Rear Window Issue

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Deathoncall63

Deathoncall63

Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Threads
9
Messages
87
Location
Mesa, Az
Inkpot and myself got mad scientist on the rear window today. Re greased the regulator, moved around the adjusters so it clicks right and then replaced the Circuit strip. Window went back and forth just fine when the tailgate was down. As soon as the tailgate went up it completely stopped working.

1) None of the wires are pinched or lose
2) The regulator isn't budging at all. So its not jammed

Anyone have any ideas how this Phenomenon could occur? Or any advice on how to rectify this situation?
tailgate.webp
tailgate 2.webp
 
X3 on lock-out/safety switch. You were able to get it to move while it was down. You must have been holding the safety switch closed, no? Is its plunger not actuating all the way w/ the door jamb when it's closed? Also alignment of the jamb and track. Is there a current draw on the circuit while you're actuating the switch with the door up and the widow not moving? (hope that made sense)
 
I'll place my bets on the lockout switch too. Try giving the tailgate a push on the left side while winding it up.
 
if you were working it with the tailgate down, did you wire something backwards? or were you pinching the safety switch plunger when you were working the tailgate?
 
Damn Window

Yeah, I've tried a few more things. Damn window regulator still won't work. The plunger or " Saftey switch" never really worked in the first place. I won't quit till this window regulator gets back where it needs to be.;)

Spurg
 
If the safety switch never really worked, how did you get any action from the motor a' tall? Something must be wired backward(x2), or...? The window motor won't turn unless the plunger on the door switch is in (the switch inside the plunger closed and the circuit able to pass thru it). It is there to keep the window from being opened into the door frame when the t/g is ajar, and to prevent it from opening when the t/g is down, and potentially being broken by people/ animals, etc. I'm sure you get that already, but my point is; Then howd you get it to work with the t/g open? I think if we can finger that out, then it will also lead us to whys it ain't workin w/ the t/g CLOSED.
 
Howdy! We worked on this again yesterday. Pulled out the safety switch so we could bypass it like I did on mine years ago. Surprise! The P.O. had already done that. I am kinda confused through, because the switch had 3 wires, coming out of it, but the Chassis Manual only shows 2. Looks original. I thought that the blue wire to the junction strip was supposed to be hot all the time, but my meter says it is not. I started looking around under the dash for the circuit breaker, but I could not find one. The dash was totally rewired by the P.O., and I did find a couple of round silver dollar sized (relays?) things, with 2 wires to each. I'm guessing one is turn signals, the other is 4-way flashers. I ran out of time before I could look for regular fuses in the tailgate wiring. Hopaefully I can locate the old wiring on the floor somewhere and backtrack to see what the P.O. did with it.

Just as a recap: At first, the window worked fine from the dash switch. No key available for the tailgate switch. We opend up tailgate, removed access panel and glass. Pulled out the regulator to replace the broken door latch handle. Found the power strip was rotten, so replaced it in the process. After reassembly, the glass worked up and down from the dash switch with the tailgate still open. Closed up the tailgate, and Ta Da!! it quit. Meter show no juice on anything at power strip when dash switch is activated. John
 
Not trying to be an ass but if the only work you did was in the tailgate then I'd assume the problem's there. If it all of a sudden quit working maybe one of the 40 year old wires broke?
 
cruiser_guy said:
Not trying to be an ass but if the only work you did was in the tailgate then I'd assume the problem's there. If it all of a sudden quit working maybe one of the 40 year old wires broke?
Click to expand...
Yea, that was my first thought. But, we double checked all the connections we put on the new strip, and I ran a continuity check on the wires. All seemed to check out. I'm thinking the P.O. put a regular fuse in the system when he rewired the dash area, as I can't find the old relay and circuit breaker. John
 
YES. What he said. Search here and there is a thread that tells you how to get the window down w/ the tailgate panel removed and some wire and a battery. I think pull the wires from the chassis to the strip and hook up the ground from the battery to the ground on the strip going to the motor (should be through the switch...), and then hook another wire to the positive and bump the terminal on the strip that goes to the motor- Check the thread... It should be simple enough- if one term w/ the + don't do anything, try the other open terminal...If you can get the window down, you can test further. When you say you ran a continuity test what did you do and what were the results? You could have a pinched or broken (in insulation) wire that goes from power to the motor. Do you have voltage leaving the switch? Do you have voltage across the terminals on the strip? How about voltage to each wire on the strip to a wire taken to the ground @ battery? Your safety $witch should switch a ground to the motor, according to the diagram...It may be a case of good old fashioned chasing the circiut the following the wires to where ever they go:meh:
 
nuclearlemon said:
do any wires get pinched when you close the tailgate? if you open the tailgate, does it still work fine?
Click to expand...
It does not work when the tailgate is open or closed. It doesn't look like the wires are pinched, but it is hard to tell as it still has the original wiring inside the original sleeve going from grommet to grommet, tailgate to lip of rear floor. If I can't find any obvious things to fix under the dash, then I may open up that old wiring harness and see if the power supply is broken there. Right now the regulator is in the down position, and the glass is removed, so I can access pretty much everything in the tailgate. According to my schematics, the power supply to the motor is a solid blue wire. I tested it to ground, nada, and then I tried jumpering it to the up wire, then the down wire, still nada. I'm pretty sure it is a problem with that power supply lead. I'm just hoping I find that the P.O. put a little 10 amp fuse in that line up front in the dash. I hope to get back to in a few days. John
 
Alright. How about voltage at the switch on the dash? You might have lost the continuity between the switch and the tailgate. You may be correct and find a po installed in line fuse. If you checked for juice at the dash and had none, then you could pull a wire from the battery, through a circuit breaker to the dash switch and see if it works them. You should wire in your safety switch once you get it working.
 
LAMBCRUSHER said:
Alright. How about voltage at the switch on the dash? You might have lost the continuity between the switch and the tailgate. You may be correct and find a po installed in line fuse. If you checked for juice at the dash and had none, then you could pull a wire from the battery, through a circuit breaker to the dash switch and see if it works them. You should wire in your safety switch once you get it working.
Click to expand...
Well, as I keep batting ideas around, I noticed in my Haynes manual (p 213) that the Pre-1072 models do not have a relay in the system, just a circuit breaker. That breaker is between the control switch and the alternator. Don't ask me why, but that is where they pull the power for these. If I can figure out what/where/if the P.O. used a circuit breaker, then I can jumper that to see if it is bad. Since the dash switch is a bit hard to reach between the steering column and the heater, I just hope the P.O. used some of the original wiring in there so it will be easier to trace.

Personally, I don't like the safety switch to be in the system. I'm not too worried about accidentally opening or closing the glass with the tailgate down. I have seen these switches fail internally, and even more often I have seen the little plastic piece on the side of the tailgate that activates it fall apart so there is nothing to push the plunger when the tailgate is closed.
 
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