98 Windstar Electrical Diagram

[idea_guy]

Hi all....
I need an electrical diagram that shows - completely - the circuitry for the power/heated mirrors. I have the Hayes manual for the truck, but it shows NOTHING. My testing (and I'm pretty good with electrics, guys) shows something HAS to be funky, but I can't pin it down without a schematic. Seems strange to me that they can control 4 motions with only three wires. y'THINK?

[phil-l]

It's easy to control mirror location with three wires.

There are only two motors in the mirror assembly: An "up-down" motor, and a "side-to-side" motor. One wire to each motor, plus a common return shared by the pair.

In my experience, intermittent Windstar mirror location setting operation indicates a switch problem. I disassembled the switch itself (yes, a number of tiny parts), cleaned everything up and used dielectric grease to ensure good contacts. It's been fine since then.

[idea_guy]

Hi Phil.....
Thanks for the qwik kik-back. Been there, done that. Took switch apart, cleaned, di-electric grease. No go. Like I said, electrics is my thing, and I've been at it 45 years. BUT....<G> sometimes the best of us get brain-lock or just plain stumped, y'know.
This switch acts wierd. ANY of the leads going to the mirrors shows hot in ANY switch activation mode except neutral and off. Which is wierd, TSTL, yeah? SO...I'm thinking the only thing that could cause THAT is the dreaded "Bad Ground", right? That would let all motors try to find their ground BACK through the switch, plus through each other and back to the switch, so all wires COULD show hot to one of these computer safe 12v test lights that uses an LED, k?
SO...I'm looking for a diagram so I can properly test the operation of each wire from the switch to the mirrors, right? ALSO, I'm curious how and why the ign switch must be on for the mirrors to work, yet there is one wire (gy/rd) that is a constant hot at the switch, and when I turn the ign sw ON, I cannot find any OTHER hot wires at the switch. *wheeze**cough**snort*

Any more ideas, folks?

[tripletdaddy]

You're saying if you put the switch in any of the direction positions, all three wires to the mirrors show 12 volts. I don't have your year ( you might try Autozone.com) but the diagram I looked at showed that the mirrors get their ground through the directional switch. When you operate the switch, it is a double pole, double throw for each direction you want to go. So, you are making a connection to send the power positive to the motor and the other connection to complete the circuit to ground, where a ground wire will leave the switch to wherever it's screwed.

You're kind of right about the backfed ground and a ground problem. But, in this situation, I believe the switch is to blame. You're on the right track with the idea that since you are getting 12v on all three wires, there may be a ground problem. Apparently, when you toggle power to a motor, it passes through the intended motor and then though the other motor and the return line "looking" for ground, but can't find it. That is why they are all at 12v. The switch is not providing it at the return line. So, either the switch isn't grounded or the guts of the switch are sticking, dirty or broken.

What I looked at also shows only one hot wire to the controls that is hot all times. I don't know why they can only be used when the key is on.