1997 Laredo ZJ. Window binding in track, falling out of regulator clips.
 

1997 jeep grand cherokee laredo, 4.0L. Front passenger window pulls away from clips on regulator, the rear bottom corner of the glass appears to bind it the track. Unsure what the genesis of the problem is, loose clip, worn track. Motor and spring are good. Regulator moves up and down smoothly.

I have socket set, screw drivers, haynes manual. Is there a way for me to further take the door apart (after the door panel and plastic of course), without needing a torch and welder?

Should I just tape the glass up and try to remove the regulator / motor and see what's what?

Also my liftgate latch (hatchback latch) is worn and rusty, won't open well despite being adjusted earlier today. Any leads on where to get another? Dunno if they're even available online or if I'm stuck junkyard exploring. :tongue_smilie:

The exact same thing happened to me and I just had it fixed last week.

The shop said the window separated from the clips attaching to the regulator. Because the clips were broken, the "right way" of fixing it is to buy a new regulator and window (I guess the window comes with the clips).

I was able to get away with having the shop epoxy the clips back onto the window with a new regulator. It took them two attempts to get the epoxy beefy enough but it works for now--we'll see how long it lasts.

I also have the same issue with the rear hatch. How did you adjust it? Mine works but I have to pull hard on the handle and it engages.

The latch will only get worse. You need to remove the bottom portion of the trim on the lift gate, there's more screws than it seems so be careful, I ended up ripping mine off and busting it. No worries though, I'm worried about function mostly. With the trip off there's this vertical bar with threads on the top that fit into a metal clip that's actuated via the handle. This can get loose and needs to be adjusted "up" more into the clip. Pull moderately hard on this with pliers to open the lift gate. With it open you can use an allen wrench on the two screws on the bottom of the door. There's an electrical connection to disconnect and that's about it, pulls right out. Remember, Seafoam Deep Creep is your friend and worth the $11 a can.

I found a replacement in a store online for $65 bucks, allegedly new. Personally I'd rather go junkyard exploring for jeep lift gates and see how far $20 will get me.

I'l thinking this week I'll trying packing a few layers of duct tape along the inside of the clips on the windows regulator to give it more grip on the glass. I'd hate to have to spend that kind of money on a new regulator since the motor still works.

Here's what the part looks like. It seems ebay may be the savior here.

Words for the search are JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE REAR HATCH LIFTGATE TAILGATE POWER DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR

Lots of results.

I'm thinking the game plan for me is a combination of duct tape and epoxy, or caulking.......hmm. :cool2:

Thanks for the trade of info :)

When I got my 97 ZJ, I went junkyard exploring. Out of 6 ZJs in the yard, 5 didn't have rear hatches. I thought, "Well, that's something to keep in mind!" Protect what you have. It's important.

Another thing. Only one was a V8, but the front end was crushed. Most had bad transmissions.

Used gorilla glue epoxy on the clips, fit the glass in there good and rolled it up. Will wait two days for it to cure due to cold weather here.

mopar 4883254 for that latch, might want to order one online, I know I will next payday. I'm very excited for my liftgate to open like it's supposed to, on a regular basis. Soon it will actually be worth cleaning out my trunk.

Got any tips for passenger door lock actuators? The replacement parts are like $100 each!