Manual Window Lubrication

[Tony T]

I just picked up my first Benz with manual window winders. It's a 2 owner, '76 280SE.
It's very original and tidy but the windows are a bit firm to wind up and down.
Can anyone recommend a particular lubricant for the guides and linkages?
Many thanks in advance for any words of wisdom. 

[craigb]

Hi Tony

These forums are funny, like popping into a different pub you don't visit as often and seeing someone you know!

My suggestion would be that it is in the sliding bit which I would give a good clean and then use white lithium grease. You can get it in an aerosol too that makes it very easy to apply. Once you have the door trim off you are probably only looking at one clip to disengage the arm from that slider. If you then use your hands to slide the window up and down and also wind the handle might hint at where the problem is. I am guessing that both will work well because it is not relying on the sliding bit working. Interested in any other comments though.

[oscar]

This has puzzled me for ages.  I reckon tough winding windows are caused more from either the rubbers on the lower part of the sill and/or the channel around the sill.  I reckon they loose their felt-like-fuzziness that contact the glass, then it's rubber on glass and too much friction.

In my 350 all windows are hard to wind up.  Yet when I got the red 280S the windows wind like a new car with little effort.  Funny you mention the lithium grease Craig because that's what I first attacked the 350 with a long time ago in aerosol form.  I took the door card off the front passenger because it seemed the worst, then cleaned the metal rails and plastic slides without removing them.  Just used heaps of WD40 to dissolve old grease then liberally applied lithium grease to all of the moving parts of the mechanism including spring and crank gear.  The result was marginal improvement.  Dissappointed and annoyed at that stage I thought stuff it, I'll carelessy spray the window channels and eventually the lower rubber, which basically meant the window was covered in smeared grease after every operation.  But window operation was much, much easier.  No longer did it feel like the crank was going to break in my hand.  But the smeared grease was unsightly and ridiculous.  It took ages to clean and over time it started to bind again and it's stayed that way for the past few years.

Seeing this thread made me want to check out why the red 280S' windows work so well.  Not much grease visible on the moving parts, but the felt-like-fuzz on channels and inner and outer rubber sill bits have fuzz that you can feel and change direction when you move your finger back and forth over those contact surfaces compared to the 350 which doesn't.  It's channels etc have a tiny bit of fuzz with no length in it and I'd say the rubber is more visible through the fuzz but isn't visible through the fuzz of the 280S. 

The answer of course would be new channels and rubbers but failing that, on the question of lubrication I thought about powdered lube such as graphite powder but just test the theory first.  Try rubbing a cake of soap into the channels and rubber sill or on the glass.  Motel sized soap cakes would be ideal.  At least it'll tell you if that's what's happening and it'll wash away easily afterwards.  Then you could try something like a dry lube stick to last longer. 

[another sad 280s]

this had been a problem on mine that we tried to control with graphite powder. it did help and caused no harm. i did crack it eventually though and removed the window and cranck and scrubbed all the felt channel with  hot soapy water. best improvement yet

[KenM]

I've noticed a good improvement with the windows by using a dry lubricant, silicone spray seems to be the best, although you can also get a teflon spray which is pretty good but the silicone sprayed into the rubber channels does seem to free things up pretty well and it lasts for a fair while, will wash out eventually with rain or when you wash the car but it's easy enough to re-apply. I use silicone grease too in the window gears and the sunroof slides, seems to last longer and be more slippery.
Ask me about silicone, I love the stuff....

Ken

[Tony T]

Thanks fellas! 
I think I'll go down the 'good clean and silicone lube route' to start with.
Wish me luck............