1997 taurus power window problem....help!

[courtwright]

the drivers and pass windows will not roll back up, when i press the buttons the motors click and there is a click under the dash, but no movement. anyone got an idea?

[mxz600]

Pull the door panels off and bang on the motors a bit. They might have a dead spot. Mine did it twice when I let the window go all the way down. I just don't let the window get all the way down anymore and it's fine.
Might be something else if they both did it at the exact same time?

Jay

[TomV]

First check your fuses for continuity.

If you do not use the rear 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.