Power Mirror Issue

[Radiatorkid]

Hopefully someone can help me with my problem. 2000 Windstar. Passenger side power mirror will power out, but will not power in. Drivers side power mirror will power in, but will not power out. Are both mirror motors bad? Or do I have a bad door switch? Thanks to all!

[tempfixit]

Originally Posted by Radiatorkid

Hopefully someone can help me with my problem. 2000 Windstar. Passenger side power mirror will power out, but will not power in. Drivers side power mirror will power in, but will not power out. Are both mirror motors bad? Or do I have a bad door switch? Thanks to all!

I would check the switch for power when you power in. I had the same problem on 98 and replaced the switch and has worked every since. I found a used one on ebay cheap. I acutally bought the whole panel with the switches and swapped just the mirror switch.

[Windstartled]

I also think it's likely to be the switch. eBay is one avenue but you can also get a used one quick and dirt cheap from a local junkyard, just make sure you take it off a '00 because connectors are different than those found on '99, '01, '02 and '03 models even though the vans themselves all look the same. But first you should just pry out the switch bank and clean it.

[phil-l]

In my experience, Windstar power mirror issues are almost always related to the switch itself.

A hint, for those who are handy: The switch *CAN* be disassembled, cleaned up and reassembled - and will probably work fine.

If the previous sentence didn't scare you away... The switch assembly (sorry, I didn't take pics when I last did this) is made up of several layers of plastic, with metal contact sets between them. Yes, it's small and delicate. Be careful and go slowly. The problem is that oxides build up on that itty-bitty spot where the contacts actually touch. Clean the contacts gently (I've heard of people using pencil erasers - but I think that's too aggressive). IMPORTANT: Put a light dab of electrolytic grease on the contacts during reassembly - which will prevent oxides from forming in the future.

I cleaned up the power mirror switch contacts on my '00 when they first stopped working some years ago; they still work fine today.

[tomj76]

>Passenger side power mirror will power out, but will not power in.
>Drivers side power mirror will power in, but will not power out.

If you re-write this as left and right, then you have:
Passenger side power mirror will power RIGHT, but will not power LEFT
Drivers side power mirror will power RIGHT, but will not power LEFT

The common thread is that you don't have control to the LEFT. The motors in the mirror (there are two), are perminant magnet dc motors, just like the power window motor. Current flowing in one direction moves the mirror in one direction, and current flowing the opposite dirction moves the mirror in the opposite direction. Since the motor works in one direction, then it's not the motor.

The job of the switch is to apply the battery voltage in one direction or the other. The fact that mirror works in one direction tells you that the power is getting to the switch. The fact that it can't reverse tells you that there is a bad contact in the switch.

If you take it out, you can test it with an ohm meter. I've never had that switch out, and since it ultimately controls two mirrors there could be ten terminals on the switch, two for power (plus and minus), four for the left mirror, four for the right mirror.

If you identify the power terminals, then you should be able to use a meter to check for continuity between each of the power terminals and each of the mirror terminals. For any power terminal there should be one switch position (there are a total of eight switch position combinations) that gives a continuous reading to one mirror terminal.

[Radiatorkid]

Hey everyone, thanks for your help. I did pry out the switch(and I DO mean pry!) and took it apart. Believe me it can be stubborn to get apart also! I sprayed everything real good with some electronic spay cleaner, put everything back together and the wife is very happy now! Thanks for your help, and this is a fantastic site for Windstar owners

[Windstartled]

Originally Posted by Radiatorkid

I did pry out the switch(and I DO mean pry!)

For those who wonder, you have to pry. There is no other way to get it out

As a general comment, door switch banks on many Ford vehicles manufactured since ca 1995 are among the easiest to work with in the industry thanks to a clever fastener design and the unusually large size of the switches themselves. On some other makes the buttons are so tiny they seem to have been made for their exclusive use by small children.