I was told to oil my power windows because they are really slow. The tailgate is really slow. This is probably a really stupid question but what am I supposed to oil. I haven't had the door panels off yet and havEn't had one off in a long time. One more thing what is a good product to use on chrome. The roof rack is really dull.
The window regulator is what the motor drives to move your windows up and down, but they get greased, not oiled. Once you remove the door panel and water shield, use a small steel wire brush to clean the insides of the tracks. Wipe with a rag, then apply grease. Most use lithium grease, like Lubriplate, but I use Moly B bearing grease, as it's water-resistant. Lube the tracks, the sector gear (that's the big gear on the regulator) and force grease into pivot points. Also, I recommend using silicone spray lube on the vertical felts to allow the glass to slide in them better. Roll the window down, then, using the little spray tube, spray into the channel from top to bottom.
As stated, you need to clean off the tracks and rollers of the old grease first. I prefer wheel bearing grease or Moly B as well. Avoid white lithium grease or WD40-type things, they either dry up really fast or they attract water and cause rust. I like to overload one side of the channel, run the window up and down a few times, then spread out the grease to ensure it has full coverage. It's not a case of "less is more" but it's definitely not something to overdo! The power window motor itself has grease inside of it and often needs to be cleaned and re-lubed as well.
Good point, on the motors. Some are not full-on direct drives (for obvious safety reasons), and usually have urethane buttons that simply come apart after a long time. All those little bits need to be cleaned out, along with old grease, relubed, and new buttons installed. It's a lot of work, but ultimately, very satisfying. And, while inside the door, lube the door lock motor (if equipped) and the door latch. I also did this work on the tailgate, and it works much better.
