Issue with Driver's side power buttons

sjf7351 · #1 07-14-2010, 09:29 AM

I got a 2000 taurus se. When the drivers door is shut, all the buttons(window and locks) work fine. When you open the door, they stop working. I tried opening the door in the middle of opening the window and it stops dead in its tracks. Any ideas?? Kinda of a pain trying to unlock the doors when you dont want jump in. Thanks

shorod · #2 07-14-2010, 02:52 PM

You probably have a broken wire in the loom between the door and the cabin. This is a pretty common issue. In the door closed, relaxed wire position, the ends of the break make contact and the windows work. When you open the door, the ends of the wire at the break no longer touch (at least not enough of them) to handle the current draw and the window no longer works.

If your 2000 just has the flexible rubber boot you'll need to pull the boot away from each end and inspect the wires, looking for wires that have an evident kink look in the insulation. If you have a wiring diagram for the car that will speed up which wires to focus on.

Once you find the break I would suggest replacing the section of wire that runs through the boot so that you do not have a splice in the portion that moves, so you'll end up with one splice in the door and one above the parking brake pedal. I also would also suggest splicing with solder and adhesive-lined shrink sleeving.

-Rod

sjf7351 · #3 07-14-2010, 11:30 PM

Thanks for the reply, but it seems now to be more involved. The power lock button on the driver side doesn't work, but the passenger side does. None of the windows switches work on any door, but i can hear the relay clicking when you press the drivers side window button. Also the interior light will not come on when the doors are open. The key flop will lock and unlock the doors plus open the trunk.

shorod · #4 07-14-2010, 11:51 PM

Sounds like it's time to get out the multimeter and wiring diagram. Since the key fob works that gives you a starting point - at the Remote Anti-theft Personality (RAP) module.

-Rod

sjf7351 · #5 07-15-2010, 03:05 PM

Ok the plot thickens. Now its throwing a P1633 Kam low volt. I'm slowly losing accessories. I just got the car really cheap and beginning to see why. I'm not getting a battery light when running but its running rough. Any thoughts on where to start? Its cleaning up nice but alot of boat anchors look good too.

shorod · #6 07-15-2010, 06:41 PM

KAM is Keep Alive Memory. These cars, along with several newer cars, have very sensitive electrical systems and old, slightly weak batteries can cause all sorts of driveability issues. Charging system/load testers do not always correctly identify batteries that are likely to cause issues with these cars.

First make sure all the connections are clean and tight at the battery. If the battery is more than probably 3 years old you should consider changing it out and see if that helps out.

This wasn't a possible flood car that may have several corroded connectors hidden all over the place was it?

-Rod

sjf7351 · #7 07-15-2010, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shorod

This wasn't a possible flood car that may have several corroded connectors hidden all over the place was it?

I'm beginning to wonder. Is there any quick way to tell? The motors been replaced. I've had the back seat out and it looks like a ten yr old car under thee but no rust.

shorod · #8 07-15-2010, 11:03 PM

Not really. If the car was flooded and cleaned up really well, there may not be obvious tell-tale signs. If the car was totaled out or had a significant insurance claim, Carfax should identify that.

-Rod

sjf7351 · #9 07-16-2010, 03:54 PM

More info...It doesn't seem to recognize that the doors are open IE. no interior lights, no ding to the key being in the ignition. How does it know when the doors are open, I'm not seeing any button or switch by the door? Also no power coming into the door, except intermittently to the door locks. Is there a accessory module that controls this stuff? and where is it? This is beginning look like a flip car if it doesn't quit falling apart.

sjf7351 · #10 07-17-2010, 03:56 PM

I think i have it narrowed down a bit. I get the interior light to come on when i open the drivers door, but as soon as i put a load on it like using the rear defrost or power windows the light goes out and takes like 15 min to reset. Its acting like a circuit breaker. Any idea where it would be at or how to test it. I already replaced the relays for the otd and accs delays. thanks for the help already given.

shorod · #11 07-18-2010, 10:03 PM

The door ajar switch is integrated in to the door latch. It's a common issue for those to fail, but would not explain the issues with the power windows. The rear defrost I believe is on a fuse separate of the circuit breaker for the power windows. Unfortunately Microsoft Bing appears to have take over my computer and the Adobe files needed by the Factory Service Manual no longer open correctly, so I'm currently unable to verify per the wiring diagrams. [grrrrr] I really think you're going to find the problem with the power windows to be a broken wire between the cabin and the door though.

-Rod

sjf7351 · #12 07-18-2010, 10:38 PM

I really appreciate your help. I looked but couldn't see any obvious signs of damage. I think I'm going to pull the whole wiring harness from the door and test each wire. Whats weird is whats happening is when the door is open the light comes on and it will chime, but when you start the car and try the windows, the light goes out and it quits chiming. After about 10-15 min it resets itself. Also the power mirrors act like their not getting enough power. Moving the lever around, you can hear the acurater trying to move the mirror but cant.

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD