Repairing power windows

Hi all

I want to share this tips with the community. Please excuse the bad english (my second language) and the basic diagrams. Oh, and the lack of pictures :-( Anyway, I hope this will help someone.

DISCLAIMER Use this tips at your own risk. This worked for me but may not work for you

Like many members of this forum, I was having problems with my power windows: in the master switch, I only was able to up/down the driver's window and the right back passenger. All the other switches were dead and the one of the left back passenger side was missing. This is how I fix my non-functioning switches (BTW, the window without switch don't works from the master panel, except if you put a switch in the connector)

First, let me show you the basics of each window switch (check picture good_w.jpg). This shows the side cut of the switch.

http://i40.imagethrust.com/t/96024/goodw.jpg (http://i40.imagethrust.com/p/96024/goodw_jpg.html)

The main parts are:

A) central Coopper contact point. I think this is the positive in the circuit, but don't take this as correct, I'm not so good with electric stuff.
B) and C) external cooper contact points to close the circuit. Depending of the zone where you press the window switch (marked Up and Down), the cooper bridge (D) touches B or C to Up or Down the window.
D) cooper bridge. Closes the circuit when the switch is pressed and up or down the window.
E) switch axis
F) Some kind of plastic "finger" that press the bridges to close the circuit. It has a little spring that makes it go back to the vertical position when you release the switch. This part is enclosed in a square column
G) Switch upper part

In fact, we have 2 bridges like D), 2 central contact points and 4 external contact points. Check figure up_view.jpg for the upper view of the switch, to clarify this.

http://i34.imagethrust.com/t/96025/upview.jpg (http://i34.imagethrust.com/p/96025/upview_jpg.html)

Here, we can view the external (B and C) and the internal (A) contacts from above the switch. The bridges are lined in green. Please note the bridges have a little squares in each side, to align in the right way over the contact points (mmm, I think a picture will be more clear, sorry, I didn't have one at hand) One end of each bridge is round and the other square. When the bridges are in the right position, the round ends are pointing in oposite ways.

Ok, now, in the figure Good_w.jpg, we can see some red arrows. This indicates the path of the movement when you press the switch in the Up zone. The "finger" rotates to the left and press the bridges to close the circuit and your window moves Up. When you release the switch, the spring in the "finger" press it against the depresion in the bridge, forcing it to the initial vertical position. In this position, the bridge don't touch the external contacts and the circuit is open.

Now let me show you what I found in my truck (please see the figure bad_w.jpg)

http://i36.imagethrust.com/t/96023/badw.jpg (http://i36.imagethrust.com/p/96023/badw_jpg.html)

In the front passenger side, the column where the "finger" moves up and down was broken in both sides (like in D1). To undestand this problem, try to imagine a square box. Now, using a knife, make a cut in each box's corner from up to down. Now try to put a smaller, weighted box inside and press this little box against any of the walls. The result? the wall of the bigger box will bent down. In the switch, the wall of the square column is pressed by the "finger" when you press the switch. If the wall is broken, as in the bad_w figure, when you press Down in the switch, the finger press the broken wall, the wall bents and the finger stays in the vertical position and the circuit stays Open. So (you're right), the window fails (have you noticed that the non functioning switches feels "softer" than the working ones and don't make a "click" when pressed? this is the cause)

Ok, maybe you have guessed how to fix this problem. You only need to add a little drop of your preferred plastic super glue in the broken wall and voila!! your window is working again. The only problem with this is how to tear down the damn switch.

You need to extract the switch from the door panel using a screwdriver, disconnect the cable, separate the lower part (white in my case, rodeo 95. This part is the electric conector and contains the bridges and contacts. Watch out, the bridges are not hold) from the upper part (black in my case. Contains the switch assembly). Take the upper part (the switch assembly), and simply pull out the switch button. Please, take your time in this or you'll end with a broken switch. Hold firmly the lower part (the part where was connected the white assembly) and pull the upper part (the part you press to activate the window, marked as G in my figures). This button is retained only by the axis (E in my figures). Maybe when you have te switch in your hands, can figure out the amount of force and pressure needed to extract this piece. Very difficult to explain without pictures, but I didn't take any when was repairing my windows.

Ok, when you have the button separated from the switch assembly, you can see the square column and the "finger". The finger and the spring are covered in white grease. Extract the finger and the spring, clean the plastic walls with alcohol to remove the grease, glue the broken walls and put everything together in the reversal order.

If you have any questions regarding this, please send me a PM

Have a nice day!!