Power window down and dead... need help please

[AlphaGeek]

Hi guys,

 

1998 Pathy Chilkoot Edition, 3.3V6 with manual tranny. Pretty much stock except for upgraded after-market off-road shocks, springs, boots, etc. Was hoping to lift it but have been told that's either not possible or a bad idea, or insanely expensive. I live near Vancouver, BC.

 

I'm really hoping someone here knows something about my issue and can weigh in.

 

So, my front passenger side power window has stopped working and of course this happened while the window was fully down! It's been a little intermittent over the last few months and yeah, I was negligent and didn't lube the works but here I am. It's not the switches because both (master and passenger) showed the intermitency. I pulled the door panel off, found what I'm pretty sure is the primary motor connector and applied -12V to the motor housing and +12V to both (from an external 12V SLA battery) spade lugs in the connector in turn and got nothing. I am going to do that test again from a heavy-duty 12V instead of the SLA just in case but I'm pretty sure the 8AH SLA should be able to drive that motor. So...

 

My first questions is if anyone has any thoughts on wether or not I've properly tested the motor itself with the above technique. Thoughts?

 

Second is that I cannot figure out how the heck you get the motor out and replace it. The motor is behind the large inside metal panel and I can't see any way to access it; it looks like that panel is actually welded in place but... can that be true? I'm probably missing something... anyone know how to do this?

 

Third, if I figure out how to get at the motor to replace it, I'd welcome any thoughts on the best way to get a new one. Or a refurb etc.

 

Why, oh why aren't manufacturers required to put a manual (hand) crank bypass on power windows?! This makes me wary of ever getting a car with power-only windows again LOL.

 

For that matter, is there any way to at least get the window up for now and replace the motor later? That would be so helpful as I live in a rainforest and taping clear plastic over the open window is pretty dangerous and probably illegal here.

 

Thanks in advance guys, you've always been a great help in the past and your sage advice is very much appreciated.

 

-Arne

 

 

[Citron]

I don't believe applying the ground to the motor housing is going to do anything as I don't believe the motor is case grounded. You will need to figure out which wire is the ground, and apply the ground there. Then there should be a wire for up and a different one for down. At least that is what I am used to.

 

You could also ohm the motor and check the fsm to see if it is in Spec. For that matter, the fsm should have a troubleshooting guide for the window.

[Slartibartfast]

I assume the two wires in the spade connection are + and - (reverse the connections to reverse the motor), and the case isn't part of the circuit. (+1 for consulting the service manual.) I wouldn't be surprised if that little battery was enough, but especially if the track is binding a bit, you may need something that can deliver more amps.

 

Looking at the regulator online, I'm seeing a drum on the motor that pulls a cable to lift the window. If you determine that the regulator is the problem, I'd be inclined to just cut the cables, push the glass all the way up, and then lock it in place somehow until you've got a new regulator ready to go in. I've seen people apply tape around the edges of the window, but this makes a mess and tends to fail if it gets warm. I once "fixed" a friend's POS Pontiac with a piece of kinding wood jammed in between the crash bar and the regulator, and AFAIK it was still in there when she scrapped or traded the thing. If you can get a pair of vise grips in there, you could probably just clamp those onto the slider part of the regulator so the glass can't slide back down (look up a picture of the part and it'll make sense). Working inside doors tends to be no fun, but they didn't weld it together with the regulator in there--there's got to be some contorted way it comes out.

When I worked at a shop a few years ago we had a newer Yota pickup come in with a stuck window. We had a new one ready to go, and I'd never done one before, so I wasn't really looking forward to it. I opened it up and found that one of the screws holding the regulator to the window glass had worked loose and fallen out, and so the glass had cocked sidways and bound up. With the screw back where it was supposed to be, the window worked great! I was happy. The owner was happy. My boss, not so much

 

Oh, and you totally can lift an R50. Lots of guys have done it and can help you figure out what all you'll need.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Slartibartfast

[adamzan]

These guys have you covered on the window, but this is the most cost effective way to lift your truck:

 

https://sfcreation.com

 

He is in Canada as well which eliminates the insane shipping/duty costs when buying from the usa.

[AlphaGeek]

Thanks Guys!

 

So, yes, I made a bad assumption that the window motor used ground plus an internal polarity reverser (so, rather than invert the wires, you apply +12 to one pin for up, and another for down). That's not true and they just switch the polatiry in the power window regulator as Slartibartfast and Citron said. SO, I got the window up yay!

 

Still, now on to figuring out the issue. Not the switches to either fuse (if they are separate for each motor which I doubt), wire break or the regulator. I'll let you know. Time to hit the service manual...

 

-Arne