Driver window stuck down

[Scrapla]

Last night as I pull up to my house my driver window just wont go up, I have power windows, passenger worked fine and nothing not even any kinda click or noise from the driver side, so I pulled the switch panel and checked the wires for maybe a short but couldnt see much, well its raining now so I wanna get some advice on what to check and what to look for I was gonna take the volt meter out and maybe check for a bad wire or maybe a fuse, please help I need this window up no matter what.

[FritzDaKat]

Voltmeter will have your answers. check across the switch for the voltage drop when you close it, then across the motor, if you see your expected voltage, move on to continuity tests.

[Scrapla]

I'm getin 12volts from the pink wires comin outta the switch panel for the windows and the yellow ones are showin current to, still nothing though no noise from the motor and any click or moving just looks locked up, can I buy a new power window button I fear the shorts inside that, also if nothing works how can I get this window up cause it needs to come up regardless

[mustangII460]

Beat on your door panel while pushing the switch. Most times it will go back up. Id say the motors bad.

[Scrapla]

Well its not workin and I dont know what to do how can I force it up in the meantime its gonna be raining all week here, really need help.

[FritzDaKat]

If your seeing 12 Volts at the switch even when you press it, the switch is shot.

Whats the voltage across the motor when you hit the switch?

If you want to wait till after the weather clears to mess with it, I suppose you could force the window up after removing the door panel, but be carefull or you'll be replacing glass as well as a switch / motor.

If it seems like its going to require alot of force to push up, just unbolt the motor and use a board to prop the window up for the time being

[Fox Body]

Hmmm. That sucks, dude. The window in my '91 4-cylinder LX is stuck too, only it's in the up position. I just don't feel like fooling with it. At first when it started doing this, I had to do like mustangII460 said and beat on the door and then most of the time it would go up. Then one day it just wouldn't come down. I need to fix it b4 I sell the car so I'd like to hear the answer to this question. I'm thinking it's the motor b/c I already removed the panel and checked the wires and they seemed fine.

Does it sound stupid to try to run a direct line from the battery to the motor to see if it's the motor? Should be okay since that motor is made for 12-volt power, right? It would then bypass any switch. If it worked, it'd mean that the switches or wiring was the problem. If still didn't work, then that'd indicate a bad motor. Does this seem doable?

[FritzDaKat]

Well yea, in a pinch without a meter, but I'd recomend running the jumper from an accessory fuse, or the Blower motor fuse just to be on the safe side. And if you DONT have a meter, theres all sort's of 12V tester probes you can grab cheap at most parts stores for under $8-10, it basicly act's like a jumper wire with a light bulb along the line, so if theres voltage, the little light pop's on. If you have an extra turn signal socket, you could make one yourself by adding some 16-18 gauge wire and a couple alligator clips.

[Scrapla]

Thanks for the post's guys I found out it was the motor.

[Joe50]

One time my window did the same thing...I took the window motor out and tested it and it started working fine so i put it back in...i think it bound itself up then when i took it out and tested it i released it...it is worth a try...

[FritzDaKat]

Yea, I've noticed alot of electrical part's in general (Starter's, Alternator's, misc electrical motors) have been suffering a bit in the way of quality workmanship. I've found quite a few where it was simply that an internal terminal nut had vibrated loose.

If it's not working, may as well try to get inside it and have a look, it just might save you $100 or so.

Once I had even come across a manufacturer of Alternator rebuild's, used 3 from them, and each time I had found that the leads from the winding's where they were soldered to the stator had been so grossly over-soldered that they were actualy ripping apart the internal connections for that modle alternator's Rectifier bridge. Needless to say, the third time, I just bought the replacement diodes, pressed them in and took a file to the solder monster's, never again to find a mysteriously discharged battery on that car again.