EDIT: This thread got longer than a Russian Folk tale. Since it got put in the FAQ, let me add a bit of a table of contents for quicker access to the meat of the thread:
Power door lock mod--Posts 27 to 32
Power window mod--Posts 47 to 51
Discussion about grounding-- Posts 76 to 83
Most of the rest of the posts are either side discussions, Q & A, or comments about how great I am. Those people haven't talked to my wife yet.
CLOSE EDIT.
My power windows and door locks haven't worked very well since I got my fj62 last spring. I've read enough postings to know that this problem is not unique to my cruiser. Awhile ago, I finally got around to pulling the master switch panel and all the door switches out and removing the pits from the contacts with emery paper and polishing the contacts all nice and shiny like has been recommended on another post. I even put dielectric grease in there as well. I reinstalled the switches and tried the power door locks and bamm, up and down they went for about 5 cycles. Then right back to the old problem. I pulled the master switch panel out again, and had a little black pit in the contacts. Curses. I think that the original surface of the contacts was hardened a little, and once that is eroded away, the softer metal won't stand up to switching that much current.
The switch contacts for the drivers window aren't the same as the rest. They are just flat copper bars without the contact because they just control the relays for the drivers window. The relays actually switch the current for the window motor. So, I figured why not use relays to switch the current for the windows in the rest of the doors and the power door locks as well? After examining the wiring diagrams, I figured out how to add relays to the other windows and for the door locks, and ordered a set of 8 relays with sockets and pigtails for about $50. Each relay will switch 50 amps, so they should never wear out. If they do, it's only a $5 fix.
Well, tonight I wired in the relays for the door locks. I tried the locks. They all jump up and down with authority. I must have cycled them 50 times and they work fantastic! Now I was really stoked, so I dove into the passenger door window switch. Toyota did kind of a funky thing with the windows. The window lock switch actually interrupts the path to ground for the window motors. So when you lock the windows, you can't even roll them down from the master control panel. In order to use relays with the windows, I had to change the ground path, so the window lock feature doesn't have any effect any more. I have to wire in a ground to each door switch. I haven't quite figured out the best way to do that. I am leaning toward just using a braided strap between the door pillar and the door, and then grounding the door switch to a ground point on the door. But hey, the passenger window goes up and down lickedy-split now. It is just as fast as the drivers side. I ran out of time to complete the back doors, I'll have to get to them later.
But if anyone else out there is interested in the fix, I will take some pictures and do a short write-up of the procedure. You'll have to add a ground to three doors and you'll have to cut some wires between the switches and the connectors and figure out where to stuff the relays in the doors, but for $50 in relays and sockets, you can breathe new life into your door locks and windows!
I'm out for tonight.
Power door lock mod--Posts 27 to 32
Power window mod--Posts 47 to 51
Discussion about grounding-- Posts 76 to 83
Most of the rest of the posts are either side discussions, Q & A, or comments about how great I am. Those people haven't talked to my wife yet.
CLOSE EDIT.
My power windows and door locks haven't worked very well since I got my fj62 last spring. I've read enough postings to know that this problem is not unique to my cruiser. Awhile ago, I finally got around to pulling the master switch panel and all the door switches out and removing the pits from the contacts with emery paper and polishing the contacts all nice and shiny like has been recommended on another post. I even put dielectric grease in there as well. I reinstalled the switches and tried the power door locks and bamm, up and down they went for about 5 cycles. Then right back to the old problem. I pulled the master switch panel out again, and had a little black pit in the contacts. Curses. I think that the original surface of the contacts was hardened a little, and once that is eroded away, the softer metal won't stand up to switching that much current.
The switch contacts for the drivers window aren't the same as the rest. They are just flat copper bars without the contact because they just control the relays for the drivers window. The relays actually switch the current for the window motor. So, I figured why not use relays to switch the current for the windows in the rest of the doors and the power door locks as well? After examining the wiring diagrams, I figured out how to add relays to the other windows and for the door locks, and ordered a set of 8 relays with sockets and pigtails for about $50. Each relay will switch 50 amps, so they should never wear out. If they do, it's only a $5 fix.
Well, tonight I wired in the relays for the door locks. I tried the locks. They all jump up and down with authority. I must have cycled them 50 times and they work fantastic! Now I was really stoked, so I dove into the passenger door window switch. Toyota did kind of a funky thing with the windows. The window lock switch actually interrupts the path to ground for the window motors. So when you lock the windows, you can't even roll them down from the master control panel. In order to use relays with the windows, I had to change the ground path, so the window lock feature doesn't have any effect any more. I have to wire in a ground to each door switch. I haven't quite figured out the best way to do that. I am leaning toward just using a braided strap between the door pillar and the door, and then grounding the door switch to a ground point on the door. But hey, the passenger window goes up and down lickedy-split now. It is just as fast as the drivers side. I ran out of time to complete the back doors, I'll have to get to them later.
But if anyone else out there is interested in the fix, I will take some pictures and do a short write-up of the procedure. You'll have to add a ground to three doors and you'll have to cut some wires between the switches and the connectors and figure out where to stuff the relays in the doors, but for $50 in relays and sockets, you can breathe new life into your door locks and windows!
I'm out for tonight.
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