jtrum

My 95 Taurus has intermitent problems with power windows that stop working then start working later on. Today the passenger side window would only roll downn not up. About 2 hours later the window resumed working. Any ideas on what is causing this?

TaurusKing

Front or rear?? I've owned Taurus since 87, power windows, especially rears, are a known trouble area. Usually it's the motor that's going bad, mine have always managed to stick in the down position, then you gotta take the door panel off, smack the motor with a wrench, it'll work for a bit, then fail completely, I'd replace the motor.. of course it could always be a faulty switch or wire connection too, never in my case though, but check to be sure

jtrum

The most recent problem is with the front passenger window. The rear driver side window has been the problem most often over the years. Would a faulty switch or motor stop and start working on their own? In another thread I read of an intermittent electrical problem and the suggestion was that the cars' computer resets when the car is turned off and this may explain the problem coming and going. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

TomV

If you do not use the window very often, then it is probably not a switch. I have experienced this symptom with my rear windows several times and isolated it to the motors. I disassembled the motor and rotated the rotor through the brushes several times and put it back together. I reconnected it back and it tested OK. It appears that a thin insulating oxide-type layer of something has built up on the copper commutator through lack of use and exposure to air. This prevents enough current flow to turn the rotor. If this solves your problem then I suggest that you periodically use all your windows (once a week?) to remove this insulating layer before it gets too established.

If you use your windows very often then a switch is a likely culprit since the motor current is fairly high and would cause a bit of contact arcing when the switch is used.

Get yourself a Haynes manual to have a wiring diagram and other important info to troubleshoot this problem. After removing the door panel the motors are fastened to the door with 3 screws. You can probe the cable contacts that go to the motor with a voltmeter and check for 12 volts at the proper pins when the switches are depressed. This will isolate between the switches/harness and motor.

If you are not comfortable with the electrical side of automotive maintenance, I suggest you get yourself an estimate from the garage before work is done. It should be straight-forward to solve this problem and thus the estimate should be solid. It should be no more than an hour and a half or so to perform the diagnostics and repair.

The AutoZone price for a motor is $30.00 US. They did not have switches, probably about $50-75 at the dealer.