01 windstar rear windows won't open when cold

My electric rear vent windows seem to have a problem opening when the temperature is cold outside. They work almost perfectly when the weather warms up, with the exception of an odd little glitch here and there. Generally summer is good, winter is a no-go. I understand this is a common problem ???

Even at the times when they don't open I can clearly hear an electronic click near the back pillars, with each push of the control switch up front, so I assume the current is making it at least that far and there is no problem with the wiring up to that point.

I have recently removed two used actuators (R+L) from a donor vehicle, and will likely be installing those into my van in the very near future. Although I believe they came from a close but different year windstar which did not have the exact same "rivets" through the window as mine does. External arms etc that can be seen do look identical as does the pivot ball.


#1. is replacement of the actuators a likely solution to the problem ?
#2. by chance, is it merely just an issue of dirty connections with my present actuators ?
#3. can / should I do anything such use dielectric grease on the connections of either my present ones or the donor ones upon replacement, to alleviate future recurrence ?

Thank you for any advice.

Can you check the movement of the actuator separate from the window? The reason I ask is that you could be dealing with window hinges that are stiff when cold, or an under powered motor.

Another thing to keep in mind is that since both windows are showing the same symptom, it may not be the motor or the the window, but instead a bad electrical connection at a common feed point. If you can check the voltage to the motor when engaged to open, you should be able to see the battery voltage across the motors. It might be behaving like the engine starter when it doesn't get enough current to turn the motor, but you still hear the click in the start when the key is turned.

Mine only work sporadically. Those motors don't seem to be QUITE strong enough for the initial push to overcome the stickiness of the window to the weather seal.

tomj76, I suppose I could try bench testing the actuators after cooling them for a while in a refrigerator or whatever, I saw a similar approach used to successfully diagnose an Olds instrument cluster. That might provide some clues. Same goes for checking voltage at the motors as you suggested, fwiw I'll do that too. As for both windows showing the same symptoms at the same time - there have been occasional instances when one has worked but not the other at a given time, although usually it's 'both work' or 'both don't work' but not always (as a footnote I've owned the van for 7 yrs now so I've seen this summer / winter pattern many times, just haven't got around to addressing the issue until now).

scubacat, after all is said and done I may even try applying some silicone lubricant to the weather stripping, to see if that helps. An extra pair of hands to try giving the window a very light push simultaneous with the switch might be a possibility too, just to see what happens.

Thank you both for your input.

Funny thing is, 6 months or so ago I came across specific advice about this very issue, in quite a few places on the internet somewhere. But I thought it was such a common problem that I didn't make any bookmarks or notations of the advice given. Now I can't seem to be able to re-locate those sites, or find any information whatsoever, for that matter. Even just for example purposes. Dang. Thought for sure I'd easily find something here at this forum, but strangely enough a quick search through revealed little to nothing on the subject.

I will post my solution here if and when I find it. Thanks again.

I wasn't thinking of removing and cooling the actuators, just try to isolate the cause of your problem, thinking that it's either the actuator not pushing hard enough, or the windows not opening easily enough. If you can run the test on a cold day, that will make the check more clear.

If a cold day is not readily available, you might be able to use a can of "Freeze Mist" to cool the parts off without removing them.