Lubricants that don't get tacky

Sounds like "magic grease" to my ears. Will be curious to read any answers ;-)

I've had some luck with Dri-Slide type lubes. But they really don't function the same as grease so have limited use.

I'm looking for some kind of lubricant that doesn't get tacky over time. The application is hand-cranked windows in an old car.

I think the tracks are the major problem, as pulling up on the window while turning the crank eases the effort dramatically. The machine gets driven only a few times per year and the windows are _always_ very stiff. If I exercise them a bit, they free up.

Aerosol spray is probably the easiest thing to apply, but I'm willing to consider liquid or paste if it'll help.

Thanks for reading, and any ideas!

bob prohaska

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I usually lube door hinges and window mechanisms exposed to moisture with LPS-3 in a needle oiler, diluted 1:1 or more with kerosine. It dries to a soft wax that protects from rust and makes a fairly good low speed lubricant that the kerosine allows to flow better into bearings. Plus the needle oiler puts it where it belongs and off the glass.

Better protected hinges get way oil.

I lightly marked the door panels at the snap-in fasteners to make removal easier.

How about Super Lube silicone synthetic grease from Synco??

I got some sillycone spray lube from the auto parts store for the truck window with the new seals . It helped , but the regulator mechanism is still worn out . The new one sitting next to my desk (thank you LMC truck) will be installed after we get the "new" motor into the '99 4Runner . And my wife off my back . She just doesn't understand how important it is that a man's truck be in good repair ... and a lot of stuff wears out after 36 years .

I had my old 1982 K10 rustproofed a couple times. One applicator shot a lot of goo inside both doors. They got it on the Door Window Glass Channel where the window slides down inside the door. I had to tear both doors apart, remove the channel and clean it with solvent. Wash it good again to remove the solvent and put it all back. Worked really good again. It was just a Custom model so had manual hand cranks.

I just looked at Rockauto parts and you can get the whole sheebang for $95. Top side seals, scrapers and that lower glass channel. I'd fixed the topside scrapers with RTV silicone where they had cracked a couple times. If I still had the truck I'd just get the kit and replace it all.

I've been spending some money at LMC Truck ... just got new window channels , only got the drivers side installed so far , the old ones were totally trashed and missing chunks . Got a question , I need to replace the manual window crank assembly since it's shot . It looks like I can tape the window up (all the way) and get the old one out ... any tips for that ? The new channels are a one piece , I don't want to pull the vent window assembly and mess it up .

I need a new light button module and 4WD button module for the Silverado. Been debating LMC Truck or GM Parts Direct. Might even go with Rock Auto if they have them since I need to order oil/filters/ etc for for servicing the Wrangler again.

Of course those button modules work with a play with them, so I I keep putting off replacing them.

Driver's side dome light switch needs replacing , as does the temp control fan switch . Haven't worried about the dome light switch , but that fan gotta be workin' to get cool and it's hinky . Fan switch will be at O'Reilly by Wednesday afternoon , as will some Toyota sway bar mount bushings and some Edelbrock rejet stuff - I'm runnin' a bit lean . I usually check O'Reilly , LMC , and eBay for any kind of part for the truck . I shouldn't be surprised stuff is wearing out , the truck is

When I was in the trade many years ago and silicone lubricants were still something of a novelty, we used a silicone aerosol spray that usually fixed it up if the tracks weren't too screwed up. Didn't make a mess, stayed in place. I use a silicone spray on my 89 F-250 windows.

I worked in a college town at BJ's Foreign Auto where there was a few Mercedes and Jags but heavy to baffed out, poorly maintained, sometimes weirdly engineered clunkers.

I'm no help with that. Never had to pull that assembly all the way out.

There's info in the Manual I linked you to awhile back for both the manual and power. Here is what it says in the manual: === WINDOW REGULATOR REPLACEMENT MANUAL REGULATOR ♦♦ Remove or Disconnect (Figure 12) • Raise the window and tape the glass in the full up position using cloth body tape.

1. Door trim panel. Refer to “ Door Trim Panel Replacement.”
2. Door panel to regulator bolts (42).
3. Window regulator. • Slide the regulator rearward to disengage the rear roller from the sash channel. Also disengage the lower roller from the regulator rail. • Disengage the forward roller from the sash channel at the notch in the sash channel. • Collapse the regulator, and remove it through the access hole in the door. ===

I posted the image for that whole page here:

That's pretty much the exact wording in my aftermarket manual . Problem is that the sector gear hits the front channel way before its far enough back to get the crank shaft clear of the hole in the door - I think that procedure will work for 'lectric windows though . I'm going to have to pull the front channel and vent window assembly to get enough clearance . I'm hoping I can pull the new window channel seals out without tearing them up . I wasn't going to change the reg but it's just too rough and stiff . Another thing I wasn't going to change is the fan switch . But it too is too worn which means tearing the dash apart again . Worst part of that is getting the aftermarket radio out . A big part of this flurry of work on the truck is because of the Toyota breaking down . If all goes well I may have it back from the shop later this week or early next with a "new" low mileage motor . I decided that 347.000 miles was maybe a bit too tired to do major top end work when I could replace it for a little more .

You would not believe how many times I had the dash/instrument cluster torn apart and/or the inside panel off my doors. I feel your pain 😬

Playing a hunch... there are some youtube vids you might want to watch for clues:

My dad had a contract for a local post office in his grocery store some years back. All they used in the box locks was Super Lube silicone spray lubricant.

Thanks for looking ... those are the same results I got , and the ones that replace manual crank units all pull the vent window frame/front channel unit . I'll deal with it after the car is back in service .

Hear ya with that. No fun losing your only set of wheels. Limped by using the motorcycle for two summers while trying to decide wether to fix the truck or get something else. Grocery days were fun...

My truck came with an AM radio🙄

Put a Cobra AM/FM 8-Track in its place hooked to 120 watt Equalizer Amp that fed two 6x9 speakers in the doors. So I had a good size hole in the lower front area of each door. Don't know if that would be enough for the regulator do come out but I sure would have found it had I needed to replace it. Holes came in handy while doing rust repair too🙂

The old "two for deal" Little Cesar's boxes were great for motorcycle runs because one end would rest on my lap while the other end rested on the handle bars... until the far end lifted up and hit me in the face.

I can't imagine not owning a truck anymore. For a short time in my 20s I didn't have one though. It was the same time I started my contracting business. I hired a friend who had a pickup truck and paid him mileage. LOL. I have not been without a truck since.

My 67 Ford Cortina GT came with an AM radio, but somebody had put some kind of spring operated sound distortion thing in it to make it sound like fake stereo. I ripped that thing out quick. Even an old k-Mart Kraco was better than that.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 1994 I was run off from the courtesy suite for Cobra. Some lady with a Cobra ID tag decided I looked homeless or something. In spite of clean jeans, nice shirt, and the big ass CES badge with my business name on it hanging around my neck. She literally took food out of my wife's hands and put it back on the table. I've been going to trade shows with family for various things since I was very little and I was never treated so crappy by a company rep before in my life. I've never purchased a Cobra product since. I bought a lot of electronics over the next couple decades for business and personal use both, but not one thing with a Cobra name badge on it. F*ck Cobra.

Sadly I used to like Cobra before that.

I had one of those "reverb" units in my '63 Valiant - along with an "FM Tuner" inline with the antenna.

My first was a 1973 ElCamino pseudo truck...

My Impala is the lowly LS version. Next one up has a fold down rear seat back, which is the only thing I miss. It has a good sized trunk. With the rear seat back removed I has able to fit a 1-1/4 inch 10 foot stick of conduit in and close the trunk. Just a hassle to unbolt the seat back rather than just folding it down. Quite a few cars have that ability now which helps with not having the truck. One of the posters of yore here had a small trailer he would pull with his Saturn when needed. Could get better mileage for his lengthy commute that way...

I've I few vendors like that, really pissed me off in someway. I think we all do🙂

There was a wholesale company called Comtron ~1980 that dealt in electronic goodies, Cobra being one of them. It was a refurb that I got really cheap. Cobra was trying to expand their offerings, more than just CB's. Don't know why but their AM/FM radio line was very brief. It was a decent unit, I still have it. Pulled all my goodies out of the truck, figuring it would end up in a shredder. Old friend/neighbor bought it though, been his daily driver for work 2 years now. It spun another torque converter (700R4 automatic) a couple months ago. Must have been around 110,000 miles on it this time. Only had ~40,000 on it when it spun on me... He had it sent out to be fixed (can't buy them anymore, at least not this model) and it's back on the road again...

Growing up I wanted a Subaru Brat. Another pseudo truck. I thought it was perfect. 4WD, hauls stuff, and jump seats in the back for when my friend wants to bring his asshole other friend. LOL. Sadly by the time I was old enough and able to look at new vehicles they didn't make them in the US anymore. There are two similar vehicles out today now. The Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz. I really like the features and looks of the Hyundai in some of its forms. I'd be tempted to buy one, but the 07 Duramax Silverado is running fine (paid off), and the '17 Jeep is still low miles and will be paid off this year. I don't need a third 4x4.

My wife buys these little compact cars and then brags about how much crap... er... I mean stuff... she can fit in them. Currently she is driving a Hyundai Veloster Turbo. Her previous car was a Pontiac Vibe. When I met her she drove a Miata upon which with purpose made bags she could strap on enough gear to camp for a week without going to the store for supplies. When the kids were little (after the second one was born) she did buy bigger vehicles. Mazda 626LX and then an Avalanche, but as soon as the kids started to drive she went back to smaller cars.

When we just had the first kid she would strap him into the Miata, and if we went anywhere together I'd follow on my motorcycle or one of my work trucks.

I envy people who can put s*it behind them. Sadly if something is pretty bad like that and they never make it right I don't have that ability. I had (deceased now) an older friend who was friendly to everybody. He could be in a legal battle with somebody, and still be their friend outside the courtroom. I asked him how he was able to do that. He said, "In thirty years nobody will even remember much less care." I envied that ability. Its funny. I mentioned the Cobra incident to my wife last night and she doesn't even remember it.