Window Regulator -GEN 3/4 Archilles Heel

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We have had some folks write to us about the regulator versions that are out there and what is the absolute latest and greatest. Here is the supersedence narrative directly from Chrysler:

Version. . . . Superseded
04865610AA  03/08/2003 
04865610AB  10/15/2003 
04865610AC  10/29/2004 
04865610AD  05/12/2006 
04865610AE  11/19/2008 
04865610AF . . . . . . . . . .​
  

Let's say you have a 2005 Viper SRT10 VCA Edition. They were built in late summer of 2004, so they have the "AC" version. That means that there have been three updated versions since then. This is not the slightest bit unusual for factory parts, as they always seem to be getting tweaked and improved, or even change manufacturers entirely. For example, nobody has complained about their fender supports on their Gen 3/4, yet they are now on version AJ, having started from AA. Just like the cars themselves, they are often changed over time.

Now we tried to wade through this thread to see how many late 2009 and 2010 builds were affected and few list the year of their cars. Most that we could find said that they have not had a problem with these newer cars. So this would lead us to believe that this latest version (AF) seems to be holding up fairly well.

One other note: You may notice that there are no later versions after AF, including AG or AH. While Mopar does show AG and AH in the system they do not show them as superseding from these earlier versions. We have both 04865610AF and 04865610AH on order and should have them within a couple weeks (AF will be here Friday). We will compare the two in detail including connectors, mounting points, etc. We will then post photos and notes here.

Hope this helps!
 

PeterMJ

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We have had some folks write to us about the regulator versions that are out there and what is the absolute latest and greatest. Here is the supersedence narrative directly from Chrysler:

Version. . . . Superseded
04865610AA  03/08/2003 
04865610AB  10/15/2003 
04865610AC  10/29/2004 
04865610AD  05/12/2006 
04865610AE  11/19/2008 
04865610AF . . . . . . . . . .​
  

Let's say you have a 2005 Viper SRT10 VCA Edition. They were built in late summer of 2004, so they have the "AC" version. That means that there have been three updated versions since then. This is not the slightest bit unusual for factory parts, as they always seem to be getting tweaked and improved, or even change manufacturers entirely. For example, nobody has complained about their fender supports on their Gen 3/4, yet they are now on version AJ, having started from AA. Just like the cars themselves, they are often changed over time.

Now we tried to wade through this thread to see how many late 2009 and 2010 builds were affected and few list the year of their cars. Most that we could find said that they have not had a problem with these newer cars. So this would lead us to believe that this latest version (AF) seems to be holding up fairly well.

One other note: You may notice that there are no later versions after AF, including AG or AH. While Mopar does show AG and AH in the system they do not show them as superseding from these earlier versions. We have both 04865610AF and 04865610AH on order and should have them within a couple weeks (AF will be here Friday). We will compare the two in detail including connectors, mounting points, etc. We will then post photos and notes here.

Hope this helps!
So what is the part number for Gen 5? I have 09 and no issues but curious what does gen 5 really use. I cannot imagine that with these cars being on the road, there are no replacement parts available yet...
 
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So what is the part number for Gen 5? I have 09 and no issues but curious what does gen 5 really use. I cannot imagine that with these cars being on the road, there are no replacement parts available yet...

04865610AH and 04865611AH

They are in the system, just not in stock outside of production.

This is not even slightly unusual for the Viper, as they usually devote all the stock to build the newly-designed cars and then start stocking service parts as they come in.

We would be willing to bet that there hasn't been a single Gen 5 window regulator failure yet as it is too soon and too few miles have been traveled on customer cars. Thus no urgency to stock them for repairs just yet.
 

PeterMJ

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04865610AH and 04865611AH

They are in the system, just not in stock outside of production.

This is not even slightly unusual for the Viper, as they usually devote all the stock to build the newly-designed cars and then start stocking service parts as they come in.

We would be willing to bet that there hasn't been a single Gen 5 window regulator failure yet as it is too soon and too few miles have been traveled on customer cars. Thus no urgency to stock them for repairs just yet.
Knock on wood, this is not an issue on my 09 either. I agree there will be no failures most likely, however, should a car get in an accident, not sure what would happen then (like in being sideswiped).
 
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Well, it seems we forgot that we ordered a pair of the new regulators a while back - so guess what showed up today? :D We already had a broken sample of the current 2003 - 2010 Gen 3/4 version (AF) which got cracked in shipping, so we put the 2013 Gen 5 version (AH) side-by-side to compare. What did we find? Here you go:

AF_AH.jpg


At first glance it looks like they are pretty much identical. The plastic tubes are the same size, as are all of the other plastic pieces we could see. But then we noticed the aluminum mounting plate and the fact that it had different mounting holes:

AF_AH1.jpg


We then saw that one of the tubes on the motor bracket was fastened to the plate on the earlier AF version but not fastened on the 2013 AH version:

AF_AH2.jpg


We also found that two rivets on the earlier version were now using nuts and screws:

AF_AH3.jpg


AF_AH4.jpg


The only other thing which may or may not mean anything was a label on the motor bracket. It showed the following on the current AF version:

CURRENT: 3.34
Amp T: 3.09

while the 2013 (AH) version showed:

CURRENT: 1.27
Amp T: 2.54

That may be part of the assembly code or who knows what - we certainly don't. (lol)

AF_AH5.jpg


So there you have it and as always, we hope it helps!
 

PeterMJ

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Well, it seems we forgot that we ordered a pair of the new regulators a while back - so guess what showed up today? :D We already had a broken sample of the current 2003 - 2010 Gen 3/4 version (AF) which got cracked in shipping, so we put the 2013 Gen 5 version (AH) side-by-side to compare. What did we find? Here you go:

AF_AH.jpg


At first glance it looks like they are pretty much identical. The plastic tubes are the same size, as are all of the other plastic pieces we could see. But then we noticed the aluminum mounting plate and the fact that it had different mounting holes:

AF_AH1.jpg


We then saw that one of the tubes on the motor bracket was fastened to the plate on the earlier AF version but not fastened on the 2013 AH version:

AF_AH2.jpg


We also found that two rivets on the earlier version were now using nuts and screws:

AF_AH3.jpg


AF_AH4.jpg


The only other thing which may or may not mean anything was a label on the motor bracket. It showed the following on the current AF version:

CURRENT: 3.34
Amp T: 3.09

while the 2013 (AH) version showed:

CURRENT: 1.27
Amp T: 2.54

That may be part of the assembly code or who knows what - we certainly don't. (lol)

AF_AH5.jpg


So there you have it and as always, we hope it helps!
Excellent analysis. Do the screws instead of rivets indicate a possibility of replacable tubing? The differences are subtle and at least for me, not sufficient to build confidence but hopefully I am wrong. I was expecting a metal tube instead of nylon but I am sure Chrysler knows best.
 
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Excellent analysis. Do the screws instead of rivets indicate a possibility of replacable tubing? The differences are subtle and at least for me, not sufficient to build confidence but hopefully I am wrong. I was expecting a metal tube instead of nylon but I am sure Chrysler knows best.

The problem is that you cannot buy "parts of parts", so even if the tubes were replaceable you wouldn't be able to purchase them separately.

Again, as we aren't hearing too much about problems with the current AF version (and see little difference in the 2013 AH version), we suspect the AF is the best solution for Gen 3's & 4's for now - and maybe ever. And the AF's are in stock and shipping from Mopar.

Mark Jorgensen at Woodhouse has been following this closely with Chrysler, so be sure to see what he learns as well. Thanks Mark for all you do to help the Viper community!
 

PeterMJ

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There is a place that rebuilds these regulators, I am pretty sure they replace the tubing among other things. I would love to know where they find their service parts. Not to hijack but are the headlight lenses available for srt10? I agree that the updated part for Gen4 may be the best choice for replacement part. The absence of metal retainer on the Gen5 part is pretty puzzling. I like the enlarged mounting holes on the metal plate though, seems like they should be easier to install without stressing the tubing excessively.
The problem is that you cannot buy "parts of parts", so even if the tubes were replaceable you wouldn't be able to purchase them separately.

Again, as we aren't hearing too much about problems with the current AF version (and see little difference in the 2013 AH version), we suspect the AF is the best solution for Gen 3's & 4's for now - and maybe ever. And the AF's are in stock and shipping from Mopar.

Mark Jorgensen at Woodhouse has been following this closely with Chrysler, so be sure to see what he learns as well. Thanks Mark for all you do to help the Viper community!
 
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There is a place that rebuilds these regulators, I am pretty sure they replace the tubing among other things. I would love to know where they find their service parts. Not to hijack but are the headlight lenses available for srt10? I agree that the updated part for Gen4 may be the best choice for replacement part. The absence of metal retainer on the Gen5 part is pretty puzzling. I like the enlarged mounting holes on the metal plate though, seems like they should be easier to install without stressing the tubing excessively.

The question is whether those revised mounting holes will still fit a Gen 3/4. Besides being different angles and missing one entirely on the AH, the top right hole seems like it is placed slightly different than AF. Could be why they don't show the AF superseding to AG or AH, but we are sure we will learn more soon.

And no, they don't sell the lenses separately - you need to buy the entire light assembly. Mopar also makes a headlight restorer kit too if you have hazing. All of those are on our site of course.
 

franchise

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WOW...great analysis! Thanks VPA!

Any non-tech certified, but DIYers out there try to change their own?
wondering on difficulty...

Thanks,
R
 

fastandloud

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WOW...great analysis! Thanks VPA!

Any non-tech certified, but DIYers out there try to change their own?
wondering on difficulty...

Thanks,
R

Replaced my passenger side about 2-3 weeks ago. Not difficult at all really. Just take your time removing the door panel so you don't brake the top trim piece. The rest is just removing bolts, the window, the regulator and then reverse. Took me a little over an hour, hour and a half.
 

PeterMJ

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Replaced my passenger side about 2-3 weeks ago. Not difficult at all really. Just take your time removing the door panel so you don't brake the top trim piece. The rest is just removing bolts, the window, the regulator and then reverse. Took me a little over an hour, hour and a half.
It would be a good idea for you to make a little tutorial write up with pics for others to gain some confidence to get this done. Sounds like a pretty annoying problem has just been resolved courtesy of people like you and invaluable assistance from VPA. :2tu:

I'll be doing the same shortly for the skip shift solenoid for Gen 4 since this is a very annoying issue as well.
 
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If somebody does a nice DIY on this you might be able to get VIPER magazine to publish it. They usually have a "How To" article in every issue and this would be a good one.
 

Viktimize

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If somebody does a nice DIY on this you might be able to get VIPER magazine to publish it. They usually have a "How To" article in every issue and this would be a good one.

I'm always amazed at the lack of DIY content on this forum compared to others. I was going to do one up for running a back up camera, maybe I will put one together for the regulator once I need to order one.
 
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SRT has assured me the new "H" parts are compatible back to 03'.
There may even be a TSB issued to insure only the newest part is used when repairing faulty ones.


The question is whether those revised mounting holes will still fit a Gen 3/4. Besides being different angles and missing one entirely on the AH, the top right hole seems like it is placed slightly different than AF. Could be why they don't show the AF superseding to AG or AH, but we are sure we will learn more soon.

And no, they don't sell the lenses separately - you need to buy the entire light assembly. Mopar also makes a headlight restorer kit too if you have hazing. All of those are on our site of course.
 

franchise

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Good info! Thanks fastandloud!

So is it better to use the H instead of the AF? (esp if they are compatible)

Thanks,
Ron
 

HyperViper

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Looks like I am in for this as well. Wife closed the passenger door and heard a loud Kthunk. Started to roll down the window and heard scraping so stopped and rolled back up.
 

latamud

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Looks like I am in for this as well. Wife closed the passenger door and heard a loud Kthunk. Started to roll down the window and heard scraping so stopped and rolled back up.


Let me guess, the front of the window sags a little now. This is probably an easy fix for you. The forward peg on the glass popped out of the plastic piece on the regulator. The door slamming probably forced the groove of the peg through the retaining C clip. If you carefully remove the door pannel you can probably feel around and figure this out.
 

ROCKET62

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Could you also potentially figure this out/potentially fix by just taking out the speaker? Would save a lot of head aches of having to remove the entire door panel - especially if you don't know exactly what you are doing. Looking in through the speaker hole with an inspection camera might also be a good way to look at the plastic tubes for those concerned.


Let me guess, the front of the window sags a little now. This is probably an easy fix for you. The forward peg on the glass popped out of the plastic piece on the regulator. The door slamming probably forced the groove of the peg through the retaining C clip. If you carefully remove the door pannel you can probably feel around and figure this out.
 

latamud

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For that part of the regulator, I suppose that would work, removing the speaker.

Could you also potentially figure this out/potentially fix by just taking out the speaker? Would save a lot of head aches of having to remove the entire door panel - especially if you don't know exactly what you are doing. Looking in through the speaker hole with an inspection camera might also be a good way to look at the plastic tubes for those concerned.
 

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