If your windows are running slowly, the most likely culprit is the cables running from the handle/motor to the regulator. It's possible the channel the window runs in is dry or caked in shit, so try lubricating it with some WD40. If that doesn't fix it or, as was the case with Yuki, a cable has actually snapped, it all needs to come out. You might be lucky and get away with just lubricating the cables (and runners), but the chances are they're corroded and mostly fucked already. Either way, here's how to get them off the car.

What you will need
Ratchet
10mm socket
14mm socket
Phillips head screwdriver

What to do
Firstly, the door card needs to come off. It was already off when I started the job as it has been off for ages now, and I've not put it back on yet. I'll update this with some pictures when I put it back on, but taking the door card off is piss easy. Firstly, unscrew the handle. It is held on with some fairly large phillips headed screws. The top one is behind a cap that will need prising off. On mine, the door pockets are made from the same material covering the doors. On the outside edge, there is a single capped phillips head screw. Depending on the model of MX-5 you have, you may well have more door furniture. I imagine it should just unscrew like the handle. Once all the furniture is off, a swift tug on the outside edges of the bottom part of the door (not the upper padded section) will unclip it from the door. Be careful not to bend the door card too far as it is only made from hardboard. The upper padded section is also screwed to the lower part and the screws/hardboard is a bit flimsy. Once the whole of the lower section is unlipped, lift the entire doorcard straight up, it should come away with easy. Stow it somewhere safe to prevent damage.

You should now be looking at something not too disimilar to this...



First off, remove the speaker. Easy enough.


Next, unscrew the interior handle/lock. Three screws.


Next up is the plastic membrane. You can carfully cut it off and tape it back on, although if it's a warm day the black gloopy stuff holding it on will be soft enough to just pull off. Be warned though, it's sticky stuff and will get everywhere!


As you're pulling off the membrane, you'll need to feed the handle/lock mechanism through the slit in the membrane.


Once the membrane is off, you'll be left with something a little like this.


At the point, you need to wind the window about halfway up/down so that you can access the three screws holding it to the window lifting plate. If you have manual windows, you'll need the handle back on.






Next, the window stoppers need to come out. If you look down inside the door, you'll see them.




They're removed be undoing the 10mm bolts shown below. You'll need to put your hand inside the door to catch them to save them clattering down into the bottom of the door.




The glass will now lift straight out of the door. It's possible the cables can get caught on the yellow plastic lugs on the window, so don't just yank it out.


The glass out of the door.


The glass needs to be stowed somewhere safe to prevent damage. Don't leave it on the floor, it's likely to get trodden on. I put mine behind the seats.


Next up, the regulator needs to come out. There are four bolts holding it in. Two are on the bottom of the door. You'll need your 14mm socket.




The other two are the remaining two bolts on the top of the door, also 14mm.


Don't remove the regulator just yet. Firstly, undo the three 10mm bolts holding the motor/handle mechanism on.




If your windows are electic, unclip the plug.


The motor/mechanism can now be removed through the speaker hole.


The cables are clipped to the bodywork by plastic clips. They need to be unclipped. A small flat head screwdriver is probably the easiest method.




The cables should now not be attached to the door (but still to the motor and regulator. Unless they've snapped, of course.


The regulator can then be removed from the door. You'll need to push the upper end of it away from the door to enable it to be lifted up, then out through the large inner skin aperture.


If you're just lubricating the cables and/or runners, you should have enough access to them now to do so. Once done, refit is the reverse of removal.

If you're replacing the whole mechanism (motor and regulator), or just the cables, then unclip the old cables from the regulator. Before you do so, make a mental note of how they attach (or take a photo/make a drawing), it will save head scratching later on.




Here's the regulator with nothing attached.


The cables, still attached to the motor/winder can then be pulled back through the door. Here they are layed out on the floor.


And the broken cable.


If you're replacing the whole mechanism, this is the point where you start putting stuff back together. I should imagine than whatever type of mechanism you have (cable or worm gear), you'll have to take it apart to a certain degree to get the regulator and motor/winder back into the door. Refit is the reverse of removal. Note that when feeding the cables attached to the motor back into the door, they need to run between the inner door skin and the support bar. If, however, you've opted to replace the cables, read on.

New next to old. (Note that they're upside down in relation to the old ones. Oops!)


If you didn't make a note of the cables and how they attach to the regualator, the 'up' cable attaches to the top of the regulator around a pulley and is the shorter of the two cables. It does, however, have a longer outer sheath. Attaching to the motor/winder, the 'up' cable goes into the right hand side of the motor. Note that this is the drivers door, it is likely to be reversed for the passenger side.

Anyway, the cables need to be removed from the motor/winder. Remove the cover plate held on by two screws. You should see something like this.


Mine had been lunched!


Remove the old cables and feed the new ones into the winder. Remember to fit the new springs you had with the cables over them before you feed them into the winder. They're pictured without the springs because I forgot to add them, which became a huge annoyance and potch when I'd realised my error after finally getting the cables wound onto the drum!


Here's the cable being wound into the drum. NOTE: They've not been wound on correctly there. Please read below before you continue!




This is where the pictures stop because getting the cables onto the drum is a massive potch. I also fucked it up a couple of times and had to redo it, managing to bork a new cable in the process. Luckily I had bought two pairs as I had planned to do the other door too.

1) Attach the right hand cable onto the lower side if the drum, then wind it all the way around the drum, leaving the last run for the cable empty for the other 'down' cable.
2) Place the drum back into the winder.
3) Carefully prise the drum out just enough to be able to wrap the 'down' cable around the drum and put the end into its locator in the top. It is probably easier to give yourself plenty of slack and place the cable into the locator hole first, then wrap the cable around the drum. It should only be about 1 turn.
4) Put the drum back into the winder and replace the screwed-on cover. It is important to not let the cables go too slack as they might skip the runs on the drum which will lunch them again, especially if you have electric windows.
5) Feed the loose end of both cables through the speaker hole and back out of the large hole. Remember to feed them between the inner door skin and the support bar. Place the motor/winder back into its mounting holes, but don't bolt it back up yet.
6) Remember that the majority of the cable on the drum was from the 'up' cable. This means that when it's all attached, the window plate will be at the top of the regulator.
7) Re-attach the cables in the manner that they came off. Do the upper one first. Remember that the long white plastic lug on the winder end of the cable needs to slot into the winder. If you don't do this, you won't have enough slack on the cable to get it on to the regulator. Run the cable around the pulley and attach it to the window lift plate. The white plastic clip on the cable attaches to a metal lug next to the pulley (took me a while to figuret that one out!). Remember to keep a reasonable tension on the cables.
8) Next, the lower cable. You might find another easier method to get this on, but this is the one I tried. Unclip the lower plastic cable run that changes the cable direction. Feed the cable around it as it should and clip the cable to the window lift plate. Now you should be able to re-attach the cable run, although it might take some effort as both cables will be taut when you do it. Here is where it is crucial that both of the white plastic lugs are located into the winder. You'll probably find that the springs (you did put them on, right?) will both be fully compressed. This is fine.

Once you've got everything clipped back in, give it a test. If your windows are manual, wind them slowly. If they're electric, use short bursts. Listen for any funky grinding noises coming from the winder and check that the window lift plate moves in the correct direction and smoothly. If something doesn't sound right or it's not working, you've fucked up somewhere and need to take it apart again. Enjoy! If everything seems well, try it to full extension up and down, listening for noises again. If all is well, you've just fixed your windows!

Now all you need to do is put it back together. Refit is the reverse of removal. Note: You will probably need to prise the rubber seals out of the way of the yellow plastic lugs to get the glass back into the door. A small flathead screwdriver is fine for this. Also ensure that the metal lug on the bottom outer corner of the window slots into the metal rail. You may also find that the yellow lugs catch on the winder cables if you haven't clipped them back onto the door skin.

That's about it! I'll update this with some doorcard pics and detailed pics on the steps above when I do the other door. Other than that, have fun!