Originally Posted by BobW (Post 3991966)

I just replaced my drivers side regulator to cure the rattle. Not a super hard job. Just spent some time getting the window aligned after reassembly. After some of these comments I will take another look at the one I took out. I assumed the problem was some play in the track from all the up/downing every time you open the door. The part itself wasn’t that expensive. $133 shipped to me. There are aftermarket ones too. Not much price difference though.

Originally Posted by CyFi6 (Post 3932558)

I wanted to provide some input on this because even my 2017 Z with less than 10K miles started to have the infamous window rattle. I was able to narrow it down to what appears to be a device that keeps tension on the cable used to drive the window up and down. It a spring loaded device with a 2 piece toothed ratchet mechanism.

When the window is moved upward, slack is created in the cable at the tensioner location and the spring keeps tension on the cable. When the window is moved downward the ratchet engages and allows precise movement of the window without letting the spring compress.

When the window is rolled all the way up pressure is removed from the ratchet gear and since it is free floating in there its loose and starts to rattle. I think this is more pronounced as the cable stretches which may be why a new regulator doesn't rattle but not long after will start to rattle. As soon as you start to move the window back down the ratchet re-engages and the noise goes away.

I ended up removing the ratchet piece of the gear entirely to get rid of the rattle. Alternatively you might be able to pack the inside of the mechanism with a thick grease to prevent the gear from rattling. Removing the ratchet in theory would make the down movement of the window less precise since the first initial movement of the regulator motor would be used to compress the spring, but I haven't seen any noticeable difference and the window still moves down and out of the way quickly when opening the door.

Its easy to take the tensioner apart, simply compress the spring and then undo the cable from the pulley marked with the green arrow. Once the tension is relieved from the cable the tensioner will come apart and you can remove the gear piece or coat it with heavy grease.

You will of course need to remove the glass and the regulator assembly to get to this since its behind the big metal panel in the door.

Hopefully this is helpful for someone. If anyone else can figure out a better way to prevent the free floating ratchet from rattling please chime in.

Originally Posted by BobW (Post 3991966)

I just replaced my drivers side regulator to cure the rattle. Not a super hard job. Just spent some time getting the window aligned after reassembly. After some of these comments I will take another look at the one I took out. I assumed the problem was some play in the track from all the up/downing every time you open the door. The part itself wasn’t that expensive. $133 shipped to me. There are aftermarket ones too. Not much price difference though.

Originally Posted by NitroZ (Post 3940037)

I wish it was easy peasy. Took inside door panel off. Wiring. Insulated. Tied things together. No obvious rattle or anything loose. Used black silicone to help hold all the plastic buttons in place. Everything that was even remotely loose was stabilized. Its either inside the door or related to whatever moves the window up or down or something else. It sound like if you were to cups your hands together and shake two or three bottle caps. More plastic than metallic. SO annoying. :confused:

Originally Posted by halonut (Post 4011423)

The foam fix worked for me & it was really easy. Just remove the door panel & speaker enclosure, then I snuck my arm in (tight fit but very doable) & put a 4" piece of that round foam pipe insulation around the adjuster with the ratchet (see pics above). Then I cut about 6" off the end of a pool noodle & wedged it in between the door frame & the piece of pipe insulation (do all of this with the window up & test drive before reassembling). No removal of window or regulator required.

The rattle is gone & I don't have to drop the window slightly...just nice & quiet now. It was also super easy to replace the door stay while I was at it so now I have a nice quiet door that stays open.

ps: you will need to reset the window after completion...just roll all the way down & then all the way up holding the switch in the up position for at least 5 seconds.

Originally Posted by Horizon (Post 4011429)

Hey Halonut, could you stick your phone in there and take a video of how you set it up? I read your explanation, but a video would be much easier to comprehend. Thank you!!

Originally Posted by Horizon (Post 4021818)

Hey guys, I just completed this DIY and completely fixed my rattle! I recorded the process from start to finish and will be uploading a YouTube video on it soon. It’s not a perfect tutorial, but it is more than enough to get the job done. In case my signature isn’t below this comment, my YouTube channel is ThatRedNismo. If you don’t want to watch the video, the write-up by user CyFi6 (or something like that) posted above will tell you the general explanation of how to fix the issue. If you’re concerned about how to adjust the window after reinstalling it, check out this video: https://youtu.be/_voJoMBUo3g.

Originally Posted by Horizon (Post 4023179)

Hey guys, I finally fixed the issue and recorded the entire process. Here is the link to the video on my youtube channel. https://youtu.be/aTeq8NIkjZ8. That link currently takes you to the unlisted video, but I will be making it public in a week or two. In case the link stops working after that, my channel is youtube.com/thatrednismo.

Originally Posted by Horizon (Post 4011429)

Hey Halonut, could you stick your phone in there and take a video of how you set it up? I read your explanation, but a video would be much easier to comprehend. Thank you!!