I have to admit, kind of proud of myself on this one! Mainly since I saved taking it to the dealer (saw a quote of $1000 parts/labor for this job); also saved myself from removing the entire assembly (you DON'T want to do that; the cables are a nightmare).
So... if you're like I was, your "fails once in a while, but always starts working again" power windscreen decided to just NOT work anymore. Perhaps you hear clicking, or see the headlights dim a bit when you activate it, but it does NOT budge, even if you pull up on it. That's the situation I had.
Here's what I did-- start by removing the windscreen, front access cover below it, and front/side top covers (the ones that include the glove box on 2010+ models). This will give you some room to get in there. Now, refer to this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0zK9axWuzc
However, DON'T continue removing bolts willy-nilly like this guy, but STOP at the 2:30 point. You'll notice that there's a white spool/pulley that has the control wire wrapped around it. Carefully pull this up, just enough to disengage it from the metal gear below. At this point, you should be able to grasp both windscreen mounts and move them up/down with your hands. You can check to see how freely it moves, but you'll probably want to lubricate the little smaller pulleys, as well as to grease the two rails where the assembly is mounted.
Since you've now essentially disengaged the windscreen from the motor & metal gear, try actuating the switch again. As many had previously discovered, the motor still works!! You can now put new grease on the larger metal driven gear, as well as the smaller drive gear which is connected to the motor. Make sure to move the windscreen mounts back down to where they were when you started, so you can push the white spool back flush into the metal driven gear, and re-attach the white cover with 3 bolts, and one nut. Finally, reassemble everything in the reverse order of the video.
At this point, everything worked again. Hooray! Now if your motor is truly bad, you'll have to do more disassembly, and tackle getting everything (including those wires/pulleys) back together again. Kudos to anyone that did that, but even the service manual cautions, "the electric windshield assembly is elaborately manufactured at the factory; if they are removed, performance will not be guaranteed." LOL... I just hope my motor lasts a while longer!
So... if you're like I was, your "fails once in a while, but always starts working again" power windscreen decided to just NOT work anymore. Perhaps you hear clicking, or see the headlights dim a bit when you activate it, but it does NOT budge, even if you pull up on it. That's the situation I had.
Here's what I did-- start by removing the windscreen, front access cover below it, and front/side top covers (the ones that include the glove box on 2010+ models). This will give you some room to get in there. Now, refer to this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0zK9axWuzc
However, DON'T continue removing bolts willy-nilly like this guy, but STOP at the 2:30 point. You'll notice that there's a white spool/pulley that has the control wire wrapped around it. Carefully pull this up, just enough to disengage it from the metal gear below. At this point, you should be able to grasp both windscreen mounts and move them up/down with your hands. You can check to see how freely it moves, but you'll probably want to lubricate the little smaller pulleys, as well as to grease the two rails where the assembly is mounted.
Since you've now essentially disengaged the windscreen from the motor & metal gear, try actuating the switch again. As many had previously discovered, the motor still works!! You can now put new grease on the larger metal driven gear, as well as the smaller drive gear which is connected to the motor. Make sure to move the windscreen mounts back down to where they were when you started, so you can push the white spool back flush into the metal driven gear, and re-attach the white cover with 3 bolts, and one nut. Finally, reassemble everything in the reverse order of the video.
At this point, everything worked again. Hooray! Now if your motor is truly bad, you'll have to do more disassembly, and tackle getting everything (including those wires/pulleys) back together again. Kudos to anyone that did that, but even the service manual cautions, "the electric windshield assembly is elaborately manufactured at the factory; if they are removed, performance will not be guaranteed." LOL... I just hope my motor lasts a while longer!
