Drivers window stops working randomly

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MoJoe
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Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by MoJoe »

(Did a search but did not see anything) :? Every now and then the window loses power. It work fine then all of a sudden has not enough power to put the window up or down. Maybe once a week is does this.

Any relays involved in there that could be over heating, motor going bad? No other noises or signs of binding. If I wait about a minute after it happens, it seems to work fine.
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Post by BobbleSmitty »

Mine has done that where it completely stops working all together. Typically, it only happens when it rains or when it is extremely cold outside? I am thinking there is just a ground wire that is exposed slightly inside the door on the window motor. I'm just waiting for better weather so I can take off the door panel and see.
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Post by DLP »

I have had the same thing happen a few times. The window comes down fine. But wont go up. You can push the switch up or down several times and nothing happens. Push the passenger side switch once and the drivers side starts to work just fine. I have taken the switches and wiring apart a couple times and haven't found anything. Doesn't happen enough times to do a good job on troubleshooting.
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Post by F9K9 »

I had to have two driver's side switches replaced under warranty and it has held up since '05.
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Post by MoJoe »

f9k9 wrote:I had to have two driver's side switches replaced under warranty and it has held up since '05.
Thanks for the input, that is something I can try. I almost wish it was a consistent problem, those are normally easier to trace.
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Post by F9K9 »

Mine was sporadic. As mentioned above, it seemed to happen when in the down position and rain beginning. Pulling over and restarting the truck usually corrected the situation.
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Post by rlrnr53 »

My truck has the same problem intremittly. I can usually hear a faint click just before it starts working again. It seems ro me that there is a fuse somewhere inthe circuit. I've been waiting for it to go completely out so I can trace the source of the problem.
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Post by roadrunner »

Not certain if our trucks have this or not but it is on my 98 and 90 park avenue cars as well as my 94 nissan sentra. The power window motors have an over-heat cut-out breaker internal to the motor. If they get stuck or difficult to go up and down it will cut out and after it cools off cut back in. My .02 worth.
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Post by blaz »

In my 95 grand am the window started to do the same thing. The motor was failing, I waited for it to fail completely . I replaced the motor (not the regulator kit they try and sell you) and everything was fine again. good luck! :D
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Post by WVHogRider »

I'd have to say it's the motor too. I had the exact same issue before when the truck was still under warranty. As stated, mine would only do this during a rainy time & or cold. The service department replaced the motor under warranty at like ~80K miles. Well, guess what start happening again on Monday....Yep, window quit working, and it was raining. :roll:
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by barch97 »

I've been having trouble like this for quite a while but since I don't use the CC as daily driver, I've been ignoring it. The recent snow-pocolypse has forced me to drive the CC a lot more than usual. Open driver's window at highway speed in snow storm is rather unpleasant to say the least.

It looks like the others who have experienced this had repairs made under warranty. The switch panel & window motor seem rather pricey to replace not knowing for sure which one will fix it.

Anybody got any advice that might help fix this on the cheap? I suspect that once I pull the door panel, I'll be able to tell better what is wrong. I'm hoping that lubricating the track might reduce the load on the window motor enough to put the job off 'til spring? How 'bout swapping with the rear driver side window motor?

Or I suppose I could just keep the window up until the thaw...
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by riceburnr2005 »

yea that happened to me once, it was 4 degrees and snowing going down the highway and my damn window was stuck open..good times
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

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barch97 wrote:I've been having trouble like this for quite a while but since I don't use the CC as daily driver, I've been ignoring it. The recent snow-pocolypse has forced me to drive the CC a lot more than usual. Open driver's window at highway speed in snow storm is rather unpleasant to say the least.

It looks like the others who have experienced this had repairs made under warranty. The switch panel & window motor seem rather pricey to replace not knowing for sure which one will fix it.

Anybody got any advice that might help fix this on the cheap? I suspect that once I pull the door panel, I'll be able to tell better what is wrong. I'm hoping that lubricating the track might reduce the load on the window motor enough to put the job off 'til spring? How 'bout swapping with the rear driver side window motor?

Or I suppose I could just keep the window up until the thaw...
I finally got around to opening the door and taking a look inside this past weekend when the window got stuck open and rain storm was approaching. A minute or two with a test light showed all the switches to be working perfectly. A few whacks with a rubber mallet got the electric lift motor turning again long enough to get the window closed up tight.

So, it looks like that's going to need replacing. What concerns me is the lack of reusable fasteners. The window assembly appears to be attached to the door with rivets and likewise the motor to the assembly. It seems like it'd be pretty easy to drill these three rivets out and mount a replacement motor with bolt & nut.

I can't tell how much clearance there is is between the motor's mounting points and the raising/lowering arm but it seems pretty tight. Will a hex head fit in there? I don't think I'll be able to get a screw driver in there to tighten it down so hex head is probably the way to go if it will not interfere with window operation. Also, these rivets look like they're relatively light duty but I suspect there's a reasonable amount of torque on them during window operation. Will a stainless bolt of small enough diameter to fit the mounting holes be sufficient?

I'm sure there's more than a few things I've overlooked so please by all means feel free to throw in any suggestions, advice, warnings, etc.
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by HenryJ »

How about going back with rivets? The advantage to a rivet is that it tightens in the hole and keeps the motor from shifting, whereas a bolt will rely upon pulling the two together to keep it from shifting.

I would be tempted to try riveting it back in place if possible. Both the motor and rivets should be available through NAPA. They carry lift and lock stuff now. Check to see if they are steel or aluminum. The grip range (thickness to be clamped) and the flange diameter (head size). You should be able to get a suitable replacement. If you don't have a pop rivet gun, they are a good tool to invest in. If it should happen to be the 1/4" or larger pop rivets, those tools can be quite expensive. See if a body shop can help you out, or rent one if possible.

The door panel retainers should be replaced each time they are removed to keep the panel tight. Any parts store should have those.

Another source for rivets and panel retainers is your local Au-ve-co dealer. Sometimes you can buy a whole box for the price of five at the parts store.

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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by killian96ss »

The problem is the window switch. I've had 2 or 3 replaced under warranty and the problem never came back on any of the windows. The symptoms are exactly what everyone has described, intermittent up or down with cold weather or rain making it happen more often. The GM dealership that did the work for me said that it is a common problem on the late model s-series. The window motors rarely fail and usually outlast the vehicle!

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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by HenryJ »

My drivers window was getting slow. It would seem to over heat and stop sometimes. Let it sit a little and it would work again. I figured it would be only a matter of time before replacement was needed.

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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

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HenryJ wrote:How about going back with rivets? The advantage to a rivet is that it tightens in the hole and keeps the motor from shifting, whereas a bolt will rely upon pulling the two together to keep it from shifting.

I would be tempted to try riveting it back in place if possible. Both the motor and rivets should be available through NAPA. They carry lift and lock stuff now. Check to see if they are steel or aluminum. The grip range (thickness to be clamped) and the flange diameter (head size). You should be able to get a suitable replacement. If you don't have a pop rivet gun, they are a good tool to invest in. If it should happen to be the 1/4" or larger pop rivets, those tools can be quite expensive. See if a body shop can help you out, or rent one if possible.

The door panel retainers should be replaced each time they are removed to keep the panel tight. Any parts store should have those.

Another source for rivets and panel retainers is your local Au-ve-co dealer. Sometimes you can buy a whole box for the price of five at the parts store.
Thanks for the input. Rivets are probably the way to go. I was thinking that I'd make it easier for next time but realistically, next time is likely eight or nine years away.
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

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killian96ss wrote:The problem is the window switch. I've had 2 or 3 replaced under warranty and the problem never came back on any of the windows. The symptoms are exactly what everyone has described, intermittent up or down with cold weather or rain making it happen more often. The GM dealership that did the work for me said that it is a common problem on the late model s-series. The window motors rarely fail and usually outlast the vehicle!

Steve
I was leaning very heavily that way as well but after opening it up and checking all the connections, I got strong solid on test light every time I hit the switch. The motor on the other hand, I could hear it click as if to engage but would only move the window after giving a few minutes of cool down time between tries and I could hear the motor strain and see the window motion slowing during up or down movement.

replacement motor from autozone is only about $35
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by killian96ss »

The motors can fail, but I've usually seen this on much older vehicles. I guess the amount of usage can also shorten the life. When I used to deliver newspapers in the winter months I ruined a drivers side window motor in my 01 Crew Cab and my 88 S10 Blazer! Nothing like driving with the window stuck down and freezing or getting wet or "both"! Yep, good ol times!

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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by barch97 »

hmm... maybe there really are too many toll roads in NJ :lol:
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

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barch97 wrote:hmm... maybe there really are too many toll roads in NJ :lol:
Ha ha, you guys and all your damn toll booth/turnpikes everywhere! Those things have driven me crazy every time I've visited back east. Went through one once that wasn't working right, so I proceeded to go and was greeted by several "short" state troopers all with bad attitudes. I was starting to believe that me and my girlfriend were about to get a beat down! All over a $1.60 or something like that! Fun times!

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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

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I keep getting pictures of my license plate in the mail. :roll:
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

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HenryJ wrote:How about going back with rivets? The advantage to a rivet is that it tightens in the hole and keeps the motor from shifting, whereas a bolt will rely upon pulling the two together to keep it from shifting.

I would be tempted to try riveting it back in place if possible. Both the motor and rivets should be available through NAPA. They carry lift and lock stuff now. Check to see if they are steel or aluminum. The grip range (thickness to be clamped) and the flange diameter (head size). You should be able to get a suitable replacement. If you don't have a pop rivet gun, they are a good tool to invest in. If it should happen to be the 1/4" or larger pop rivets, those tools can be quite expensive. See if a body shop can help you out, or rent one if possible.

The door panel retainers should be replaced each time they are removed to keep the panel tight. Any parts store should have those.

Another source for rivets and panel retainers is your local Au-ve-co dealer. Sometimes you can buy a whole box for the price of five at the parts store.
The replacement motor came with 3 long flat headed bolts and matching nuts with lock washers to replace the rivets. It also included 4 little nut/bolt combos to replace the rivets holding the mounting plate assembly to the door panel. Sadly this entire assembly had to be removed to make room to remove the oem rivets and install the replacement bolts. This would have been a MUCH easier repair had there been just a tiny bit more clearance in there.

*Edit: Also a note of caution to anyone else needing to do this fix. I plugged the replacement motor into the wire harness and tried the switch just to be sure that the motor was in fact the problem. I then proceeded to remove the oem motor and the mounting plate assembly by drilling out all 7 rivets. I then re-installed the mounting plate assembly and then the replacement motor. I greased the track on the window glass and reinstalled the door panel. It was then I realised I had left the key in the ignision turned to "on" for the entire 45 minutes or so this took. I'm waiting for my 6 year old battery to charge and hoping that it too doesn't need to be replaced now.
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

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barch97 wrote:... I realised I had left the key in the ignision turned to "on" for the entire 45 minutes or so this took. I'm waiting for my 6 year old battery to charge and hoping that it too doesn't need to be replaced now.
You are in good company. I read codes on one of the fleet rigs. Two weeks later I got the chance to work on it. Guess how long I left the key on? I charged the four year old AC Delco battery back up and hopefully I didn't kill it. It started the truck, but I'm going to let it sit for a week or so and see if it holds the charge.

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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by barch97 »

After a few hours on the charger, my optima bounced right back. Tried it the next morning and it fired right up. We'll see this weekend but I'm pretty confident all is well again. :thumb:
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Re: Drivers window stops working randomly

Post by barch97 »

Just as I suspected, it started right up this morning after sitting unused since Sunday. I guess my battery is okay.
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