By Glenn Goodspeed (July, 1997)
The window crank on early- to mid-production P1800s can seem to be held on by a mysterious force to those not practiced in its removal. As you can see in the drawing below, the crank is held on by a wire clip that fits a couple of slots on the side of the crank shaft barrel.
To remove the clip, you will need to make a removal tool from a piece of thin, stiff wire. The wire should be half as thick as coat hanger wire, but just as stiff. Put a quarter-inch "u" shape in the end of it.
Slip the u-shaped end of your tool under the window crank escutcheon, twist it a quarter of a turn, and hook one of the ends of the clip. Gently pull the tool, and the clip will come out easily. Once the clip is removed, pull on the window crank to remove it from the shaft.
If you can't hook the end of the clip in two tries, you should assume that the clip has been installed backwards, and try again from the other side.
When you replace the crank, install the clip FIRST, then push the crank back onto the shaft. You may hear a muffled click when the clip grabs the shaft.