Installing new windshield curtain and motor drive

[Dave Cunningham]

Thanks to John and Linda, I installed my new curtain and drive motor today, finally on my third beaver, I have a powered front curtain, I am probably more exited about this than you guys are about your MCD conversions

Thanks guys!

[Adam Hicklin]

Dave, since you just got yours set up, maybe you can help me.  My curtain has a couple problems.  First, the gear pully on the end keeps popping off the rail (opposite end of motor, by the door.)  I can force it back it on and it stays for a time, but eventually wiggles its way loose.  Any fix for this?  The second problem is the the curtain gets hung up.  It will move along for 12-18 inches at a time, then stop.  A little nudge tot he leading edge gets it going again.  I can't really see where or what is making it hang up.  Almost like a lack of power.  Any ideas would be appreciated.

Adam
98 Marquis.  

[David T. Richelderfer]

You should be helping the trailing curtain by pulling it along while guiding it.  I help mine open and close to take pressure off the motor and slip-clutch.  I figure the less work it has to do, then the longer the motor and clutch will operate without wearing out.  I try to manually pull the curtain so that the motor and clutch have no more than about three feet of curtain to pull or push.

[Dave Cunningham]

Hi Adam, from your description, I think you may have a different system that what I have, the motor I got from the Hennesseys, has a rubber pinch roller that rides on the curtain rail and pulls the curtain open , then pushes it closed, which is wired through the curtain itself. I think the earlier models used a different system, I had a 2000 marquis ,but the motor was missing as well, as for the curtain hanging up, mine was really stiff around the corners as well so I took some silicone spray and soaked a rag, then ran it down both sides of the rail, and now it works awesome.
Sorry I couldn't help much.

Dave

[Adam Hicklin]

David, I have been helping it along,  my thinking being the same as yours...take some stress off the thing.  Works great if I have a helper as the switch is above the driver seat.  Today while retracting it, it got almost all the way open, then quit.  I can hear the motor slipping on the track. Nothing moves.  I can't even move the curtain by hand.  I'll have to figure out how to disassemble the thing.  Does anyone have any idea how to access the motor?  Would it be behind the switch which on the 98 marquis is located above the driver seat in the compartment which houses the video selector switch and ant amp?

Dave. Sounds like a different set up.  Mine has a plastic "chain" which rides inside the curtain track in a loop.  Attached to the chain is a carrier which the leading hook of the curtain attaches to.  The rest of the curtain hooks just float freely in the track and are pushed or pulled by the carrier.  It seems that the actual chain gets bound up inside the track though.  May be a moot point though as I may have busted it for good today.

[Tom and Pam Brown]

Adam, if your is like my 99 the motor is behind the curved piece  where the curtain is in the stored position.  Sound like the motor may have slipped down a bit and is not making contact with the drive.  The curve piece I am talking about is behind the drivers seat with the light.  You can see the motor if you look behind this piece.
If you need help PM me with your telephone number.

[Adam Hicklin]

Hi Tom.  

You were right.  Motor is exactly where you described.  Through some more investigation I found that the plastic belt inside the track is broken.  It broke between the two carrier pieces which are attached to the belt, then the curtain attaches to a lead piece that rides between the two carrier pieces.  For some reason, the curtain closes fine, even with the broken belt.  But it wont open.  In open direction the belt gets bunched up inside the track.  Now what?  I think first I'll try to splice the belt back together somehow.  I doubt anyone still has a replacement belt and I don't know how it would be replaced even if one was available.  Any ideas?  Anyone?