how can a newbie fix his power window?

September 23, 2007 9:19 AM

Help with a 1995 Ford Explorer. I have power windows and the back passenger side window will go down but not up. Is it possible to pop the door frame off, and "roll" it up manually and have it stay up? I'm not interested in opening it again till next spring when I can get it looked at. I just don't want it open incase it rains, theft, and all that stuff.
posted by edmcbride to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

My dad's car (2000 Explorer) does exactly the same thing on that window. Is the window all the way down, or does some of it stick up out of the door? What we do is have someone pushing the power window button, and have someone else (with good grip strength) grab the part of the window that sticks up, pulling it up at the same time. You may have to roll back down a tiny bit and then back up, repeating a few times, all the while hanging on to the window and pulling it up.
posted by katemonster at 9:36 AM on September 23, 2007

The problem is probably with the switch. If you can pop the switch out of the door and exchange it with one from the other side, you should be able to roll it up that way.

The switch just sends voltage to the motor in to door turn one way or the other. The up and down buttons just reverse the polarity sent to the motor to determine which way it turns. The voltage is getting to the switch if it goes down, and the motor is working. You just have to reverse the polarity. If a different switch doesn't work, the problem is likely with the wire going down to the motor from the switch. With the other door, you could use a voltmeter to determine which wires need what voltage to make the window go up, and replicate that on the door that doesn't work.
posted by Yorrick at 9:41 AM on September 23, 2007

I used to have this problem (went away on its own, thankfully) with the passenger side window on my aged Camry. What I found worked is to rock the switch back and forth a lot. When the window starts going up, obviously, you keep pressing it until it is all the way up. Good luck.
posted by birdsquared at 11:08 AM on September 23, 2007

I have also encountered this problem in an old camry. I have succesfully removed the interior door panel, disconnected the power to the switch, lifted the window pane, and bolted it into place so that it will stay up all winter. The only hard part on the camry was finding all the little hidden and non-uniform screws holding the panel on.
posted by agentofselection at 3:09 PM on September 23, 2007

I had this issue with my Jeep.

You don't want to do the 'someone pulls while you push the up button' too much, or you'll burn out the motor. The replacement process (in a Jeep, anyway) is relatively simple for a power window motor and you can probably find how to guides on the internet if switching out the switch does not work. Like this one here.
posted by winna at 3:49 PM on September 23, 2007

I had the same problem with my Nissan Patrol, which I believe is the same as the Ford Explorer. The problem was the switch (not the master switch , window motor and motor controller as the Nissan dealer tried to tell me) in the door that was affected. You can order a switch and fit it yourself with very little trouble - swap it with one from another door first to double-check, though.
posted by dg at 7:41 PM on September 23, 2007