Infamous window issue

[WesternKent79]

Hey all,

I've scoured the forums to see if anyone has the same issue that I am having with my windows and so far, I've found some things, but not exactly what I have.

The deal is with mine, 3 out of 4 windows don't go up or down (luckily they are in the up position for rain purposes). However, the passenger window goes down from both the driver switch as well as the passenger switch. The others, don't from either one.

I did notice that the dome lights dim slightly when I hit the button for any of them and that leads me to believe that power is getting to the motors. I took the door panel off of the driver's side and put my hand on the motor while pushing the button and felt a click at the motor but nothing more than the dimming of the lights.

I'm thinking the motors may be locked up at all three doors but I really hope that it's something electrical that I just can't figure out. Maybe there is a short in the master switch affecting everything but the passenger side?

Either way, I'm stuck and I'd like to try and fix these windows without having to pull the regulators since the windows don't roll down to get to the rivets so I can disconnect the glass from the regulator.

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[rocco123]

remove trim and power one of the windows that doesn't work. If it goes down then yea you have a problem getting power to it. Bad / broken grounds are common at wire harness of drivers door hinge area.

 

[WesternKent79]

I'd thought about making a test switch to run from the battery to each motor and bypass everything to see if they work. Obviously, if the motors run with the jumper switch, it's somewhere between the battery and the motor which will give me a starting point and the warm and fuzzy that it's not the motor/regulator.

 

[rocco123]

That's where I would start. just find the connector tor going to the motor and do a fast touch on the pins. Don't really need a switch.

 

[WesternKent79]

I did a quick power check on the driver side and driver side passenger wiring out to the motors. Looks like I'm gonna be replacing motors and/or regulators and might as well replace all 4 since I'm sure it won't be long until they all go out.

 

[rocco123]

That blows as they are not cheap. I had to go with dorman full assembly on my 02 recently. It means drilling out the rivet. Seems to move a bit slower but works. Wanted to use oem but couldn't find them available. Good luck

 

[WesternKent79]

Only other option I have before replacement is to take the regulator out and see if its just the motor that's locked up. From what I could tell, it has screws holding the motor housing on. If I can get it out and separate the housing and see if maybe it's something inside the motor that is stuck, like rust or whatnot. If I have to replace it anyway, might as well learn a thing or two about the motor internals.

 

[96firephoenix]

for what it's worth, the window doesn't rrivet to the regulator (At least not on my 2002. ymmv), there's a tab at the bottom of the window that is caulked in place that slides through the regulator. There's a little tab that can be bent out of the way with patient use of needle nose pliers or a flat-tip screwdriver.

The regulator must be unsecured from the door before the window can be released from the regulator and the reg/motor assy removed.

 

[rocco123]

The tab is what I was hoping for when I had to replace mine but could not find that setup even though pics of replacements show that style. The plastic peice the metal tab goes thru has broken in the past and ive had a friend make a stronger one in his machine shop. Last regulator I replaced was due to the cable being all bound up on spool. You can rewind them but they end up coming off again. I have cleaned up the motor on my 00 solara and it still works. Fyi... motor only that is on amazon will only fit dorman and is not interchangeable with oem. Bolt pattern is different.

 

[rocco123]

You're not going to believe this but this afternoon my wife said all the windows in my 02 don't work. I immediately knew where to look and sure enough, blue 12 gauge wire with a black stripe was broke at drivers door hinge point. Soldered in a new section and good to go.

 

[WesternKent79]

Man, I wish mine was that easy