Crystal Lite Blind Repair

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Thu Feb 09, 2017 10:08 pm

I'm starting to take my roof apart to repair one of my blinds. I was following the couple of posts I could find and have a simple question for those who have gone before me. The main section where the light is is held in by what appear to be plastic inserts of some kind. They don't unscrew, I haven't been able to get hold of them when needle nose pliers I need a few suggestions besides drilling them out and buy new ones.

Any technique that works would be appreciated. I've added a picture to show where it is.

Thanks

Larry

TieMyShoe · Post by **TieMyShoe** » Thu Feb 09, 2017 10:46 pm

the center piece unthreads then the plastic clip becomes free to release. Sometimes the threads strip and it wont unthread. You may need to get a pick under the screw portion to help coax it out.

Post by **thelazygreenfox** » Thu Feb 09, 2017 10:50 pm

Larry
They look like barb fittings. If so rip them out and buy more from Amayama. Go to their website, describe the fitting and they'll find them and send you a quote. Delica uses lots of them to hold plastic panels on.

MD

north54 · Post by **north54** » Thu Feb 09, 2017 11:00 pm

I have 3 blinds that don't work. Please post your process of repair if you can! Will be following this thread closely...

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Fri Feb 10, 2017 6:12 pm

Well I spent the day carefully taking things apart and only have the rear half left to get access to the blinds. I confirmed that my problem is the plastic clips which I think is most common. The plastic pieces I referred to above are now out and as expected are in pieces as well. I'll get organized to see about getting some as well as other little push-in pieces once I've figured out how many I need. Amayama has them you think MD - we'll find out next week. I'm using the 2 posts below to take things apart and to build the clips. If anyone has comments or needs a few pictures let me know. I'll post what I've taken once I'm finished In the meantime below are the plastic inserts.
http://www.delica.ca/forum/viewtopic.ph ... ade+repair
http://www.delica.ca/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 8e8#p80520

DCS · Post by **DCS** » Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:03 pm

I've got two that are also broken. my buddy sent me this link.

http://thedelicapage.blogspot.ca/2007/0 ... tions.html

Does anybody knows the best place to grab these motors and how much do they run?

I will also be following.

tomaboyd · Post by **tomaboyd** » Sun Feb 12, 2017 8:52 am

Those clips are not Delica specific. They are very common. A good parts store should have them in different sizes.

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:38 pm

The blind repair is now done and tested. The clips that Jamie made work fine BUT it certainly is not as simple as he made it seem. I will put together the pictures I took as well as comments in the near future. For now I have the following observations:

1. Don't bother if you only have 1 problem blind especially if it is the one adjacent the sliding door.

2. Be prepared to remove the entire roof from front to back and have a place to put it as there are a lot of pieces.

3. Don't hurry the process as bad things can happen.

4. Make sure you have a good metric socket set and correct size of phillips screw driver for the various screws.

5. Make sure to use a proper autobody tool to remove all the plastic push in clips.

6. I removed the blind to practice the clip manufacture. This may not be necessary but it's easier to see what happens if it's on a work bench.

7. Use an alternate fused ( 5A ) source to test so you don't burn out any motors. A large supply of fuses is also a good idea.

Larry

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Sun Feb 19, 2017 11:49 am

The one blind I needed to fix was @ the passenger door so I began removing the ceiling and window treatment based on the idea that the rest of the roof could remain intact. It didn't take long to figure out this was not going to work as the center light covered bolts I needed to remove as well the cross duct covered some. This meant all but the rear would need to be removed. As it turned out to remove the shade I needed to remove the rear portion as well. If your problem blind is any of the other 3 and you think you can fit the new clip in place without removing the blind much of the roof may be able to stay in place. The removal I'll show will be for the complete roof which will give an idea of all the equipment covered. The one positive of removing the entire roof trim is you will be able to search for rust which is a common problem with CL roofs. I was lucky the only rust I could find was along the rear of the front sunroof and the CL area was dusty but just like new.

The curtains and side trim are the first to come out. The order is determined by overlaps. Three types of screws are used so you may want to note where they came from. In addition to screws and clips the weatherstripping around the window will need to be removed.

Nxski provides a lot of pictures of the removal in his post. He was looking for rust not blind repair but his pictures are a great compliment to the few I will add.

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Sun Feb 19, 2017 11:57 am

The roof trim requires the removal of the trim around the florescent light first. Once that is complete. I think the front and rear trim are independent. The trim around the light is held in place by 4 plastic button clips and some spring clips that are part of the fixture. The plastic trim around the light is held by screws and a channel trim. The fixture itself can't be removed until one or both of the roof trims are removed unless you want to risk forcing it out. The screws that hold the light are a large Phillips type and strip very easily if you don't use the correct size tip. ( I have pictures )

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 10:12 am

The front trim is a little trim around the doors, the duct work and weatherstripping around the front doors. I removed the trim for the panels behind the front doors which includes the seatbelts. This may not be required but if they are not removed this trim needs to be bent significantly. 25 year old plastic isn't noted for flexibility. The sun visors , dome light and mirror also need to be removed. The front trim pulls away from the front door pillars. Again the order is determined by the way the trim is overlapped.

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 10:17 am

Front area trim part 2:

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 4:02 pm

The rear trim is held in place by a few push-in buttons, trim channel around the CL's and a couple screws @ the rear. The small trim pieces that join the roof and side trim also need to be removed.

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 4:05 pm

Rear area ceiling removal continued.

lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:10 am

At this stage it can be determined whether the blind has failed due to broken clips or problems with the motors or cables. Usually if the blind has retracted the clip is broken. If it is stuck open or only operates partially then the motor or cable is likely the problem. The clips can be replaced with the metal clips made from pipe strap. If the motors or cables are the problem it usually means a new or used unit. Used units are available @ the typical suppliers. New ones are very expensive if available. Each blind is unique so if you order one make sure it is for the correct location. Luckily mine was a clip problem. The blinds are easily removed once the ceiling trim is out.

The blinds operate via a small cable that pushes the blind down and a spring return similar to a house blind. The clips appear to break where they go under the U channel. The clip is held in place on the cable between compression collars. A small C snap clip holds the blind clip on the rod in the blind.