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Solved Any experience with aftermarket power window switches?

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joshhemming

Active Member
Joined
August 15, 2011
Messages
95
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City, State
El Paso
Year, Model & Trim Level
93 Aerostar 2wd 3.0L
I've had a LOT of problems with the power windows in my 93 Aerostar over the years. Some of the problems were due to rust forming in the joints of the regulator assembly, but the main culprit has been the switches themselves wearing out. I've gone the cheap route by buying switches from the junk yard and they've only lasted a year or so before failing.

I've only bought one new master (driver side) switch. I got it online at about a third the cost of a Ford dealer switch. It fixed the problem I had at the time but 6 months later it's also gone bad. And such an oddball problem, too: The passenger side switch wouldn't raise or lower the window. In the process of troubleshooting it, I discovered that the ground for the passenger side switch comes through the MASTER switch, and the contacts which supply that ground were open in the master switch. BUMMER.

Anyway, I'm wondering if you have used aftermarket switches with good outcomes or have bought defective or short-lived ones like I did?
 



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geez I don't know what the problem could be, I had a 1992 which never gave me any problem with the window switches. Now I have a 1997 and no problems either.

Ford wires break, don't know why but they do, especially at the point where the rubber accordion neck connects the door jamb to the door, so maybe it is not the switch but a failed wire.

have you done continuity checks for the switch wires? (from the switch to the inside of the van), you are bound to find the one that is broken.
 






Thanks for the info.

Yes, I did a continuity check of the wires....they're good. But a continuity check of the master switch's internal contacts showed a definite OPEN when it should be closed. It's absolutely the switch.

The specific problem is that when the master switch is in the neutral position (not pushed up nor down) it allows a ground to be output to the passenger side window switch. The wire between the two switches is good; there's just no ground on it because the contacts inside the master switch are bad.
 






Maybe a wire between the door, and the frame is getting pinched. This could cause a short to blow out the contacts in the switch while bypassing the fuse. Is the same set of contacts continuously getting blown out?
 






Install a relay so the power for the motor isn't going through the switch. I've bought 3 used aerostar vans and the passenger window never worked on any of them.
 






Maybe a wire between the door, and the frame is getting pinched. This could cause a short to blow out the contacts in the switch while bypassing the fuse. Is the same set of contacts continuously getting blown out?

This may indeed be the second master switch that has failed due to the same contacts being defective. I don't think a pinched wire would cause the contacts to blow, however. When the new switch arrives I will ohm it out to make sure it's working out of the box.
 






Install a relay so the power for the motor isn't going through the switch. I've bought 3 used aerostar vans and the passenger window never worked on any of them.

I'd say you hold the record for the most Aerostars with the same problem!

These window switches are complicated little devils, especially the master switch. They have a lot of different contacts inside, any one of which can cause one or both of the windows to not work correctly.

I thought about cutting the wire that brings a ground from the master switch, and grounding the passenger switch somewhere on the door. That would result in the passenger window being controlled from only the passenger switch. I could live with that. But I'm hoping the new switch I've ordered will operate as designed.
 






i had to replace both passenger switches on my van before the window would work.i think i bought them off ebay.
 






i had to replace both passenger switches on my van before the window would work.i think i bought them off ebay.

I'm from Texas and therefore easily confused. By "both passenger switches" do you mean the passenger side window switch and power door switch, or the driver (master) window switch and the passenger window switch?
 






BREAKING NEWS:

I received the new aftermarket master window switch in the mail yesterday. I laid it side by side with the bad original and used an ohm meter to check continuity through the suspected bad contacts. The meter showed the original's contacts which send a ground to the passenger switch were open in the neutral position, while the new switch showed continuity through those same contacts. After installing it, the passenger window can now be raised and lowered from either the master or the passenger switch.

Anyone using the Haynes wiring diagram to troubleshoot your power window circuit should note that there is a color code discrepancy with a couple of the wires, at least there is with my 93 Aerostar. The diagram shows one of the wires which sends a ground from the master to the passenger switch to be Red with a black stripe (R/BK). In reality, it's Tan with a light blue stripe. The diagram shows the other ground wire between master and passenger switches to be Yellow with a black stripe (Y/BK) when it's actually White with a yellow stripe. All the other wires are color coded like the Haynes manual indicates.

And if you do need to remove the window motor, it's secured by three 5/16 bolts which require a skinny socket or nut driver to stick through the access holes in the door frame.
 












When my right side window failed to operate on my 93 Eddie bauer,I found it had lost ground. I ran a separate ground and it worked. don-ohio :)^)
 






When my right side window failed to operate on my 93 Eddie bauer,I found it had lost ground. I ran a separate ground and it worked. don-ohio :)^)

I considered running a separate ground to the right side window, too. The problem with that is if I ever tried to raise or lower the right window from the Master (left) switch it would have tried to apply 12 volts to a contact which already has a permanent ground. It's hard to visualize without the schematics but a jury-rigged ground would only allow the window to move in one direction, and blow a fuse if attempted to move in the other direction.

I can't imagine how you got it to work with a new ground wire, unless the physical wire between the doors was open. My problem was the wire was intact; the ground for that wire just wasn't getting through the Master Switch's internal contacts.
 






I considered running a separate ground to the right side window, too. The problem with that is if I ever tried to raise or lower the right window from the Master (left) switch it would have tried to apply 12 volts to a contact which already has a permanent ground. It's hard to visualize without the schematics but a jury-rigged ground would only allow the window to move in one direction, and blow a fuse if attempted to move in the other direction.

I can't imagine how you got it to work with a new ground wire, unless the physical wire between the doors was open. My problem was the wire was intact; the ground for that wire just wasn't getting through the Master Switch's internal contacts.

Yeah,you're right. I remember I could use the right side switch,but the driver's side would only raise it.That was better though than what I had before. The Aerostar I have now works fine. don-ohio :)^)
 






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