power windows dont work

[86isuzu]

hey i got a 95 ranger reg cab. my drivers side power window wont go up. it was working fine, then suddenly it doesnt. right now its stuck completely inside the door. fuse is fine. determined switch was not the problem. got the whole door panel apart. ive got the regulator soakin in pb blaster, so hopefully i can muscle the window up for now. im figurin its the motor. any1 got any ideas to just get the window up? even just temporary? ill spend the 180 bucks for a motor later. wtf?

 

[Joe_Roofer]

I had the same problem, mine wasn't all the way down and I could just pull it up.
I stuck a chunk of 2x4 in the door so it couldn't be pushed all the way down and greased everything so it goes up and down real smooth.
Wait, did I say I HAD that problem?
Its the passenger side on mine. I'll fix it some day.
Good luck

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

try pulling up on the window while pushing the button....might be enough to help a stuck or weak motor.

i'd pull the plug off the motor and check for voltage with a meter. if you get 12v, then its the motor. if not, then you have other electrical issues.

 

[team_insanity]

double check that switch. I just had both of mine go out and I had determined they were good with a voltmeter. When the pax side went out, I decided to try the switches first on a whim (and cause I'm cheap) and that fixed the problems.

 

[beyonder]

have you tried applying voltage to the motor? you may be able to get the window back up that way. The motor I have are a simple 2 wire connection they use the reversed polarity to roll the windows up. They're not from a ranger though so I'm unsure if the ranger ones are the same. ( they came from a caravan ). If you apply power to the motor and it works I'd lay odds that your switches are hooped. I don't have ford swiches either so I'm unsure on they're wirring, however the ones I have came from canadian tire, paid like 15.00 ea or something for them. Might get you through till you can get ford switches ( I'm assuming they're probably pretty expensive ).

 

[86isuzu]

try pulling up on the window while pushing the button....might be enough to help a stuck or weak motor.

tried it. i was hopin, but o well.

I started playin with it again and now i hear a click under the dash by the steering column. screw it ill take it to a shop around here.

 

[94STXRanger]

I had the same problem with my 94, in the rain. I was lookin at it and had the panel off and disconnected the motor. Later i reconnected it and jiggled a bit and it worked. I guess try that if you havent.

 

[Jeepman401]

If you have a bit of spare time, swap the motors from side to side, that will at least get you a working drivers window

 

[martin]

Don't know about the later window motors but the earlier ones used to have a thermal contact switch inside, the contacts get oxidised, clean the contacts and they work fine until next time. did you try giving the motor a whack with something heavy?

 

[team_insanity]

tried it. i was hopin, but o well.

I started playin with it again and now i hear a click under the dash by the steering column. screw it ill take it to a shop around here.

Dude, I'm telling ya...I just went through the exact same problem 2 weeks ago with my '02. Go to the dealership and get switches for both sides. It should be about $50-$60 total. Both of mine went out at the exact same time for some reason. BTW...the click under the dash is the relay...which if you check, will be good also.

 

[MAKG]

That really doesn't make sense. If the switches make the relay click, they work, and the problem is an open somewhere in the secondary.

Though it's certainly a contortion, I strongly recommend finding the voltage drop in the secondary. That can find an arbitrary open or excessively resistive connection. And if there is none, the motor is probably at issue.

 

[Bill]

This may sound strange, but I had the same problem that came and went for a week. It turned out to be the battery going bad. Try starting the truck and see if the window will go up.

If it does turn out to be the motor, you can find them for much less than $180:

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1138070,parttype,1516

 

[team_insanity]

That really doesn't make sense. If the switches make the relay click, they work, and the problem is an open somewhere in the secondary.

Though it's certainly a contortion, I strongly recommend finding the voltage drop in the secondary. That can find an arbitrary open or excessively resistive connection. And if there is none, the motor is probably at issue.

Didn't make sense to me, either. Especially since I had voltage going all the way to the motors...which means the switch works, right? And the motors were brand new (2 months old). The relay is prior to the switches for some reason...anyway, in a "what the hell" moment I ordered new switches (cost $46 total with an employee discount) and BAM...no more window woes.

 

[RobbieD]

You can read power and the windows still not work. The basic circuit is a "reversal, rest at ground". In other words, the two motor wires are always grounded. When one of the switches is moved one wire changes to power while the other remains resting at ground. When testing a window motor or doorlock actuator, always put your test light or voltmeter across the two wires. But the main thing, is that you got your windows fixed- good deal! And you probably would have found bad switches in the first place, and that's not a bad price for two new OEM switches. So you did good.

 

[Jeepman401]

This may sound strange, but I had the same problem that came and went for a week. It turned out to be the battery going bad. Try starting the truck and see if the window will go up.
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1138070,parttype,1516

I have had weak batteries do it.
I have also had bad alternators do it too. On an explorer I worked on, the power windows would only work when the truck wasnt running. Start it up and they stopped working. It turned out to be a overcharging alternator