2003 QC, drivers rear window

[deaner70]

Looking for some help on my 03 drivers side rear window. I had it down a small amount and now it will not go up. I can put it down more, but nothing up from either the front switch or the back door switch. Took the panel off and see nothing obvious. Any ideas. Also, any pointers to troubleshoot from the connectors with a volt meter or ohm meter?

Thanks in advance

 

[seafish]

Your window not going back up is more then likely caused by broken wire(s) INSIDE the black rubber loom between the B pillar and rear door. Peel back the rubber and unplug the harness connector from the b pillar, then roll back the rubber even more toward the door and you will expose the wires. One or several of them may be completely and obviously broken through, however you also MUST palpate/feel along the length of EACH wire that is NOT obviously broken in order to feel if their is a hard/brittle section on any of the unbroken wire. The hard section of wire is either already broken UNDERNEATH the wire insulation or about to break…either way you will want to cut, splice, solder and shrink tube any of the broken wires, as well as the wire sections that do not look broken but ARE brittle/hard under the insulation.

In short, what is happeinginng is that the repeated open/closign of the door is causing metal fatigue of the cheap wire that Chrysler used to make the harness. Unfortunately, it will continue to happen even after the fix unless you use sections of ultra fine strand radio control wire of the proper replacement gauge for your splices, or even rebuild the entire harness using ultra fine strand wire. If you have ever bent a coat hangar or even baling wire back and forth rapidly in order to try and break it, you will know what i mean about the hard/brittle section that forms on each side of the bend.

 

[deaner70]

Thanks for the info. I am planning on doing later today. Makes sense opening and closing doors. Do the oTher corners end up having the samee problem happen also?

 

[brods]

Seems only the back doors have the issue. The wires can break all different ways. As you can see in this picture the insulation broke first on the wires on my truck:
#ad


One thing you may want to try after fixing the bad wire is using black pvc electrical tape to bundle the wires together. 5+ years ago I did a temporary fix with solderless connectors to the couple broken wires on both rear doors. I then taped the whole bundle together so the wires can support each other and bend as a group with a more gentle radius. I've been waiting for it to fail again and plan to fix it "right" this time around. So far it is holding up fine.

 

[deaner70]

Well, I took apart and found wires with bad insulation but no breaks. Spliced out and repaired those, but still no up. So I took the connector off of motor and tested with a test light. I have a light at the plug when I press both up and down on the respective connection point. So it seems to me the motor is the problem? Thoughts?

Next question, is there a trick to replace that motor? That is one thing I have never had to mess with on any vehicle. Unsure about the regulator and such.

Thanks again for the help

Larry

 

[seafish]

Did you check for wires with NO visible signs of damage but that FEEL like they have a brittle section about 3/4" long ??

If not you should do so…my wires had no visible damage but were broken UNDERNEATH the insulation. I was able to id them by feeling for the hard section and then cutting it out and splicing in new wire and then my window worked again.

 

[deaner70]

Yeah, I could not feel anything. I suppose I could check continuity in the plug and harness also

 

[seafish]

The problem in my truck was that the wire was broken inside the insulation,so essentially each end of the break could still make contact inside the insulation, but not conduct enough current to raise the window. NOT saying that is definitely your problem, but it does bear looking into. Can't even remember why I started feeling along each wire, but DO remember a distinct "stiff" area about 3/4" long. When I bent the wire at that area several times back and forth, the wire broke immediately in half through the insulation as well. It will also be very close to the same area as the ones that were actually broken... that is the section where the wires are being repeatedly bent when the door is open/closed.

 

[PWong]

took the connector off of motor and tested with a test light. I have a light at the plug when I press both up and down on the respective connection point. So it seems to me the motor is the problem? Thoughts?

Next question, is there a trick to replace that motor? That is one thing I have never had to mess with on any vehicle. Unsure about the regulator and such.

Just to make sure:
There were two wires on the connector.
Hook up your test light ( the power side and the ground side) across the two wires.
Press UP button and DOWN button.
The test light would be illuminated in both cases if the wiring circuit was good and then your motor would be defective.

 

[seafish]

I don;t want to beat a dead horse, but if the wire is broken inside the insulation, like mine was, it is possible to have a connection that passes voltage but NOT enough current to raise or lower the window. i.e. visualize two copper points inside a sleeve touching but not physically secured or connected they can pass volts but not enough contact area to pass enough current to operate the motor. All that being said, perhaps the motor IS the problem, just trying to keep you from having to buy a new one without first taking the cheap and easy route.

 

[PWong]

it is possible to have a connection that passes voltage but NOT enough current to raise or lower the window.

This was TRUE.
So hook up the test light and wiggle the wires.

 

[deaner70]

I will go over again. Ohm test should tell me also if I had perimeters I had light on and up and down in opposite terms would light light. Could be bad enough to pass voltage but not run motor

 

[deaner70]

tore everything apart last night and no hard spots in wires anywhere. Motor will go down but no up. Tried 12v to motor and nothing, BUT would not run it down either this way so ecverything must need to be connected to keep circuit together.

 

[PWong]

Tried 12v to motor and nothing, BUT would not run it down either this way so ecverything must need to be connected to keep circuit together.

Try run a power wire and a ground wire to the motor at the same time, and then switch them.
That would proof the condition of the motor.

 

[deaner70]

Try run a power wire and a ground wire to the motor at the same time, and then switch them.
That would proof the condition of the motor.

I have power to one terminal on the plug when going up and to the other on the down position. Never to both at the same time. I have found nothing "hard" in the harness onther than the 3 spots I have found. Near as I can tell they were the speaker wires and maybe a lock wire. Nothing in the front door either.

Going to try a motor and see.

does anyone have a procedure or where I can find on to replace JUST the motor...Everything I have seen online is for replacing everything...instructions or diagrams

 

[PWong]

If you want to confirm that the motor was bad, disconnect the motor connector and do the two jumpers to the motor.

 

[rashwor]

My wires broke again on my right rear door this weekend. Bummer.

 

[deaner70]

Well, I found the problem. After repairing wires in door, inspecting again and again, checking the front wires and replacing the motor, still nothing. Ended up being the master switch in drivers door. Got rough with it and figured it out. Now it's up, but will replace it

 

[Ozymandias]

Genos sells the window Motor and not to expensive.

Rock Auto sells the cable harness and also not to expensive.