Lubricant for Window Tracks?

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BrutalB83

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What kind of lubricant is supposed to be used in window tracks??? I've got a 95 Civic DX that I bought for cheap to use as a winter beater and the driver's window is really hard to crank up. I already replaced the window regulator crank because the old one was bent up and broken, but I'm afraid the new one is going to get bent up as well.

I have plenty of lithium grease in the garage, but that seems like it's more for metal and it seems like it would make a mess on the window. So...silicone-based lubricant? Something else I'm not aware of? Any tips from people who have dealt with this? Apparently it's common on the 92-95 Civic to have problems with the manual windows...
 
on the elantra forum it has been advised to use air tool oil. lithium grease will collect dirt and grime and turn goopy.
 
i usually clean condition and lubricate the rubber window channels with the silicone spray lubricant
has worked well for me thus far

if you are talking about the metal inside the door i dont know what to suggest ive never had to mess with those... but the air tool oil sounds like solid advice
 
on the elantra forum it has been advised to use air tool oil. lithium grease will collect dirt and grime and turn goopy.

You know what...I think I did read that somewhere. I'll look in to it, thanks.

i usually clean condition and lubricate the rubber window channels with the silicone spray lubricant
has worked well for me thus far

Yeah, the rubber channels that the window slides up in to are what I'm talking about. Ok, so +1 on silicone lubricant. I might have some of that already, so I'll give it a go and see what happens...
 
i usually clean condition and lubricate the rubber window channels with the silicone spray lubricant
has worked well for me thus far

This is what I use when I'm not totally lazy. You can get it at the auto parts store. It's what's been recommended to me by quite a few custom shops before. When I AM being lazy, I use... nothing.
 
Well, I found a can of silicone spray lube in the garage, so I'm going to give that a go this weekend. Will report the results...
 
spray it heavy
let it soak for a few minutes
wipe out the track with a rag
repeat 2 or 3 times (more if the track is really dirty or the rubber is really dry)
finish with a light coating of silicone


also helpful for conditioning the rubber seals everywhere else and stopping the hatch squeak and such
 
spray it heavy
let it soak for a few minutes
wipe out the track with a rag
repeat 2 or 3 times (more if the track is really dirty or the rubber is really dry)
finish with a light coating of silicone


also helpful for conditioning the rubber seals everywhere else and stopping the hatch squeak and such

1. lube it
2. stroke it
3. wipe out the white stuff
4. repeat

Got it. :ph34r:
 
spray it heavy
let it soak for a few minutes
wipe out the track with a rag
repeat 2 or 3 times (more if the track is really dirty or the rubber is really dry)
finish with a light coating of silicone


also helpful for conditioning the rubber seals everywhere else and stopping the hatch squeak and such

Nice, I will give it a go. Thanks!
 
hey, um... in my experience with the window track (rubber guides) issue... lube works for a while... but then it starts to bind again after a while... windows binding usually points to worn guides.. it allows the glass to kinda wedge itself into the window frame instead of going stright up and down.. buy a new set of rubber window guides and you can kiss the lube goodbye....
 
hey, um... in my experience with the window track (rubber guides) issue... lube works for a while... but then it starts to bind again after a while... windows binding usually points to worn guides.. it allows the glass to kinda wedge itself into the window frame instead of going stright up and down.. buy a new set of rubber window guides and you can kiss the lube goodbye....

Yeah, I wondered about that actually. I bought this car for $1,000 just to use as a commuter, so I'm trying not to spend a ton of money on it, ya know? I'll give the silicon spray a try and then maybe look in to new tracks if it doesn't help...
 
the silicone does soak in to and condition the rubber and can revive it as long as its not completely trashed
 
Update...I cleaned out the track, doused it with the silicone spray, let it soak in for a bit, doused it again, and then rolled the window up and down several times. It now works perfectly! Thanks guys!
 
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