Need help with power window problems

[bronco_lou]

Hello all,
I am trying to get my power windows working, the drivers side works just need to fix the gear in the motor, the problem is the pass side, at one point it would just go down and not up, now it wont go at all ( I have ran power to the motor and it works). I thought I had a bad switch in the drivers side. I got one from the junk yard today and still not working. I thought I saw a step by step guild to diagnosis power window problems but now I can't find it. If anyone can shed some light please point me in the right direction.

Thanks,
Louis

 

[RobbieD]

OK, your motor is tested and good. Is the replacement driver-side switch showing power to the passenger motor when it's moved? (key on) If it's switching power but the passenger motor isn't moving, you likely have an open circuit between the two. Most common places for this are the passenger switch, or a broken wire in the door jamb harness (usually the driver side).

When troubleshooting power windows, it helps to keep a couple of things in mind.

They are a "reversal, rest at ground" circuit. Of the two motor wires, the one not getting power when the switch is operated is ground; it's the return path from the motor to ground.

The passenger side of course has two switches; the circuit from the driver's side goes through the passenger switch. That's both power, and ground. A passenger switch with bad contacts at rest, won't let power through, or the return ground path through.

The harness in the door jamb, especially the more-often used driver side, is where wires commonly break. If electrical testing shows an open circuit between a switch and the connectors at the radiator support, check for a broken wire in the door jamb. The copper strands break, but the insulation may be unbroken. One way to find an internally broken wire is to open the harness, and bend the individual wires. A good wire bends evenly; but a broken wire will bend in one spot only, like a hinge.

So with those pointers, it's really just a matter of using a testlight or voltage meter to check for power AND ground from the beginning (driver's switch), around the harness, at the passenger switch, all the way through to the end of the circuit (the motor). It's not really that complicated, and good luck with it.

 

[bronco_lou]

RobbieD Thank you for the information, I will check it out and see if I can get it working.

Lou

 

[RobbieD]

Glad to help, Lou. You'll do fine; you already had a pretty good handle on it. Good luck.

 

[bronco_lou]

Well I thought I had it fixed, I went to the Junk Yard today and got both wiring harnesses.
I unplugged the drivers side and plugged in the new one...nothing
I plugged the new passenger side in...working
I then swapped switches on pass side....working with old harness

Ok I thought it was the switch....was working on the truck on other things went to check the windows.....nothing

Plugged in the new harness on pass side, put switch in harness....working

So I will swap in the new harness on pass side and maybe it will stay working for more than 3 hrs

Lou

 

[RobbieD]

Just keep banging on it, and don't get frustrated. Make sure that you don't have any corroded terminals in any of these harnesses, and on parts that old it wouldn't hurt at all to get a spray can of electrical contact cleaner, and hose out the switches real good.

 

[bronco_lou]

Ok it was the wiring harness/pass switch that was bad.

 

[RobbieD]

Glad to hear that you got it, man. Thanks for letting us know how it turned out, and good job!