensitivity of this device so they go all the way up on auto???????
JSS

Ahh, ok, ive had a few recent cases of dodgy switches... its all stuck in my head...

Right, it could well be the regulator playing up, there is no way to adjust them, but you can try resetting them, to do this, bring down both front windows together keeping the buttons depressed for 10-15 seconds and then both up at the same time and once again keep the buttons depressed for 10-15 seconds.

It may be worth just greasing up the mechanism aswell, just incase the window mechanism is binding, and acting like someones finger stuck in the window

Give this a try and let us know how you get on mate...

Thanks,

Thanx for getting back
Tried what you said and one side does seem to be working ok but.....the drivers side stopped working altogether!!! turned off for a while and tried again and now is working (although still with the same fault) I think keeping your finger on the button is overheating the motor causing it to shut down? would not recommend doing this. Still think there must be a way of adjusting the sensitivity of the upwards movement?????????
jss

You'll do well to burn a one of these motors out in 15 seconds. This is what the bmw garage did to mine when i had a similar problem on mine a few years ago. I took it to the garage and they greased the runners up and she was fine. i wish i did it myself though to save me £25.

Im not sure about the sensitivity issue, but i cant think why there would be such an adjustment? fingers are fingers so why would you want to adjust its sensitivity? Have you taken the door card off and inspected the regulator?

slinky

OK
been working away so now have at last had a chance to have another go with my bouncing windows.........stripped the panels off, greased and oiled all, done the 15 seconds trick again and......one side is now working fine (fingers crossed ) and the other is a hell of a lot better though still going back down on occasions, hopefully this will improve when the grease and oil works its way in a bit, so almost there.
thanks slinky and thanks mighty bmw for your tips and help, hopefully stopping a really annoying problem
JSS

i hope it solves it... moisture will find its way in, so greasing the mechanism is a must...

good luck...

Not sure if this is what your talking about but the BMW 2002 always had a problem with wind whistling in the windows because of poor sealing. I've only had my 99 E36 M3 for about a month. I noticed along the top edge there is about 1/4 inch of black applied to the top edge of the window with the clear of the window showing through, kind of like a tiny checker board which I think is a sensor. When I get out of my car, as soon as I start to open the door the window drops down about 1/4 of an inch, then as I close it, it is still in the 1/4 inch down position but it immediately goes all the way up to make a good tight seal with no wind noise as soon as it is tightly closed. It seems there may to be something wrong with this sensor or receiving part of it, most likely the receiver, That's if I'm even on the same track as you guys, hope this is helpful, Steven