I have a '94 Del Sol with a rear window issue. I traced it to a failure in the rear motor. I know these are out of production, so I've taken it apart to see if I could diagnose the issue internally. I found that the main nylon gear that is responsible for moving the pully system is cracked. I'm going to try to have a friend at work (I'm a teacher and we have a really cool STEAM lab) try to scan the broken part and 3D print a replacement. My question is this: has anyone had any experience in repairing a motor instead of replacing them? When I had my '98 Trans Am several years ago I learned that a common failure was the nylon gear in the headlight unit which many would swap out for an aftermarket brass one. Is there anything like this developed for the Del Sol rear window?

 

I have never heard of the rear motor going out as a common failure on these cars. That being the case i have never heard of an aftermarket fix. I think your on the right track getting the part 3D printed. Seems like maybe the only way to get just the part you need.

Other than that as hard as it maybe to find a sol in a scrap yard, if you get lucky you maybe able to pick up the whole assembly cheap.

 

I guess my post was a little misleading as far as it being common. Still, it's unfortunate these parts A) are not as easily replaced as those in the doors and B) are no longer in production. I always go the extreme in my thinking, and eventually there will be no more Del Sols from which to salvage functioning window assemblies.

 

The thing about this part is it was a Del Sol only piece. Many of the other pieces of a Del Sol are essentially parts bin. ie exterior door handles, suspension pieces, the motor itself ex. This makes general repair easier, though it makes the model specific parts seem daunting. This is how the old Mini and Mercedes guys feel daily. I know what you mean about there eventually being no more Sols to canabalise. I wince every time i see someone part out a decent shell. Though for the Sols on the road to stay there they need parts, and sadly theirs relatively few places those parts can come from.

If you do make your own cog be sure to share! Ide love too see this problem solved creatively.

 

Your best bet is get a used replacement if the part you're referring to cannot be repaired. I've only seen 2 Del Sols in the local salvage yard in a span of 3yrs. Fortunately, there are a few Del Sol part-outs on FB and Craigslist. I'm sure you can get that window motor fairly easy.

 

Just wanted to update with the results of my experiment. We didn't get far. There were problems getting the part scanned. Every time it was scanned it just turned out looking like a blob. A lot of our equipment gets moved around during summer maintenance, usually by people who are just trying to get things done as quickly as possible. We figure it was probably moved around and left uncovered over the summer months and and that the sensors got dusty. Our building is really old, so it's definitely possible. I ended up buying a whole unit (bulkhead, window, motor/regulator) for $75 from a guy semi-locally. The window may have come from overseas as it has a "Transtop" sticker in the middle of the window.