bjjt30303
Member
- Joined
- January 10, 2005
- Messages
- 23
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Atlanta, GA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1991 XLT 4 door
Power window and door lock switches are really strange. Maybe you can lower the rear windows from the driver's console but not raise them again. Maybe the driver can raise and lower the passenger window but the passenger's switch won't work. Or maybe you clean the passenger's door window switch and it works but the driver's control for the passenger window quits working and then both quit working a few days later and you clean and poke and finally get the passenger window up again. And maybe the passenger can't power the door locks. Maybe sometimes the driver's window won't go up unless you pry open the switch cover and jiggle a wire or two.
Maybe nothing. All of this is my current situation on my '91 XLT.
I have done a thorough search of threads and much has been written about correcting these problems. RiverRat wrote how to test to see if there is a motor problem vs. a switch problem -- open a door so an interior light comes on, depress a switch and see if the light dims -- If so, motor problem; if not, switch problem. Brock 94 wrote of a ground wire issue and Moderator Robb wrote about direct wiring the 12 v. feed from the battery. Someone else pointed out what is probably the most common problem, dirt and gunk in the switches. Assuming a wiring/conductivity problem and not a motor problem, here is what I have found, and at the end of this post, an apparently new idea is posed to run up the flag pole to be saluted or cut down. Please let me hear from you.
I have disassembled the driver's master switches and the passenger's switches on my '91 XLT and here is what I find: it is easy to pry open the cover holding the switches. The switch boxes in turn easily unplug from the wiring harness. A small screwdriver can then be used to pry open the switch box cover by depressing small flat plastic pins. You will then see the guts of the switch and note that the plastic U and D (or L or U) toggle depresses tiny copper (don't know the technical term) spring switches, sort of like old fashioned telegraph keys, and electrical contact is thus made when the copper telegraph key is closed by being depressed. Because copper can tarnish or just get dirty, gently cleaning and filing the contacts with a very small flat file may help. But filed copper will in turn tarnish more quickly. The telegraph keys are also very delicate and could be bent, misaligned or lose their "spring". The switches in turn plug into the wiring harness via copper pins. These pins too can be tarnished or dirty and should be cleaned.
But here's where I think the weak link is --the copper pins (the switches) plug into female receptacles apparently made of aluminum. These are little aluminum bands shaped into a circle, a hole, sort of like the spark plug wire connector on a lawnmower. So, electrical conductivity depends on a tight fit and clean metal. Wires are soldered to these tiny female aluminum receptacles, thus the bundle of wires and the female receptacles (imbedded in a plastic box) make up the wiring harness assembly. I took a small rat tail file and alcohol and tried to clean out the female receptacles. Hard to do, and again, filed or scratched metal in turn tarnishes more quickly.
When I reassembled both sets of switches, the passenger's window switch worked great for about a day then quit again. No effect on the driver's side switches other than the driver's window now works all the time, but the driver's master switch won't so anything for the passenger windwow (it formerly lowered but would not raise the passenger's window, go figure.) I disassembled the passenger's window switch again and was able to get the window up by depressing the copper telegraph key with my fingers.
The next day, even that didn't work. The window was stuck down again. So, for a mere $18 and change, I bought a new passenger side window switch from the Ford dealer. The new switch had no effect. So, my initial conclusion was that the problem was with the aluminum female receptacles, not the switch itself. Only after a thorough cleaning of the fmale receptacles once again, much anguish and basically repeated toggeling of the NEW switch did the window go up again. These female receptacles are the weak link.
Research of prior threads indicates that one or more wires is critical to grounding and transmission of power. One post said the ground for all switches runs through the driver's door lock switch so that swithc is a critical link. So, any one switch or wire (female receptacle) could be affecting functionality of others. Very complicated.
I removed the door panel and find that the wiring harness disappears toward the motor buried deep in the door. So, here is my idea for comment: if, and a big if, I can buy a new wiring harness for both front doors with the aluminum female receptacles attached, I am thinking about cutting off the old wires and splicing the new wires to them, so I will now have new switches with the male copper pins and new female receptacles (still old wire leading to the motor but probably sound wire) and thus solve the problem this way, on the relative cheap. New plugs, new receptacles, no cleaning and filing necessary for a long time.
Any comments or ideas? I will be glad to email a drawing to anyone if my verbal picture painting is not sufficient.
Maybe nothing. All of this is my current situation on my '91 XLT.
I have done a thorough search of threads and much has been written about correcting these problems. RiverRat wrote how to test to see if there is a motor problem vs. a switch problem -- open a door so an interior light comes on, depress a switch and see if the light dims -- If so, motor problem; if not, switch problem. Brock 94 wrote of a ground wire issue and Moderator Robb wrote about direct wiring the 12 v. feed from the battery. Someone else pointed out what is probably the most common problem, dirt and gunk in the switches. Assuming a wiring/conductivity problem and not a motor problem, here is what I have found, and at the end of this post, an apparently new idea is posed to run up the flag pole to be saluted or cut down. Please let me hear from you.
I have disassembled the driver's master switches and the passenger's switches on my '91 XLT and here is what I find: it is easy to pry open the cover holding the switches. The switch boxes in turn easily unplug from the wiring harness. A small screwdriver can then be used to pry open the switch box cover by depressing small flat plastic pins. You will then see the guts of the switch and note that the plastic U and D (or L or U) toggle depresses tiny copper (don't know the technical term) spring switches, sort of like old fashioned telegraph keys, and electrical contact is thus made when the copper telegraph key is closed by being depressed. Because copper can tarnish or just get dirty, gently cleaning and filing the contacts with a very small flat file may help. But filed copper will in turn tarnish more quickly. The telegraph keys are also very delicate and could be bent, misaligned or lose their "spring". The switches in turn plug into the wiring harness via copper pins. These pins too can be tarnished or dirty and should be cleaned.
But here's where I think the weak link is --the copper pins (the switches) plug into female receptacles apparently made of aluminum. These are little aluminum bands shaped into a circle, a hole, sort of like the spark plug wire connector on a lawnmower. So, electrical conductivity depends on a tight fit and clean metal. Wires are soldered to these tiny female aluminum receptacles, thus the bundle of wires and the female receptacles (imbedded in a plastic box) make up the wiring harness assembly. I took a small rat tail file and alcohol and tried to clean out the female receptacles. Hard to do, and again, filed or scratched metal in turn tarnishes more quickly.
When I reassembled both sets of switches, the passenger's window switch worked great for about a day then quit again. No effect on the driver's side switches other than the driver's window now works all the time, but the driver's master switch won't so anything for the passenger windwow (it formerly lowered but would not raise the passenger's window, go figure.) I disassembled the passenger's window switch again and was able to get the window up by depressing the copper telegraph key with my fingers.
The next day, even that didn't work. The window was stuck down again. So, for a mere $18 and change, I bought a new passenger side window switch from the Ford dealer. The new switch had no effect. So, my initial conclusion was that the problem was with the aluminum female receptacles, not the switch itself. Only after a thorough cleaning of the fmale receptacles once again, much anguish and basically repeated toggeling of the NEW switch did the window go up again. These female receptacles are the weak link.
Research of prior threads indicates that one or more wires is critical to grounding and transmission of power. One post said the ground for all switches runs through the driver's door lock switch so that swithc is a critical link. So, any one switch or wire (female receptacle) could be affecting functionality of others. Very complicated.
I removed the door panel and find that the wiring harness disappears toward the motor buried deep in the door. So, here is my idea for comment: if, and a big if, I can buy a new wiring harness for both front doors with the aluminum female receptacles attached, I am thinking about cutting off the old wires and splicing the new wires to them, so I will now have new switches with the male copper pins and new female receptacles (still old wire leading to the motor but probably sound wire) and thus solve the problem this way, on the relative cheap. New plugs, new receptacles, no cleaning and filing necessary for a long time.
Any comments or ideas? I will be glad to email a drawing to anyone if my verbal picture painting is not sufficient.
