crazy power window jerking light blinking problem

[wifesmountaineer]

ok, this is kinda crazy.
1st - any help is greatly appreciated
2nd - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer, all wheel drive, 5.0, 4 dr, auto, 78K miles, dry climate, never crashed.
3rd - if the motor is off with the ignition on or acc, everything works just fine
4th - with the motor running the passenger and both rear windows work fine
5th - the driver's window works fine going down holding the button or using the one touch feature
6th - here's where it gets weird. When rolling up the window, the relay clicks and the window jerks. up, then stops, then up, then stops. If I continue to hold the button down with the window all the way up, the relay continues to click. tick-tock-tick-tock like a blinker relay. Along with the window motor starting and stopping, all of the interior lights blink along.
7th - sometimes the relay just starts clicking all by itself. No button pushing or anything, just driving down the road and it starts opening and closing. Sometimes the window gets a mind of it's own and just rolls itself down. These random acts tend to happen when it's cold (65 degrees) in the morning
8th - I tried replacing the relay with no improvement.
9th - I've looked all over for the same problem and can't find an identical issue.
10th - Did I mention that this is my wife's car and I need to get it fixed if I want to sleep in my bed again!!
Thanks for the help!!! Forum Posters are the best!!!

 

[budwich]

hmmmm.... what relay are you talking about??? on "3rd", you need to have your switch in "on" to get windows to work... right? "6th", when its goes "funny" do the other windows act "normal"?

 

[wifesmountaineer]

Thank you so much for the reply. The relay I am referring to is the power window relay. I can feel it open and close when I put my finger on it. Yes the ignition must be on to get the windows to work, what I mean is when the motor is not running. The passenger and rear windows all work flawlessly. The weird problem is with the driver's window and the incessant relay clicking. The random clicking has been happening almost every time she drives it. Thanks again for any help you can offer.

 

[budwich]

Well we might have a communication / term problem.... note I am only a recent Ford guy... anyways, my 96 drawings don't refer to a "power window relay".... only a "one touch down relay". Perhaps the design has changed... ???

Anyways, my suggestion would be for you to get at the switch control / wiring in the door.... have you taken a look inside? It is possible you have a bad switch OR shorting wiring that is rubbing inside the door to give you your "ghost operation".

 

[wifesmountaineer]

I may be wrong about the name of the relay. It's not the one touch relay either. I think it might be called the accessory relay. It is the largest relay in the box. It has 5 terminals on it. I have checked the switches and they all check ok. I have inspected all of the wiring in the door and it all looks good too. Any other ideas?

 

[budwich]

Thanks for the added info.... hmmm accessory delay shouldn't cause anything that you are experiencing. Anyways, it appears we are now on the "same page" from your descriptions. You could try "jumping around" the relay.... basically run a jumper from BK/W to LB/BK near or at the relay module in the dash that holds the relay. It shouldn't cause anything "bad" other than perhaps a "dead battery" condition IF there is something that is always "running". Of course, things like your windows will work without a key on. This "setup" would be only temporary to "test" if things "calm down" and function "normally" for the time being. IF they do, then you have your "culprit". If they don't you are looking in the wrong area...

 

[wifesmountaineer]

still confused

Thanks again for the reply! I replaced the relay a week ago and the problem persists. I will do some more testing tonight if it ever stops raining and I'll post the results. After all of my reading, I suspect the GEM. If anyone has a wiring diagram for the power window circuit and the GEM I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[budwich]

Replacing the relay isn't necessarily going to tell you much as you have found out. I wouldn't go towards the GEM as the jumpering is a better "eliminator". As they say KISS.