E36 Window stuck

Hi all. I'm new to this board, having just purchased my 1st E36 (ragtop). It has a few minor issues that I'd like to sort out. 1st up is a stuck drivers window. When I use the switch I can hear a clicking sound from under the right side of dash but window is frozen in the up position. Any advice where to go from here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Welcome to the 'fest! Where in Florida?
Popping out of the guides or a broken guide is fairly common on E36s. Download the Bentley Manual from the 2nd link in the Useful Links sticky and it will give you guidance on how to pull the door panel so you can inspect and see what the actual problem is.

Thanks for the quick reply and assistance! I'm located in Palm City. Downloading manual now.

what makes you think its the guide DC? wouldnt he still be able to hear the motor running (regulator) if it simply popped out of the guide?

I'm not DC, but if one or both guides (sliders, not the guide in the rear channel...that CAN'T come off) they will bind up the window travel so the motor can't overcome the friction. The motor will try to run, but can't. Same thing happens if the sliders get dried up (no grease) or the old grease gets so contaminated with dirt and corrosion they can't move. If one comes out, it throws the geometry of the regulator off so much it binds.

i just finished putting one of the clips back on my drivers side window after running it for 4 months with only one of them attached (front clip, PITA to get the clip back in), and the window was out of the front rubber guide track, and the whole time i had 90% movement out of window before it would bind, op is stating that he isnt even getting a budge like it is even trying to move, just a click sound from under dash and his window is all the way up.

You were lucky.

I am enjoying my hard top for the winter time though ken

Yes when I activate the switch up or down, I can here a click under the dash but there is no movement from the window.

I too have been having trouble with a stubborn passenger window not wanting to go down on my E36 convertible, unless the temp stays consistently below about 65 degrees. Also living in Florida, that doesn't occur often but the few times it did this winter the window operated like a dream. When it warmed back up, the window stopped working again. Any thoughts from you out there on what might be going on?

Greetings from Sydney, Australia. We have a similar issue in Australia with a pretty warm climate in Sydney. It seems affect the rubber moulds that surrounds the glass on all windows in my 320i.

A VW mechanic friend out here suggested a silicone spray to the rubber mouldings from time to time, is a good way to deal with glass sticking when windows going up and down.

I completely busted my driver side window six months ago. The motor still works fine, but was 'slow-slow', really laboring and doing it tough when I was closing (raising) the window. I heard this large 'bang' - and the glass started coming out at all sorts of weird and odd angles. I literally had to wrestle the glass back into position physically. The window hasn't been up or down since.

It's only gone into the mechanics today to get fixed.